Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-11-13

it wuz safe. That odor hez meyer yet bin
resisted by the democracy, allei it hez it's
infooence over Republicans.
I never saw SIGH enthoosiasfn, or more
ebeerin indicashuns Nv the price Nv race.
Ez evidence Nv the deep teelir that pre-
vadid that community, | state that nine
paupers in the poor-house demanded to De
taken to the polls that they mite enter their
protest agin bringin the niger up to a
ekalitv with EN-, witch wuz nine gain with
no offsets, ez Their wuzn't an AbIishnist in
the institooshen. Two men in the county
jale for petty larceny wuz at their own
rekest taken out of doorance vile by the
sheriff of the county, that they mite, by the
ballot, protest agin bein degraded by beln
compelled, when their time wuz out, tc &C
knowledge the niger ez their ekal. One
enthusiastic Dimekrat who cost us So he'd
to be carried to the polls. he he'd dOm-
menced early at one nv the groceries, and
he'd succumbd afore votin. We found him
sleepin peacefully in karn. We iftid the
patriotic man, ana in ptocession marched
to the polls. We stood him on his feet, two
men supportin him--one on either side. l
put a strait ticket into his fingers, and TAX
| in his wrist with one hand, held his fingers
| together with the other, and guided his
hand to the box. Ez it neared the winder,
he startid ez if electric shock he'd struck
him, and, straivhtenin up, asked; is it the
shtrate ticket? Is Constooshnel Amind-
mint No onto it?"
Ashoorin him that it wuz all rite, he suf-
fered me to hold his hand out to the Judge
Nv elecshun, who took the ballot and depos-
| tied it in the box. "Thank Hivin p sed he
" the nagur is not yet my ayquil, and doub
| lin up at the thigh and knee joints, he sank
timber like and gently on the ground. Ez
he he'd discharged the duty nv an Amerikin
| freeman, we rollsd him out to one side Nv
the house, wher the drippin Nv the rain
from the roof wood do suthin toward sober
| in him of, ard left him alone in his glory.
The amendment got but very few votes
in that locality. The Republicans jined us
in repudiatin it, mostly upon ethnologikle
grounds. One asserted that he he'd bin in
| favor Nv emancipashun in time of war, be-
cuz the Afrikin Good thereby be indoost to
fte agin their Southern masters and it wood
hev the effeek Nv maxim the drafts come
lighter in his township. He wuz humani-
tartan likewise. He opposed crooelty to-
ward EN-. He wept when he heerd Nv the
massacre at Fort Piller, becoz in the army
the niger wuZ ez much man ez anybody,
and SIGH wholesale slaughters tendid to
make calls for $500, 900 more more frekent.
But, when it come to givin Nv EN- the priv
ilege Nv votin beside him, it coodent be thot
Nv. He Good never consent that a race
whose heels wuz longer than hizzen, shood
rool Ameriky. "My God! p sed the ardent
Republican, +" eff you give EN- the ballot, wat
kin prevent EN- from bein Congrismen, Sen
ators, Vice Presidents, and even Presidents?
IL shudder when | think Nv it." and he
hurried in his vote.
/ didn quite see the force NV his obiec-
shen, for it never okkurred to me that bein
sent to Congris wuz the natural conscience
Nv votin. I hev voted for thirty years, at
many elections four OF five times, but hev
never bin to Congris. Wher is the constit-
ooency witch wood elect me2 But it wuzn t
Imy biznis to controvert his posisshen. Il
made no difference to me wat his reason
wuz for votin ez desired him to vote.
The niger lovers beat up one man to
vote for the amendment, witch saw by his
dissatisfied look, he'd bin over-perswaded.
Sir !" sed l, do 700 consider Afrikin
suffishently intelligent to be trustid with so
Ipotent weapon ez the baIlot?'
Dustin away from them witch he'd him in
charge, he exclaimed, No, don't. l can
vote for it. They amt intelligent enuff.--
Sir, scratch off the Yes from my ballot,
and put onto it No p"
q Here is pensil, sed l.
Z" Do it yerself," sed he, +" can't write.
And did it. SIGH is the effeck Nv word
in season. Words fifty spoken is apples NV
gold, set in pitchers nv silver.
/ man IUnuldu'f IiGfo1, N ma I,,tk -
the amendment. He he'd bin solier, and
for eleven months pertook NV the hospital
lity Nv the Confedrits, at AndersOnville-
Escapin, he wuz helped to the Fedrel lines
by niger, who wuz logged almost to
death, in his site, for not betrayin wher he
lwuz hid l mite ez well hev talked to q
lamp post Ez he showed in his ballot he
remarkt suthin about he'd ruther see a mig
ger vote than d--n rebel, any time From
the direckshun Nv his eye site, / persoom
he referred to me.
l left for home ez soon ez the votes wuz
countid, and the result wuz made known,
only waitin till the poll-books wuz made
out and the Judges Nv eleckshun he'd got
Their names written by the clerks and he'd
made their marks to en- On my way home
l wuz gratlfed to see how the material an
tipathy to the niger he'd revived. At Gin
einnati the mite nv the eleckshun they wuz
bangin Nv them about, the patriotic Dimoc-
risy goin for EN- wherever they could find
EN-, and the next day ez l saw EN- at the
ralerode stashens, they hed, generally speek-
in, ther beds bandagsd. It wuz cheerin to
me, and gloated over it.
Full Nv gladnis, entered Kentucky, and
ljoyfully l wendid my way to the Corners.
l WIZ the bearer Nv tidins Nv great Joy, and
my feet wuz pleasant onto the mountins.-
Ez walked into Bascom's, they all saw in
my face sutin nv Importance
"Wat is 2" sed Deekin POgram, " is it
veal or woe?
Is the proud Caucashen still in the as
cendant in Ohio, or hez the grovelin Afri-
kin ground him into the dust ?" askt Isaker
| Gavitt.
"My friend" sed 1, takin up the Deekin's
whisky, which, in the eggscitement NV the
moment he didn't observe, "the unconsti-
tutional amendment, givin the Niger elal
rites, hez bin voted down by the liberty
loyin freemen Nv Ohio Three cheers for
Ohio"
They wuz given with will. The wild
est enthoosiasn wuz awakened. Bascom
put a spigot in fresh barl, and the church
bells was set a ringin. The niggers wore a
dismayed look, and got out Of the way ez
soon ez possible A meetin wuz to-wunst
organized. Deekin Pogram spoke. He felt
that this wuz q proud day. Light wuz
breakin. The dark clouds NV fanaticism
wuz breakin away. We he'd now the Afri-
kin under our feet We hev got him in his
normal pOsishen in Chic, and please God, |
we will soon hey him likewise in Kentucky. !