The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-12
THE MA YORS PROTEST.

The protest which Mayor Fox addressed to
United States Marshal Gregory yesterday
against his appointment of deputy marshals,
and especially against his ordering up file
of marines from the Navy Yard to protect
the colored voters in the Fifth ward, is very
weak document, and it contains several state
ments that the Mayor will certainly regret
when the excitement of the occasion which
called it forth has died away. We object as
much as the Mayor can do to the interference
of an armed force of any kind, and especially
of United States soldiers, upon election
day, except in case of urgent necessity but
Mayor Fox and his policemen are probably
the only officials in this city who will say that
there was not such a condition of affairs yes
terday in the Fifth ward as called for prompt
and decided action for the protection of the
colored voters in their rights and for the pre-
veution of riot. The colored voters in the Third
division of the Fifth ward, with an excess of
good nature, desire to perform their duty
as citizens peacefully, and a yielding to the
prejudices of the white Democrats, that were
in the highest degree creditable to them,
consented to form separate line, and to
alternate with the white voters. 1t is scarcely
necessary for us to state, in view of the we'll
known character of the white men who have
hitherto assumed to dictate in political
matters in this section of the
city, that that agreement was
not adhered to by the Democrats. The line
of colored voters was not allowed to ap-
proach the polls, and such individuals as at
tempted to deposit their ballots were assaulted
and driven away from the window. Our own
reporters were witnesses to a multitude of
such outrages as these, but we are content to
take the following quotations from the local
report of the Age of this morning as proofs
of the entire correctness of our statement
and of the existence of state of affairs that
fully warranted Marshal Gregory in adopting
the course that he did. The Age, of course,
looks at the whole occurrence through Demo-
cratic spectacles, but although it tries to
make the negroes the aggressors, it cannot
hide the truth altogether, and its statement
of the situation previous to the appearance
of the Mayor and Marshal, and subsequently
of the marines, is in the highest degree
edifying. 1t says:-
1t was IN the Third division Of the Fifth ward
however, that the excitement ran the highest Here
was made gigantic effort TO swell the negro vote
to such dimensions as would entirely OOliterate the
very large Democratic majority which this ward
has always returned. To do this the negro repeat
ers, who haye been swarming into the city for the
past week, brought into use and by the agency
| OF a radical election official, with inda-rubber
conscience, many were successful in polling votes.
But this radical inspector was speedily tripped
up. negro OF doubtful eligibility as a voter pre-
| sented himself.
''YouTe no voter" exclaimed the Democratic in
| spector.
| 'Oh, yes / is, sab. Here is de ginteman wat
wOuches for me-" and the radical inspector ap-
peared before the window, and takes the oath pre-
| scrbed.
| ''Do you know this MANI"
"oh, yes, OF course do. You don't suppose I'd
| swear il / didn't?"
'WLere does he live?n
son Fifth, near Lombard"
SHOW do you know he lives there ?"
| Oh 1t, wasn't told so? Amt that enough!"
Directly s1 braiOny e1tended TO the ill-
spectoT, si1 official hands grabbed hold of him, and Ia
afg the UqlScrupuLOtts boucher rushed from the
| place to aldermGn's office. Thus 0ictOry did not
| plume ase + upon the head Of the wicked
From this time the excitement about the polls gra-
| dually heightened amongst both whites and blacks.
THE latter in line, and the Democratic voters
mere compelled " await an opportunity, mAicA dld