Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-07-01
Washington Correspondence
W AsHNGToN, June %


Those Democratic editors who ara sc
ernphatic-and, of course. sincere and
asv,,a' 10 their denunri4ti0ns of the
riotous proceedings of the colorcd meu of
Washington on the occasion Of the recent
city election. deserve some praise for the
advancement they nave maze on tne score
OF good morals and good citizenship. y
decided Improvement i, diseernahle, sure
", a. to their moral and intellectual per
ception- aud faculties i'll this respect. In
years u4one they were not near so consei-
cntiou- or 80 discerning on these points
They were, on thc whole, rather slow 10
sec any particular harm in such party zeal
of their friends and allies, the border ruff
fans and the foreign born iInmurcrt:S, a.
they uuw see and condemn in the con-
duct Of the colored voters of this city. 1t
u All be glad together if Democrats are
coming to realize at last that all intimi-
dating and riotous proceedings at the polls
should be discouutenanced. Let us take
courage for our county. and hope that
party lines will now be obliteratedr In
respect to this, and that our friends the
Democrats will unite with all other loyal
and tw-abiding citizens, of whatever
color or condition, To work reform in
our elections and help to make them or
derly and in every way what they should
be- Let all hands (or tongues if that is
better unite in saying, 'let US have
peace especially at u polls.
Our Democratic friends abroad, how
ever, do not seem to understand fully the
matter of the late election difficulties or
unpleasantnesses here, and what gave
rise to them. 1t has been generally un-
derstood that the man Stewart was mob
bed merely because he voted the Demo-
cratic or citizens ticket. But that did
not constitute the whole of his "offend-
ing"
The Republican ballots were white
on the face side, and dark blue
on the back. The Democrats got
up counterfeits of this ticket, and it
transpired that Sewart had been engaged
in this operation, and that he had succeed
ed in deceiving, by means of this coun-
terfeit, manv colored men into voting for
the Democratic candidates and it was
this, mainly, that aroused the ire of the
lence which ensued Stewart not only
voted the Democratic ticket but he was
very deligent IN Circulating this Demo-
cratic ticket which had been got m in i'm
tation of the Republican tickets, and with
the intention to deceive. Nearly all the
colored people here are Republican in
sentiment, a large majority, ardently So
Here and there may be found black
sheep" in this respect, but such are very
rare. Those of their number who prefer
Democracy, so called, are looked upon
with undisguised contempt by the others,
but they are allowed to vote according to
the dictates of conscience Tor of their white
Democratic leaders) in place. Stewards
great offense lay in his deceiving honest
Republicans into votin against their own
ticket.
Such are the facts connected with the
disturbances in the second ward as I
have them from the best authority, and
though they are not sufficient to justify
the dsorderly proceedings to which they
gave rise, they are yet materially different
from the general accounts of the affair to
which the Democratic papers of the
country have been wont to tune their
mot lies) Tyres.
Building operations in Washington are
quite brisk the present season, and among
those T. the bdilding Of the Arlington