The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1882-01-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
Scandal = EncOur-
agement-DakOta Westward
HO!-YOung Men to the Front
The days-PersOnal
ETC., Etc, Etc.
WASHINGTON ID. C.. Jan. ., 1882.

WASHINGTON ID. C.. Jan 2, 1882.
Those supposed to be fortunately hap |
py people who roost on the top round of
the social ladder in this city, have been
enjoying a delightfully."- delicious bit of
scandal recently, concerning the new
British minister to this country. The
facts which gave rise to the talk are
these: The gentlemen in question, Sir
Lionel Sackville-W West, is a widower and
and the father Of three daughters,
one of them grown The gossips had it,
and it was 50 published in some of the
news papers, that Sir Lionel though the
father of an interesting family, was not
and had never been married, in short
that he belonged to the Sarah Bernhardt
sort of heads of families. 1t is under
stood the British government was raked
fore and aft by heightened scandalmun-
gers for daring to have the temerity to
send such representative to this coun-
try; and the gentleman himself was
made the target of numberless bundles
of scandal barbed arrows. aimed by the
very elite of American society. Intact
he was absolutely '.excoriated' for dar-
ing to present himself at our American
court, environed Gas they thought with
the same character Of family relation
that encountered Mile Burnhardt, to see
whom they gladly paid the highest theat-
rical price imposed by managerial
sharks. 1t may be readily imagined
that after all the splenetic scandal emit
ted, it was a great disappointment to
Washington society to be informed that
Sir Lionel had actually been married,
and was a widower instead of a Bern
hardter. Such, however, sad to relate,
is the truth.
My reasons for mentioning this affair
are to encourage all hapless people,
HoOsier, Buckeye, Sucker, or what not,
who may be weary and cast down by
reason of wicked, malicious aud untruth-
full aspersions concerning their virtue
and private rectitude. 1t is barely pos
sible there may be a few such unfortu-
mates on the classic banks OF the Wabash
or White rivers. If there are, let them
take courage by this incident the his
tory of Sir Lionel Sackville- West.
Chairman Burrows of the Committee
on Territories, says that Dakota posses
ses every requisite necessary to admis-
sion into the sisterhOod of States. Bills
have been introduced in both Senate
and House to effect this end, and Da-
kota will very likely become one of the
States before the adjournment of Con-
gress.
1t would be well if the young colored
! men of the country would become in
fected with the Dakota fever and
emigrate thither in large numbers.
They would find excellent opportunities
to rise to wealth and prominence in the
new commonwealth. But there should
be discrimination and method in this
business of emigrating. The idea of a
wholesale "exodusting" of entire com
munties, and in many instances of en-.
tire families, should be abandoned. Such
migration is abnormal, un-American,
and productive in most instances of bad
results. The young men of the country
are the ones who should emigrate. We
all remember Horace Greeleys advice to
the aspiring youth of the land, to "go
West and grow up with the country
This was valuable advice to the young
men ofthe country when given by the late
philosopher of the Tribune; and it is ex.
cellent advice still to the young men Of
the Negro race in this country. They,
and not the old and decrepit, should be
the pioneers of million or two of Ne
gro Americans who in 20 years should
be found located in what are now our
territorial divisions Land is cheap;
labor is scarce and wages high, and OPP
portunities to become rich, plentiful.
| There is need, too, of discrimination
to some extent in the kind and charac-
ter of the young men who should &c
West. Men of energy, pluck, muscle,
determination, and perseverance are the
ones who should 90. Of course they
are the kind who succeed every where
but from the very character of the OBJ
stacles and difficulties to be met and
overcome, they are especially the ones
who should 90 to new country.
1t is quite probable and doubtless true
that young colored men who expect to
make their way in the world by their
education, will not do quite so well in
the West at present as those who de-
pend upon their muscle, that is, their la
Dor, or those who have money to en-
gage in business But such young men
should not be discouraged from going
to the territories, if they really desire to
do so; for, while the South doubtless
offers better opportunities to them, just
now, vet it will not be long before their
accomplishments will be of value to
them in the West. None who have
energy, youth and physical ability
should be dissuaded from going.
1t is well for the colored people of the
country, too, to get out of the idea that
there is but one place in the West to
which they can emigrate. In many
places in the South, Kansas is the only
known section of the West which offers
refuge and opportunities to emigrants
while as matter of fact there are other
States and Territories which no doubt
offer better advantages than Kansas, or
equally as good. There lies buried al
most anywhere in the boundless West,
a mine of wealth to the young man who
possesses the courage and perseverance
to dig it out.
Register Bruce gave a reception to
Bishop Payne few days ago, which was