The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1871-12-15

| OF tue negroes. IL was not shown in
ANY instance that they had anything
to do with politics; it is simply an
effort of the people to preserve what
little property is left them, and it is
essential to the support of their fam
ilies--to put bread in their children s
mouths. A great many other in
stances of violence occasioncd by the
crimes of negroes, such as setting
tire to their houses for the purpose Of
plunder or revenge, and there are q
GREAT MANY INSTANCES OF RAPE
and outrages of that kind, which are
generally visited with instant punish
mont and of the most violent charac-
ter. Apart from these things, re-
sulting from this condition of affairs,
there is very little of violence in the
South--no more than you can find
t~HrwAnrn else in any other part Of
the country. But there it arises to
very great extent because those
who are in power shield their patrons
they being fthe same politics.; and
again it arises from the fact that
Imprisonment of the negroes for pet
Ity larceny and other crimes
is no punishment at all.
They consider it very comfortable
abode. 1t is great deal better
than their own cabins, and they have
food and shelter, and it is no dis
grace to them when they come out.
Therefore it is no punishment, and
does not reFress the disposition to
steal. -...
R-Where did the committee 90
after leaving Huntsville?
Gen B-We went from Huntsville
by Chattanooga to Montgomery, Ala.
where we took evidence. The testi-
mony taken was not in regard to any
thing that occurred in Montgomery
or in the neighborhood, but we had
witnesses from distant counties on
the eastern border Of the State.
There was very little disturbance
shown there, and none arising from
political cause. We went from
there to Demopolis, Marengo county,
Ala. This is cne of the rich coun-
ties of the State. where the negroes
are three to one of the white popnla-
tion, but there was no disturbance of
any kind there, or very little. There
was, however, the same condition of
affairs in reference to the predatory
habits of the negroes. We next
went to Livingston. Sumter county,
Ala Ttis is large negro county,
the negroes being three or four to one
white. In this county it was found
that a large number of them
VOTED THE DEMOCRATIC TICKEr.
Alarge number of negroes voted the
Democratic ticket in Green and Hale
counties, giving heavy Democratic
maJori,ies. The carpet-baggers have
dispersed themselves and gone out of
that region. 1t was alleged and
tried to be proven that this result
was brought about by violence and
intimidation, but they failed utterly
to sustain that allegation. The ne
grocs were shown to be very icde-
pendent, and voted because they
were disgusted with the promises
made to them by the Radicals. They
complained very much that they did
not get the
MULE AND FORTY ACRES
that had been promised them, and
they believed that it was their inter-
est to maintain good feeling with the
white people Of the country. There
were some acts Of violence shown to
have occurred in Sumter county, in
which negroes were killed, but it was
generally the case that the negroes
had killed white men, and were
lynched by the friends Of them. AT
one precinct, where 1t was claimed
that the negroes had been intimida-
ted. as the committee passed along
they had quite a large negro gather
ing. 1t was a very enthusiastic
Democratic meeting; negroes made
speeches, and proclaimed their SYM
pathles to be with the white men who
we're their cid masters, and With
whom thcy-had lived all their livss.
This manifestation was intended to
solve the doubts of the Radical men,
bers Of the committee on that point.
IN MISSISSIPPI.
We went into Mississippi, stop
ping at Macon, in Noxubee county,
which is the Black belt, as it is call.
ed. The negroes predoninate large