The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-08-01
Rally ut the Polls:

We trust that we appreciate properly the
heavy responsibility which rests upon those
who advise or encourage, a course OF action
which may lead to bloodshed and loss OF
life But there are times when the olive
branch is temptation to riotous conduct
when to remain unarmed is to invite ag-
gressiou-when fray cannot be avoided,
if we desire to retain the faintest semblance
OF personal and public freedom. This is
such time, and we shall not hesitate to
tell this people plainly what it is their duty
to do. %
We all remember that three years ago
Conservative colored men were driven
from the polls, and feeble citizens were pre-
vented from voting, by a bowling negro
mob. These Radical rioters mauled and
bufetted any freedman who dared to exer-
ercise his privilege of voting against Gilbert
Pillsbury-thss man who is again candi-
date for election as Mayor of Charleston.
By this mob violence Mr.. Pillsbury was
elected in 1868. 1t is proposed to re-elect
him in the same vile way tomorrow.
Yesterday afternoon party OF four or
five hundred negroes assembled at the
Courthouse-the scene Of the troubles OF
three years ago. A colored man who cheer
ed for General Wagner was Immediately set
upon, his head was gashed, and he was in
other ways seriously injured. Later in the
evening he came out from the ,Guardhouse,
where he had lain hiding, and walked qaiet-
ly towards Meeting street. Once more he
was attacked. The handful Of white men in
the neighborhood ran to protect him. They,
in turn, were assailed, and three Of their
number were knocked down and badly bruis-
ed. The rioters carried all before them, and,
encouraged by their success, they openly an.
:nounced their determination of 'tneashing all
s;;'ise bloody Iauzste men To- pieces today and
sto-morTou." These are the stern facts,
and they prove that Pillsbury and his whole
crew. will be elected, unless the white citi-
zens of Charleston see to it that there is a
force athand. both to-day and tomorrow,
to protect all citizens in the exercise OF their
privileges, and to prevent an iufuriated mob
of semi-barbarians from riding rough.shod
over the bowed bodies Of the good people OF
the city. s455.
Aud how may this be done We answer,
BY pitting numbers against numbers, and,
If needs be, force against force 1t is not
sufficient that a scattering party OF whites
should loiter around the polling precincts.
They must be there in a body. They must
act together. They must be ready for the
worst: II blood is to be shed, it cannot be
in better cause than that OF vindicating
the right of every citizen to vote. without
molestation, for the candidates Of his choice.
The polls must be guarded to-day as well
as tomorrow, and they must be guarded all
day long. We entreat all employers to set
their young men free for these two days.
For, if we are again brow-beaten, if we hold
out the left cheek as well as the right to the
smiter, we may as well relinquish at once
all hope Of obtaining q decent and capable
goverument-we may as well abandon for
ever this Charleston, whose very stones we
love, and confess ourselves the willing
bondsmen OF the marauding Radical negro