The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-10-07
The Georgia Lesson.

Iue UeOFSla LcSSOHs
The recent election in Georgia shows that
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments
are practically of no effect in that State, and
too plainly indicates that the same result will
follow in such Southern States as may fall
into the control of the Democratic party.
Through the infamous conduct of ex-Gov.
Bullock, the Republican party in Georgia was
overthrown four years since and Legislature
strongly Democratic was elected. This body
set itself at work to practically disfranchise
the colored voters. This they accomplished
by two acts; the first being the enactment of
law making the payment of poll tax of six
dollars prerequisite to registry and showing
a receipt that the tax was paid; and the
second, by changing the time Of holding the
election of State officers and the Legislature
from that fixed for electing Congressman so
as to escape the operation of the United
States for the enforcement of the Fourteenth
amendment. Even Maine, where large
part of the voting population are intelligent
and in much better condition to pay poll
tax of six dollars as a prerequisite to registry,
its practical operation would disfranchise
large percentage of the vote, thousands being
unable to pay the same. 10 Liza. .Is.
The Georgia lesson finely illustrates the
"local governments" that Mr.. Greeley's
friends demand, and shows that they are will
ling to accept the Constitutional amendments
because with Democratic local governments
with Democratic legislatures, Democratic
sherifs, police and election officers they can
inaugurate system of fraud and terrorism
that will render the Amendments of the Con-
stitution which epitomize the results of the
war, utterly null and uoid. t-
Nor did the Georgia outrage stop here. The
places for holding the elections were remote
and few in number. Under the guise of po-
licemen, armed Democratic roughs, who only
needed the uniform to make them bands of
Ku Klux, swarmed about the polls ready to
arrest or drive away the ignorant colored vot-
er. No kind of intimidation, violence or
fraud was wanting to make up the sum OF
rebel outrage upon the Republicans of the
State.
In Macon the colored voters were driven
from the polls, two being killed and several
wounded by Democratic police shots. Mr..
Greeley's organ for the first time apologies
for the Ku Klux, and says the colored voters
were the ''original aggressors," getting them
selves killed in pursuance of a 'preconcerted
plan for setting up the plea of intimidation at
the polls p Devoted partisans, surely.
To give some idea of the outrages and fraud
perpetrated by the Greeleyocracy in Georgia,
the following specials to New York paper
are given:
The Clerk of the Superior Court of Thomas
county reports that on the night of the election
his brother, Republican, and one of the man
ayers of election for that county, was dragged
from his bed by band of twelve or more dis
guised men and brutally beaten until supposed
to be dead His body was then laid across the
railroad track in the hope of concealng the
crime. He recovered sufficiently to crawl off a
few moments before train passed and was
found in the morning nearly dead.
In DOugherty county more than a thousand
Republican votes were polled, and but three
hundred returned by the Democratic managers
In Liberty county the vote of two strong Re-
publican precincts was thrown out upon trivi-
al pretext by the Democratic managers, thus
securing the election of Democratic Senator
for four years and Democratic Representative
for two years and DISTINGUISHING 600 Republi-
can voters.
III OCIlVeu COUNTY Tile pOllS were not opened
by the Democratic managers in the strong Re-
publican precincts until 10 o'clock. Republi-
cans exempt by age from the payment of the
poll tax were denied the right to vote, and
threatened by the managers with arrest if they
attempted to vote Others with the tax re-
ceipts of 1871, the payment of which is alone
required as prerequisite to the vote, were dis
franchised because they would not swear they
had paid all taxes due since emancipation. The
Republicans, thus defrauded and threatened
with violence Abandoned the nnlls
Burke county, with an actual Republican ma
jority of 1900, has been Ku Kluxed into show
ing Democratic majority of 800.
In Glynn county the Democratic managers
rejected the vote OF two strong Republican pre-
cincts to overcome majority for the Republi-
can Senator and Representative.
The fact that the Atlanta Herald, a Greeley
paper, sprinkled its pages with paragraphs
similar to this :-"Dawson A. Walker repre-
sents the men who gloried in our overthrow;
vote against him." and "Gov. Smith repre-
sents the men who fought for Georgia indie
pendence; vote for him. the former being
the Republican and the latter the Democratic
candidate for Governor, indicates the animus
of which inspires the rebel Democracy of
Georgia.
In conclusion, the lesson of the Georgia
election is so plain that none can misunder-
stand it. The lesson is that the ascendancy
of the Democratic party in any Southern
State is sure to be followed by legislation
practically annulling the Constitutional
amendments and reducing the colored popu-
lation to condition hardly preferable to slav-
ery-that the election of Mr.. Greeley, who is
more heartily supported by the Ku Klux De
mocracy than by any other portion, would
insure their ascendancy in the general gov
eminent and render it perfectly safe for them
to perpetrate outrage and violence against
these defenceless people. Shall so moment
Gus a warning pass UNDECIDED?