187. CLXXXVII.
THE FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT.
Harp uv Erin S'loon, 6th Ward, }
Noo York, April 2, 1870.
The proclamation uv the President announcin the ratification
uv the Fifteenth Amendment prodoosed a profound sensashen
in this Ward.
It wuz told to our people by a reporter uv a daily paper at
11 o'clock this mornin, and it got pretty well around among us
by 3 this afternoon, wich wuz tollably rapid, considerin that
intelligence in this Ward hez to be conveyed orally. In the
afternoon it wuz resolved that a meetin be held in the evenin
to consult ez to wat ackshen the Dimocrisy shood take in the
matter, wich wuz akkordingly so done. I hed the back room
lit up, the barrels moved into a safe place under the strongest
kind uv locks, and the bar closed and draped in mournin in
token uv the hoomiliashen wich I felt had fallen onto the people
in consekence uv this outrage. I hung crape onto the
door; I put crape around the portraits uv Jaxon, Chief Justis
Chase, Bookannon, and Fernandy Wood, and likewise around
the bottles and over the red-headed barrel, wich gave the
establishment a highly funereal and mournful look wich wuz
entirely satisfactory.
In the evenin the Dimocracy assembled, and a more enraged
gatherin I never saw. They wuzn't jist clear ez to wat the
President hed done; indeed the most uv em wuz labrin under
the impreshn that the enfranchisement uv the nigger wuz
the work uv the Democratic Legislacher at Albany, and
ther wuz indicashens uv a determinashen to go thro some
of the houses uv the Dimocratic members in this city, but I
stopt em by tellin em the strate uv it.
I asoomed the chair, uv course, and hed, in addishen, to do
the dooties uv Sekretary, bein the only one then in the meetin
who cood write.
Teddy McGinnis remarked that he felt a hoomiliashen wich
wuz actooally beyond expreshen. The dirty nagur wuz now
his ekal. The only difference between em hed bin removed
by this infamus law. Does any one spose that he'd iver
consint to vote all day beside niggers? Niver! He called
upon the Dimocracy to jine him in a croosade agin em. “Follow
me,” sed Teddy, “and in Noo Yorrick, at least, we won't
be bothered with nagur suffrage, be gorra.”
Pat McLaughlin held simlar views. Sooner than vote beside
nagurs, he'd relinquish the biznis uv votin altogether, and go
to sawin wood. Repeetin is a good enuff biznis, and the small
conthract wich he hed, ez a reward thereof, wuz betther, but
he coodent stand nagurs, nor woodent. His voice wuz for
killin uv em.
The others made similar speeches, when Sandy McGuire
offered a resolooshen that the offerin uv a vote by a nagur be
considered ez a declarashen uv war agin the Democracy uv
Noo York, and that they then be immegitly exterminated.
Sandy wuz for no half-way measures. He remembered the
glorious Jooly days in 1863, when the Democracy uv Noo York
assertid itself. He hed assisted in destroyin the nagur orphan
asylum; with this good rite hand he hed beat out the brains
uv two nagurs, to say nothin uv the wimin and children
wich he didn't consider worth countin. He longed to get at
em agin.
The meetin bein all so yoonanimus in their feelin, I wrote
the follerin resolooshens: —
“Resolved, That the Dimocrisy uv Noo York, considerin and
beleevin the nigger to be a beast, a burlesk on hoomanity, and
incapable uv dischargin any uv the dooties uv citizenship, do
hereby protest agin his bein give the ballot on an ekality with
white men.
“Resolved, That the Dimocrisy uv Noo York, ruther than
submit to this degredashen, pledges itself to the exterminashen
uv the accussid race.”
The resolooshens wuz adoptid without a dissentin voice, and
the enthoosiastic McGuire, brandishin a shillala, rushed out
and attackt a couple uv niggers wich wuz passin, and knockin
em down, stamped onto em vigrously with his boots, exclaimin
the while, “Want to vote, do yez!”
The meetin wuz about to break up, when Tim O'Grady, a
man uv Fernandy Wood's, come rushin in. He hed heard uv
the meetin, and come immejitly to see about it. I told him in
a breath wat hed bin done. “Thunder!” he remarkt to me
in a whisper, “this won't do. Yoo eggrejis old ass, the
niggers hev votes, and will vote now in spite uv us. We
must git em, for without em, with all the rebels disfranchised,
wat kin we do in the Southern States? Call the meetin to
order agin.”
I didn't like the tone uv his alloosion to me, but I called the
meetin to order onct more.
O'Grady remarked to em that there hed bin a misunderstandin.
He felt ashoored that the Dimocrisy uv Noo York, alluz
the friends uv the oppressed and down trodden, wood now
genrously extend a helpin hand to our colored brethren jist
elevated to full citizenship. The Dimocrisy hed not assisted
in their elevashen, but they hed no feelin agin our brethren
uv color. When our colored brethren come to analyze the
matter, they wood love the Dimocrisy the more for not doin uv
it. He wood move the substitooshen uv the follerin resolooshen
for the one wich hed bin unadvisedly passed: —
“Resolved, That the Democrisy uv Noo York hail with a feelin
uv pleasure wich we hev no words to express, the elevashen
uv our colored fellow-citizens to full citizenship, and that we
pledge ourselves to pertect em in the enjoyment uv ther
newly-found rites.”
The meetin didn't want to pass it. The feelin agin em wuz
too deep sot to be rooted out in a minit, but O'Grady wuz
determined. O, wat a minit wuz that! Wuz the niggers to
be killed by us, or wuz they to be taken to our buzzums.
Ther fate hung tremblin in the balance? Finally it wuz put
to vote, and the niggers wuz safe. By one majority the resolushen
wuz passed.
At that minit a groan wuz heard outside.
“What is that,” asked O'Grady.
“Some nagurs I jist now bate!” remarks McGuire.
“Beatin niggers!” sed O'Grady. “Good Lord, bring em in.”
And he rushed out and brought in the two unfortunates.
They were badly banged up about the face, and breast, and
stumick, and legs, but O'Grady wuz ekal to the emergency.
He washed their wounds, and revived em with whiskey, and
bound up ther sores, and finally sot em on ther feet.
“McGuire!” sed he, when he hed the work finished,
“McGuire, embrace em.”
McGuire hed his shillala in his hand. Never did I see a man
so torn with contendin emoshens. Nateral instinks compelled
him to drop that shillala on their heds ez usual, but the
politikle considerashens restraned him. Twict under O'Grady's
eye he lowered it, until at last he dropt it, and fell sobbin with
emoshen onto their buzzums.
I took the crape off the door, bottles, and picters, and
immejitly illoominated in honor uv the event, and the next
mornin I put up a placard at my door, “No distinkshen at this
bar on account uv color. Ekal rites!”
The ward committee is takin prompt and vigerous ackshen
to secoor this vote. They hev adoptid the same means they
yoose to control ther other vote. They hev already startid ten
s'loons, run by colored men, to wich they give all the profits,
and are arrangin ten more. There will be a nigger or two put
onto the police to-wunst. The force will be increased enuff to
make room for these new ones, ez we darsn't discharge any uv
the Irish. I'm goin for em also. Those wich I kin git to drink
my likker will vote my tikket. It will fetch em sure.
Petroleum V. Nasby
(wich wuz Postmaster).
