The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-12-18
Negro Suffrage in the South

Southern papers contain numerous anec.
dotes illustrating the intelligence, or the
want of it, displayed by the freedmen in ex.
ercising the right of suffrage at the late
elections. We copy two or three of these,
which viii serve as examples of the.rest.
The Montgomery Ala.) 4de9tise' reports
the following as the substance of a CONVEX.
sation on election day, between negro and
his old master:
Plain Manhood morning, William :"
c. G.-"Geod morRing, sah.n -.-~
T. M.-"How are all at home2"
{. G,-"All well, thank you, sah.''
2. M.-"How is the crop2' z-s tsl
&c. G.-"Bully! Cotton patch whittier than
| old Georgy snow storm"
P, NJ Come to vote. l suppose q
| c, G.-"Iah, yah, yes SIR
| T. M.-"Who dill you vote for, William"
| C. G.-"Yah, yah, yah, yah. Don't know,
SIR. Jest fore | get to town one poor white
man, wild ribbons on his coat and big straw
hat on, was lookir' up and down de road,
| like he skeered bout sumpthn'. and GIN me
| ticket wild a bird on it, and | ies put it in
de office. Yah, yah, if dis what dey call
votin', rudder go coon huntin', heap.
One of Capt. Lann's freedmen came home
Thursday evening, from the Athens poll.
where he had been exercising the right (?l
now vouchsafed to the whole unwashed uni
verse, when the following colloquy took
place:
SWELL, boy, who did you vote for?"
The boy studied for little while and then
said: 81 doesn't 'zacly member his first
name, but highs can get at it, dey called
him Massa Convemption
Lam then asked him who that man Con-
vention was.
Dunno, but dey say he's gwine 10 take
de place OBJ de head man, if all de folks vote
for him. aberdeen Mss Examiner.
The Brookhaven Southern Journal saws of
the iaLe eirotiou lrord sIsoro, unry -
men voted and they unk9o .@ mat a. ,.,,
Many ludis5sss scono was narn..,oa
zs>-..af ense of the newly made loyal citi-
ms of the United States last Tuesday, at
the election. As disgraceful as it was to see
these ignorant wretcbes exercising the elect
i've franchise, one could not help hut laugh
at the simplicity of some of them. To show
the value they knew of their vote, we heard
gentleman ask one whom he had voted for
Il don't 'zactly know his name now" said
the ebony idol. "Well;' replied the quizzer,
''there are only two candidates-Andrew
jackson and Robinson Crusoe." "Oh, OATS
his name, sir voted for Mr.. Crusoe''
The Mississippi hder reports the follow
ing conversation with voters at the late cleo
ton:
Reporter-Well, Sambo, have you voted?
and how do YOU like it?
Sambo-Well, | dun know, sir; dey tole
me was to get some Ian if I voted but
seems to me it'll be mighty d-n little
patch If all dem odder niggers going to get
some too
Rep-Good morning, old man | suppose
you have voted?
Nester-"Oh, yes, sir
Rep-Whom did you vote for?
Aester-Bless you, massa, | don't know
more n YOU. Some white folks said in the
prairie if | didn't vote I'd be killed and
thrown in a ditch-and so I put my ticket
in.
Rep-Hello! Caesar What candidates
did You vote for at the court house?
C@sar-Tell you what's fact now, boss
wasn't quainted with the gem'man. But
hearn tell dat Mr.. Lincoln was good man
-fren to de colored people-and / axed
man to put his name on my paper for me !
To the question as to what he did in
town, an old country darkey said he gave
his reg'fcate to 10 Baker, and 10 handed
him back the same paper and little blue
ticket, and then told him to give II to them
men at the box, and one of them put the
little one in the hole, and Dress God dat's
all he 'membered bout it.