The Red Cloud chief., 1902-03-07
NEGRO LAWMAKERS.
CoL0RED MEN WHO HAVE HELD
SEATS IN CONGRESS.
The First Ono Took the SCAT Mnde
Vacant by the Resignation of Senator
Davis Only WHITE Men Now Par
ticipatc In tho Deliberations.

For the first time in thirty-two
years, except for n brief period be-
tween 1887 and 1889, no colored man
sits I'm either chamber of congress.
aud there is less prospect of the cleo
ton of n colored man TO this body
than at any time since the close Of
the civil war. That with education
and culture his political fortunes will
be advanced cannot be doubted.
Hampton and Tuskegee are doing a
great work, and tho future negro
statesman will be the equal In intel
lect and culture, perhaps, of his white
brother. This was not true OF many
OF those colored men who have been
honored with seats in congress. but 1t
Is true that they recognized their W
limitations and worked patiently and
increasingly for Improvement. says the
New York Tribune. The first colored
man elected TO congress vas J. Willis
Menard Of Louisiana. He was born
In Illinois, educated at iberia college.
had acted as hospital steward and re-
cruiting officer for the government
during the war, and was sent on a
special mission to Honduras. In what
ever Office he served he won the conf
dence OF his superlors. He had great
influence over his own people,and was
noted as a public speaker. No negro
was ever worthier of a seat In con
gress, but Menard was never allowed
to serve In the Office to which he had
been chosen. being barred out by al
legged Irregularities In mis- election. His
failure, however, and the criticism II
evoked paved the way for the entrance
OF the black man into public life. and
on February 20, 1870, after one of the
most exciting debates in the history
OF congress, when Charles Sumner
acted as the champion of the negro.
Revells was admitted to the senate to
fill the seat made vacant by the resig-
nation OF Jefferson Davis. Two other
negroes served in the forty-frst on
gress-Joseph II. Etainey and Jefferson
+. Long.
There were four negro representa-
lives In the forty-second congress,
which number was increased to seven
in the forty-third. The forty-fourth
congress was known as the black
congress-" Blanche X. Bruce repre-
scented Mississippi in the senate and
seven men of his race served In the
lower house. or these the most con
s%picuous was Robert Smalls of South
Carolina. the famous pilot who head
ed the party that conducted the Plant
er out of Charleston harbor. for which
service he was handsomely rewarded
by the government and appointed pilot
for the rest of the war. With tho
ffty-fourth congress the number OF
colored men In the house and senate
began to decrease. In the next con-
gross only four colored members were
returned. Senator Bruce was the only
man OF his race in the forty-sixth
congress. Smalls and Lynch repre-
scented their race In the fo~rty-seventh
congress. In the two succeeding con-
crosses there was only n colored
man, James Il. O'Hare OF North Caro-
lima, who was defeated for the fftieth
congress, and since then only five
negroes have served In congress-John
M. Langston Of Virginia. Thomas L.
Miller Of South Carolina, Henry p.
Cheatham Of North Carolina, George
w. Murray Of South Carolina and
George Ii. White OF North Carolina.