The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1881-12-03

! Oeuator bruce ana Otner hepuDllcdn
Senators for long time, to resist Pres
ident Hayes attempt to remove Col
lectOr Arthur and naval officer Cornell;
and In this connection it is worthy OF
note that Notwithstanding a threat of
withdrawal of patronage by the Hayes
administration, from the first to the
last ballot, Senator Bruce stood by Sen
atOr Conkling in his effort to resist the
base attempt TO blacken the name and
reputation of Chester A. Arthur. The
Globes silly idea, product of slave
times, that in order to build up one man
it is necessary to defame and tear down
the good name of another, when it has
taken life time to make, is, we are
glad to say, confined to a few old fossil
lied cranks scattered hither and thither
over the country, and Of whom the wri-
ter OF the aforesaid article is striking
example. Their chief occupation con-
slsts in ridiculous masquerading be-
fore the public as "leading colored
men,"
No reputable colored man in Wash
ington or elsewhere would father the
article or endorse its base falsehoods
and insinuations. The universal SEN
timent is one of condemnation. We
will not ridicule Mr.. Langston by call
ing The Globe his organ, or the anony-
nous writer his henchman. We will
rather assume, as is doubtless true, that
The Globe and the writer Of the afore-
said anonymous article sis" or "are"
sore because Mr.. Bruce has failed to
| discover in him or them the elements
Of the truly good and great" Indeed
We shall not allow The Globe to put the
LEADER in an antagonistic position to
Hon. John VI. Langston. THE
LEADER is and has been Mr.. Langs-
toms friend. For his education, his
culture and his noble qualities of head
and heart we yield to no one in admi-
ration. We have earnestly advocated
his political advancement in the past,
and we still do so. We consider Mr..
Langston eminently qualified for any
position in the gift of the president or
the people at large, and in this con-
nection we may add that we have the
evidence that Mr.. Langston and his real
friends fully appreciate our position.
The life work of Frederick Douglass,
now in the scar and yellow leaf of age,
is the heritage of the race. No honors
are too great for him. None but sac
religious hand will pluck single star
from the crown of glory his indomitable
courage and devotion to the cause of
freedom and equality have won for him.
For Blanche X. Bruce, the poor boy,
who like Lincoln, Garfield, and others
educated himself and by dint of his
own pluck, energy and ability has won
for himself place among the greatest
men of the Nation we have. in common
with all true men, not only of our own
race, but of all races, unbounded adj
miration. His public life as state of
fetal, as {. S. Senator and Register of
the Treasury, is an open book, alike
honorable to himself and the race to
which he belongs. Not even his enc
mics have ever breathed suspicion
against his personal integrity. In the
private walks fife or in public, at home.
among foreign people, us citizen and
statesman, his career has been one of
credit to himself and honor to the race.
The LEADER advocated and still ad.
vocates Senator Bruce for position in
the Cabinet because he is eminentlv
qualified for the position and because
he Is the most available msn. The
District of Columbia has never had a
Cabinet officer and it is not in the ma
ture of human probability that she
ever should have one. An intelligent
observer need not search further to dis
cover one reason why the press of the
country and well informed people gen.
orally did not advocate resident of
the District of Columbia for position
in the Cabinet.
Register Bruce is a Southern man by
birth and by residence. He represents
the section in which nine-tenths of the
colored voters reside. He has had a
varied and honorable experience in pub
lie life. He is cultured gentleman of
great ability and fine attainments. He
has fine executive qualities and that
polish of manners and social aptness 50
essential to Cabinet minister in his
lealiugs with the thousands of people
from every walk of life with whom he
must come in contact. Serving in the
senate in period rife with political
he came out with clean hands
md the profound respectand admiration
If every member OF that distinguished
body. He has defended his race when