The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-08-20
KENTUCKY AZ A sAMPLE.

KENTUCKY AZ SAMPLE
Before the Kentucky election and the DEM
ocratic victory then won passes entirely from
the public mind, our readers may well con.
slider these facts as illustrating that triumph
and showing the beauties Of Democracy in
reconstruction. At that election twenty
thousand white rebel soldiers went to the
polls and voted, while thirty thousand black
Union soldiers, without votes, had to stand
by and look on. A correspondent OF the
New York Tribune says that the entire State
is in the hands of the rebels. And that
bands of armed regulators rule entire dis.
tricts, and Union men are shot down in broad
daylight all over the State, and their mur>
derers go UNPUBLISHED. Sheriffs and Deputy
Sheriff. are themselves members Of the mobs
and encourage their lawless deeds. 1t is no
longer . crime TO kill Union man, and for
ty thousand brave soldiers, who fought in the
late war on the Federal side, are completely
in the hands Of their merciless rebel enemies;
and all this after these sane Federal soldiers
had conquered in the field. Tried in civil
courts, before disloyal judges and juries, for
acts done while in the army prescribed in
business, dsgraced for the uniform they wore,
assassinated, expelled from home-these are
ONE Of the outrAges the Union men of Ken
lucky have suffered, and are now suffering"
Fifty thousand loyal blacks, in their petition
TO Congress for the right of suffrage in Ken
lucky, say that in that State, during the past
year. over two hundred crue! outrages and
fifty murders of black men have been report
ed to the civil and military authorities, and
yet that nothing has been done to punish the
evil doors. The candidates recently elect
ed by the Democracy are proofs Of
the truth Of the correspondence statement
that the mass of the white-voting popula,
ton in Kentucky were Rebels. The great
lights of their party are such men q, Pres
ton, Rodman, Smith, and others, who have
held high commissions in the rebel army
Service to the Confederacy is everything
Other qualifications for office are looked upon
as of little account. Lee is their favorte can
didate for the President. John Morgan theil
dead saint, and Breckenridge the hero who
is to come forth presently like . conqueror
receive their homage, and be restored to hi,
seat in the United States Senate. TWAS the
rank and file Of the Democratic party that in
1912 followed such R,bs. Democrats a.
Bragg, Buckner and Breckenridge, South
into the rebel army, and more ignorant OIL
deluded set of men could not be found any
where in this country"
OF the candidates just elected, Helm, Gov
ernor elect, was REBEL and was more thar
once arrested by Rousseau and Sherman
Stevenson, Lieut.. Governor elect, was Sc
cessionst. Rodman, Attorney General, wa.
Colonel in the Confederate service. 81
was Smith, Auditor Of State elect. Tate, th.
Treasurer elect, was a rebel partizan through
out the war, and so was Z. n Smith, Su
perintendent of Public Instruction elect
The only man for whom the Democracy vo
ted who had any coloring Of Unionism at al
was Dawson, for Register of the State Lane
office. He was for few days Lieutenan
in the Union army, and after he got out o
the Union service is said 10 have expressed
regrets that he was ever in it. These are th,
style of men to whom the Democracy, Nortl
and South, would again commit the govern
ments Of these States and the control of III,
country.
Nor can it be claimed that these white reb
els, apart from their rebelism, are so vastly
betfer citizons than Tho ,arroa. ~, ~ :.
should vote, while the latter remain disfran
chised. In one precinct at the late election
there were fifty>six voters six conld reac
and write, fifty could not. At the polls fit,
men voted for the Democratic ticket, six 70,
the Republican. On examination it va,
found that those six Republican tickets wer,
the votes of the six men who could read ano
write. In recent speech at Lexington
Gen. Brisbin said;
While in command 10 Kentucky, cour,
martial was assembled at this place. and 4f
white Kentucky soldiers arraiened before i
for trial. Their counsel entered a plea in
their behalf, which was presented to Col
Cummings, the President Of the Court, and
which, on examination, was found to contain
SIX names and forty marks. Thus 40 ont al
46 native white Kentuckians could not write
their names, gift which, according to Dor.
berry, came from nature
Such has been the earnest efforts of the
colored people of Kentucky for mental i'm
provement since the emancipation tina. i, is
estimated that as many of them proportion
ately as of the whites can now read and
write. And the recent criminal record. NJ
that State surely do not show nearly A MANY
Of black offenders and desperadoes q. ~
white. Last year the colored people of Ken.
lucky, by self>taxation, maintained school.
and kept twelve thousand Of their children
in school summer and winter. In Lexiny>
ton alone during the past season they paid
$4,000 in the purchase and erection OF
houses. In the petition above referred to
the colored petitioners say
!" It is objected by the opposers of Renub.
hcanism that We negroes are too ignorant tn
prudently exercise the great boon Of FREQ
dom. Gov. Clark, in his message tn N.
Legislature of Kentucky. in 1887, said that
one>third Of the adult white population were
unable to write their names. Ignorance was
not considered a bar to the ballot in their
case. 1t is believed that men vote their DO
hncal convictions, not their intellectual ac>
9uirem1ents. We are poor, but not paupers.
"a, n aodinon 70 az other tax, we pay tax on
been acquired since freedom cam. - No
rayetse county, $91, 800 Bourbon, s17.275.
boyle. S35, $50; Jassamine, $500; Fr.nk,
the entire State. '"'ougo
After this showing it At least isn't modest
for the rank and file Of the Kentuclv 49,
crscy to oppose the enfranchisemeut Of thai,
colored brethren on the score Of enliehtep-
ment and fitness for citizenship.