The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1869-11-26
WHITTIER ARE WE DRIFTING?
The Radical Meeting on Saturday
Disgraceful Proceedings.
Hoge an Incendiary.

VIC "Oulu uCSlrC 10 luTnlSn no clearer
exhibition or more conclusive proof of
what Radicalism is actually doing, or
the greater evils which it threatens to
accomplish, than is furnished by the
disgraccful proceedings Of the meet
ing on Saturday. Taking advantage
Of tho excitement of circus exhibi-
ton, to superadd to tho usual attrac-
tions Of Radical demonstration, the
leaders Of the party succeeded in col
Letting here one Of the largest and
we must say the most riotous, disor-
derly aud drunken crowds Of blacks
which has ever appeared on the streets
of Abbcvillc. We have had Radical
meetings here before, but they were
comparatively quiet and orderly, be-
cause tho orators of the occasion
made somc show of conservatism.
deprecated collision of races, and
advised the blacks to dcport them
selves orderly when here, and to dis
pcrsc carly and quietly to their
homes. Was any such advice given
to the meeting on Saturday? On
tho contrary, was not everything done
by intempcrance of language and
deed to provoke collision Of races I?
When frce-born Anglo-Saxons arc ar
rested by their late slaves at the beck
of some would-bc official, who disgra-
ces the function he usurps, and vio-
latcs the law he rrotcnds to enforce,
we may we'll wonder at the modcra-
tion which tamcly submits. That
moderation we may commend, but
cannot anticipate. We arc but men.
and when to the usual provocations
which lead to violence, arc supcr-ad-
dcd the antagonisms of race and con-
dition, we may we'll wonder that we
escape the natural and legitimate con-
sequences Of scenes like those Of Sat
urday. 1t may be that we owe our
escape to the fact there were but
fifteen or twenty of "the solid men
of the District present on the occa.
sion. Or it may be that had th stall
wart sons of Abbeville been present
in force, as at our late Fair, the dem
onstration Of Saturday would not
have occurred. If 80, it would have
provoked q collision. Docs Radical
ism seek such a result Hitherto it
has denied it. Has "change come
over the spirit Of its dreams2"
But have the blacks no right to as
semble? Shall Mr. Hoge not address
a meeting Of his constituents We
arc willing to concode both. Admit
that ho has been elected to Congress
-conccdc that he has a constituency.
Do the blacks alone form that con-
stituency? Shall the whites be ex
cludcd from thoir meetings? or if
present be debarred from addressing
civil interrogatory to tho speaker,
under pain of arrest as a malefactor?
Boosted right Of free speech! Boast.
cd land of liberty! Yet it was for
the exercise Of this first privilege of
American citizenship, that two of our
most respected citizens wero arrested
on Saturday-and two others for an
unfounded charge Of having done So
arrested by negroes-with oaths and
maledictions-confined for hours nm
der guard-apd as they were arrested
without cause, so discharged without
apology or reparation! What repara-
ton could atone for wounded honor
or violated personal liberty?
What are the facts "a plain,
unvarnished tale" speaks here "trum-
pet tongued"-more effective than
labored argument, passionate appeal,
or whitening invective.
With Haunting banners waving
before their eyes, an excitable crowd
of blacks, pass into the Court House,
filling every nook and corner, 80 that
further ingress and cgress were equal
ly impossible. There were scarcely
more than a dozen whites present
including our worthy Sheriff, Clerk
and County Clerk, Mr.. Hoge is the
Orator of the Day, and harangues up.
on the labor question, He tells the
laborcr that one-third of the crop is
not enough for him. Capt. J. N.
Cochran, who. is standing near the
door addresses q civil question to the
speaker-"Tell these colored people
what "nigger' is worth in money
money wages being paid in my SEC
tion."a Hoge evades the question, and
appeals to the passions Of his audience
by depouncing the word "aigger," as
a term of apprcbrium. Capt. Coch-
ran disuvows the use Of the term in
an offensive sense, but Hoge refuses
to hold any further colloquy. Maj.
Johnson, near by, says in an un-
dertone, "why surely nigger means q
Ilck m N, Tho;r Hofsanoa h.xL 49,.