The bee., 1883-02-17

SELF-APPOINTEDN NEGRO LEADERS, AND
NEGRO MEN OF INFLUENCE \ FAIL
URE, so FAR AS ANY BENEFIT TO
!. THEIR RACE is CONCERNED.
Editor Of the Bee:
SIR-The Forty-seyenth Congress
will now, in a few days, be thing of
the past, and with it's demise the last
brace of colored congressman belong
ing to the older class of negroes will
retire (and 1 hope never to return
from its legislative halls. Now. that
all of them will soon be relegated to
private life, the question naturally
arises and will be asked "what have
they done as congressman, from re-
construction times up to the present,
to benefit their race or make their race
feel proud of them?" In answer to
that question 1 will say that they have
done nothing. They have sat only as
figure-heads, merely demonstrating
that the negro has the right to be an
N. G. You have never found them
championing as striving to have any
measure pass Congress that would
benefit the negro's either pecuniarily
or otherwise. In fact they have been
of no assistance whatever to legislation
of any kind. 1t is notable fact that
they have never even made a motion
to adjourn. The only good they have
done has been to themselves, and that
was to draw their salaries.
In the Forty-eight Congress we will
have one colored congressman, but l
am thankful to say he is an able man
and belongs to the younger class of
colOred men, of which class is the only
hope that the negroes have to make
any show in the great race of life and
fame in this country. predict a bril-
liant career for Mr. O'Hand during his
term.
As members of Congress, these older
class of gentlemen have had political
patronage in the departments and in
their respective districts, and how have
they invariably dispensed that patron
age? They go to the head of a bureau
and ask that 'JOhn Brown or jim
Smith, cOlOred constituent of mine,
bt appointed messenger OF Iaborer
in your department" Now, when
they have white man that they would
like to have appointed, they go and
ask that "Mr. Brown, a white gentle
man and q constituent of mine be APP
pointed to ClerkShip or some other
decent and profitable position"
Now, / have no objection to cOlored
congressman using their influence to-
have white men appointed as clerks;
but / do object to their always asking
menial places for their colored friends.
have in my minds eye colored man
who is laborer in one Of the depart
ments. He possesses a good education
and would no doubt make an excellent
clerk. He desired q promotion, and
called upon cOlored congressman to
assist him. He merely wanted this
NJ. c. to assist him to get before one
of the examining boards to stand
competitive examination. / will not 90
through all the details, but / will
merely say that this NJ. C.. hasn't get
had time to attend to it, he, though,
remarked to friend of his, that the
fellow ought to be satisfi d with what
he is getting, for there are large
number of persons that would like to
have even laborer's place in one of
the departments.
There are several colored clerks in
the departments, but nearly every one
of them has been appointed through
the influence of white men.
Our colored congressman and our
cOlored self-appointed leaders and
colOred men of influence can very
easily be captured by a white person.
Let me illustrate. Suppose the white
person to be female. She calls upon
this cOlored man of influence and smiles
and talks with him and calls him Mr..
so-and-so, and ask to be appointed,
or have friend of hers appointed to
a clerical position. Why she gets the
appointment without doubt, and in
remarkably short time. Now, sup
pose the person to be male. All he
has to do is to meet this negro of in
fluence on the street, shake hands with
him, offer. him cigar, walk down
Pennsylvania avenue with him so that
they could be seen walking together.
invite him into a nice sample room to
take a "bowP' Of something, and then
tell him what position he would like TO
serve the government in, and 1 will as
sure you that that white man will not
have to wait many days before he
would be on Uncle Sans payroll, for
the aforesaid negro of influence would
not sleep or rest quietly until he had
done himself the honor of securing a
good position for "such a white gen.
tleman."
l will not occupy any more Of your
space in this issue. VERITAS.
The death of an ENGLISH nointer