Year: 1872

man who is at all cognizant of tn
opinions of the colored people o
the State. Judge Walker, Collecto
Casey, Mr.. Packard and all of tn
opponents of the Republican party
} here, agree in according to Mr.
Dunn the position of the foremos
negro in the State. If it be trut


that he was so land I have no de-


sire to gainsay it, does it not ap.


pear exceedingly strange to sensible


men that, holding the exalted posi-.


ton of Lieutenant Governor, he


could not force me to give way to


him in the late election for United


States Senator {? Is it not aston


ishing that he did not defeat nae in


the first election that took place


here after the war, when he ran on


an independent ticket for the consti.


tutional convention ? Is itnot sur


prising that every time we measured


our political swords, 1 was the VIC


tor? 1 do not cite these facts for


the purpose of depreciating in any


way the merits of Mr.. Dunn, but


for the purpose OF showing that


Judge Walker, in his testimony,


has had no regard for the truth. A


gentleman VIII testified before that


committee ir ne interest of his par


ty, declared that the Democrats in


the General Assembly had voted for


Mr.. West as United States Senator


because they knew l would be


elected if they did otherwise. That


is the strongest kind of testimony,


it seems to me, of my representa-


sentative capacity as a colored


man and yet Judge Walker


has the krdihood to go before


that committee and, in utter disre-


gard of truth, assert that am not
o representative man. 1 believe
every unprejudiced, reasonable man


will agree with me when I say that
thisgentleman has made these state
ments for the purpose of preventing
if possible my welding any inAu-
ence in the political affairs of the
State. In other words, he knows
that am now inagurating a policy
that will ere long, if these blatant
demagogues are kept down, to make
the Republican party of Louisiana
good solid unit; and he wants to
thwart me in that endeavor. He
is afraid the Republican party may
be brought together again and the
State saved to Republicanism. That
is what hurts the gentleman. He
also says that my character is in
famous, and I desire to inform the
Senate and the members of the
congressional committee in what
my infamy consists. lam infamous
because can not be frightened nor
coaxed to support the Democracy;
I am infamous because from the |
day the constitutional convention |
met in this city 1 have championed |
the cause of the down-trodden col
ored people. From that day to this |
l have not failed, whenever the op-
portunity presented itself, to cast
my vote and raise my voice in be-
half of the class 1 represent. I have
stood firm at my post of duty, and
it was for that reason that Judge
Walker and others of the same
class characterized me as Infamous.
I venture to say that had been one
of those who were willing to sell
out the rights and interests of the
colored people and join in the effort
TO divide and destroy the Republican
party of Louisiana, instead of the
Times, Bee, and other sheets of the
same character, ,aspersing my motives
and villifying my character, I would
be held up to thepublic gaze as one
Of the noblest of black race, and
The brightness of Mr.. Dunn's fame
would be pale before the shining
ustre of Pinchback's name. But
because, forsooth, I saw fit to stand
at my post because 1
saw fit to advocate in season and
,ut of season, the rights of the race