Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1891-08-04
AN EVERYTHING QUESTION
DIvIsrON PROBABLE IN THE
&. A. H. RANKS.

II This Question is Not squareIy
Met and ahrewbly Settled. Look
to See IL Come Into the Next
National Campaign.
DETROIT, Mich. August As indi-
Gated in the dispatches yesterday from
Chicago, there is one serious dispute
which threatens to mar the serenity of
the present camp Of the G. A. R. 1t is
strange that after the organization has
been in existence quarter of century
it should be threatened with disruption
by the everything &C, red question, but
such is the fact. Men in the southern
states who were union men in '61 are
he ones who now insist that the negro
has no place in social gathering Of the
Grand Army of the Republic.
Col. George F. Hedges, commander of
the department Of Louisiana and Mis-
sissippi is here together with several
trusty aids, who have come prepared
to fight the matter out Unless this
thing is Strengthened out during this en-
campment. he said today, there won't
be white member of the 6. A. k. south
Of the OHIO. The colored men are out.
numbering us i'll our southern posts,
thus putting us directly under them.
That we will not stand. Now we want
to rule ourselves and have the colored
people go by themselves. Seven ont of
ten of the colored posts are in favor of it,
but, as you know, there are ALWAYS
some kickers.
II understand delegation trt m the
colored posts are coming to fight us.
We have received information that two
OF Chicago's most influential colorcd men
are on the way to assist us, and VIC
think we shall gain our point. All We
ask for is division of the white and col.
ored members ot the 6. A. K. in the de-
partments of Florida. louisiana, Missis.
sippi and Texas"
A dozen Or more southern white men
expressed themselves in similar strain.
Colonel James Lewis tcoOred) admin
istrator Of the police and administrator
of the public works of New Orleans, is
champion of the colored mems side in
this matter, When asked what the
trouble in Louisiana was, he said:
"Did YOU ever know the time when
there was not trouble in Louisiana. II
was Louisiana man that fired The first
gun on Sumpter. 1t was Louisiana
man that beat Gen. Bcauregard tor ad
ministratOr OF public works, and am
that man, and did something the unior
generals did not do. The first colored
regiment was raised in Louisiana.
Louisiana was the first state to
to decide for Hayes. The Italian riot
was in LOUISIANA, and now the colorcd
trouble is sprung there. Louisiana is al
ways in trouble. There were "a 500
colored men eu..sted in the army from
LOUISIANA, more than from all other
states together. We were regularly en-
listed, we fought as history tells YOU and
then we were honoraby discharged.
With these things to our credit, we had
all the rights ofany man to form a G. A. X.
post. We did this and we were recognized
by Gen. Alger when fight was made
ON us. We have nine posts, with mem
bership OF over 1000; yet We are not
recognized by the commander of our de-
partment. We get no representation in
he convention. and are ordered to re-
port to the commander.n-chct. Wehave
prepared strong case in the matter and
all ask is twenty-five minutes in which
to present it to the committee or the con-
vention itself. The department COM
mander thinks we want social recogni-
ton. claim the order is not a social
one but historical and fraternal."