The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-11-05
A QUESTION OF IDENTITY,

A QUESTION OF IDENTITY.
1t is serious question, and one likely to
exercise considerable influence on the election
| to-day-Who was the author Of the Citizens
appeal to the colored voters, In the Observer
the organ Of the Colored Protective Union
and the Citizens Association The "dennl-
ton grind" says that the Citizens Associa-
ton is not responsible for it. Yet Mr. Charles
e. johnson signs it as "CHAIRMAN or THE
ELECTION COMMITTEE Of that very "con-
mercal" party.
Now, we have no more respect or affection.
for the "demnition grind" than Nh Matnlini
had-but the responsibility for that address
| must be fixed. Who was the man that full
minated it? That's the question. Some at
tribute it to "Thompson's colt" but that is
too fragrant gag" The merest school-boy
knows that "Thompsons colt Is m yttl-it
Is merely synonym for a "damphool'-w
adopt this photography merely out Of respect
for popular prejudice.
Again, it has been attributed to John Collins,
to the man that struck Billy Patterson, and
other mythical heroes Of our modern mythol-
ogy. One particularly insistaDt faction at
tributes 1t to that nameless hero of Dean
swift's, who comfortably located himself on
the limb of q tree and then sawed away on
the side next the trunk, and never discovered
his mistake till he recovered next day with O
broken back.
Now, this sort OF narrative may go down
with sucking bahes-they are very pretty
nursery stories-but we haven't the cheek to
impose them on free and enlightened Ameri-
can citizens, who understand magma chnyta
and the guarantees Of constitutional govern
ment and generally know "what Is what and
which is which" AS public journalists we
have to forego our own secret conviction that
John Collins is the man. Our duty to the
public forbds our confessing to any such SUI
perstition #
In any other American city this disposition
Of the subject would be entirely satisfactory.
The ward hummer, the only practical politi~
clan, would Immediately disc .rd our slspl-
cion in regard TO John Collins and settle on
the Citizens Association as the responsible
party. We could but reinquish our precon-
Cepton in such an event.
As we have observed, In many other Ameri-
can cities what we have said would be salts
factory and conclusive. But 1t must be re-
most mixed populations Of any city in the
world. The DEMOCRAT has large patronage
among the Creoles, the Spaniards. Italians
Sicilians. Cadiens, Dagoes, etc, all Of whom
cling to the old Latin traditions, and to whom
we owe it, not less than to the Euglsh-speak-
ing people, to offer satisfactory disllusion in
regard to this serious question Of the disputed
authorship OF this address Of the Citizens As
ISOLATION TO the Coored Protective Union and
Its constituency.
Among this class Of people we have heard
that this remarkable proclamation was writ
ten and issued by one Gribouille.
Now. Gritouitle was the man that jumped
in the river when it WAS raining in order to
keep his clothes dry. GriboutIhe could never
have written such q glowing paragraph as
the following clipped from that address:
MY colored friends, let us como together. Our
interests are ons and the same. our desires to
500 this beloved Old commonwealth rank fore
| m ,st with the great. commercial ,mnrts and
become the metropolis Of the South and West
are identical. Our beautiful Crescent is sit
| uated upon tho great Father If Waters.
This disposes of GribouiNe. The authorship
| of this document, we understand, has been the
occasion of number of bitter divisions among
our Latin population, especially the Creoles
| Tho GribeuiNe faction is one. but the Jocrisee
constituency is not less determined or pro-
nounced in its convictions. This fact makes
the identity of Jocrisse q matter of Importance.
| J0Criese was the man who came home one day,
wet to the skin by drenching rain. He hung
| his coat out Of q third-story window to dry,
| and 1t was blown by the wind to the stone
pavement below Jocrisse was terribly Of
fected. He wrung his hands and broke into
ordinations Mon Dieu! Jocrisse,' said
| the wife of his bosom. "what Is the matter 2?
"Ah! said he, ''my coat has fallen to the
ground" "But," said she, "what Of that
why this anguish ?" "OhT said Jocrisse,
| but suppose had been in it,
| We do not wish to hurt any ones feelings
but could such person rs Jocrisse write
such glowing words as these?
but how could it be otherwise whom two fornd
| able mountains Of political differences St. BOD
between US; but we are glad to announce that
| the era has arrived when these mountains are
| about to be brought low, when the past can be
all forgot. and the gloom that hovers around us
ating from the glorious days of the near future
Could Jocrisse conceive the sublime
imagery of "dazzed gloomT'
Mo- gentle friends, give up your delusions-
1t WAS neither Griboulle nor Jocriase, but the
Citizens' Association that issued that address
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The weakly evening twinxler, which has