The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-11-25

of this district, and more particularly
of this parish, which he has hitherto
enjoyed, COR not, it would seem,) and
we are influenced, by more than one
reason to give Mr.. Dinkgrave's renun-
citation, (Which is mainly recital of
miscarriages,) space in these columns,
as hereto annexed
| DTNKGRAVE TO DUMoNT.
MONROE, La, Nov. IA, 1882.
| Hon. A. J. Dumont, Chairman Republican
State Committee, New Orleans, La.
Sir-At all times and under any and
all circumstances L have fought for and
maintained, to the best of my ability,
the principles of the Republican party
since 1871, when L became of age. AL
most alone in this parish (Ouachita) for
the past four years have stood up for
what I believed was right and best
equal rights before the law to all men
and a free ballot. l have done this in
| the interests of the colored people of
my parish, hoping that some day they
would recognize the precious boon of
liberty and manhood. To-day my faith
in them is gone. In this parish, with
a large Republican majority, with no.
thing in the recent election to obstruct
! llSS Ddilct-Wllu Il uSSlIS Oh the part
Of the Democrats, implied, if not ex-
pressed, to see us elect General McN1il-
len-the colored men, of whom our
party is largely composed, who were
interested, at least as much as l have
refused to do their duty or help them
selves. In other portions of the Dis
trict, with just as large legal and con-
coded majorities, we have been sold
out. Under this state of facts L care
no longer to bear alone, as have done,
the load 1 have carried since 1876 with
so little promise of success or change.
Believing that the colored men of
the District will not soon learn to APP
preciate their advantages and chances,
and that L can do them no good politi-
cally, because they will not help them
selves, L am unwilling, longer, to
spend the best of my life fruitlessly. I
shall, therefore, hereafter take no ac-
tive part in politics, as they now are.
L reserve the right to act as / see best.
| You will please consider this my res
| ignation of membership on any State,
congressional or parochial committee
to which ] may at this date be assign
ed. Respectfully,
JOHN II. DINEGRAVE.
That Mr.. Dnkgrave has sedulously
| S'iiFch ioi SeNeIai years 10 tram tno
colored people in the Republican
school, and after very ugly model,
and that, at times, he has had to carry
the front row and take the butt cut e,
will not be denied in Democratic Qua
chita. And, for ayoung trainer, his me-
thods have evinced present skill, but
were wanting, as his letter confesses, in
calm reasoning-out of the political
hereafter. The formation ofa living
Republican party out of raw colored
people was never more than posi-
bility, and that only when patronized
and fostered by State and National adj
ministrations.
But there is an Inconsistency in at
tributing the failure to keep the party
alive to the blindness of the negro in
not appreciating "the precious boon of
liberty and manhood" and declaring
that "my faith in them has gone" and
then avowing that there was no OBJ
struction to Il free ballot in this parish,
tho result being, as the returns show,
that they voted very nearly solid for
the Democratic nominee. This was
certainly, liberty and manhood, with
out obstruction. Under such favorable
and even encouraging circumstances,
faith ought to have survived; or else,
the apostle, finding his creed proven
false, should have followed his disci-
pies.
1t is added, that there was ga desire
on the part of the Democrats, implied .,
if not expressed, to see us (the Repub-
licans) elect Gen. McMillen." This,
the writer adduccs as proof of q free
and fair election. Such n Wholesale
aspersion against the Democrats of
Ouachita was not required 1t lacks
consistency in logic and consistency of
fact, since the Democrats of this par
ish compressed" by their ballots their
decided preference, not for NIcNIillen,
but for Gen. King. Neither the editor