The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1902-03-07
NEGROES IN CONGRESS.
FOR THE FIRST TINE IN THlRTY.TwO
YEARS NO COLORRD MAN SITS
IN EITHER CHAMBER.

IN EITHER CHAMBER.
New York Times.
For the lrst time In thirty.two
years, except for a brief period be.
tween 1887 aud 1889, no colored man
sits In either chamber Of congress.
and there is less prospects Of the elec.
tion of colored man to this body
than at any time since the close OF
The war. That with education and
culture his political fortunes will be
advanced cannot be doubted. Hamp.
ton and Tuskegee are doing . great
work, and the future negro statesman
will be tile equal 10 intellect and cul.
ture, 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 own limita.
tions and worked patiently and un.
ceasinRly for improvement. The nrst
colored man elected to congress was
j. Willard Menard, OF Louisiana. He
was born In Illinois, educated ut
Iberia college, had acted as hospital
steward and recruiting officer for the
government during the war, and was
sent on a special mission to Hon.
duras. In whatever Office be served
he won the confidence Of his superiors.
He had great influence over his own
people, and was noted as public
speaker. No negro was ever worthiel
Of seat In congress, but Menard wa.
never allowed to serve in the Office Il
which he had been chosen, being bar
red out by alleged irregularities i,
his election. His failure, however
and the criticism it evoked, paved th,
way for the entrance Of the blacl
man into public life, and on Februar!
25, 1870, after one of the most exciting
debates In the history Of congress
when Charles Sumner acted as cham
pion OF the negro, Revells was admit
ted to the senate to oil the seat made
vacant by the resignation of Jefferson
Davis. Two other negroes served 10
the Forty.ilrst congress-Joseph H,
Rainey and Jefferson F. Long.
There were four negro representa-
tives 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-.
scnted Mississippi in the senate, and
seven men Of his race served in the
lower house. Of these the most con-
spicuous was Robert Smalls, Of South
Carolina, the famous pilot who head.
ed the party that conducted the
Planter out of Charleston harbor, fol
which service he was handsomely re-
warded by the government and ap
pointed pilot for the rest OF the war
With the Forty. fourth congress tht
number Of colored men in the house
and senate began to decrease. To ths
next congress only four colorcd mem
bers we're returned. Senator Bruce
was the only man Of his race In tn
Fnrty.sixth congress. Smalls and
Lynch represented their race 10 tn
Forty-seyenth congress. In the tw'
succeeding congresses there was onl
one colored man, James F. O'Hare, Q
North Carolina, who was defeated 70
1.-The Fiftieth congress, and since the
only ave negroes have served In col
gress-JOhn NJ. ,Langston, OF Virginl'
Thomas e. Miller, OF South Carolin,
Hehty P. Cheatham. of NORTH, Car
i lima; George W. Murray, Of Sout
Csralina, and George H. White.
North Carolina.