The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-10-09
Civil Rights in Tennessee.

FROM present 1nulCauOnS, the DSmo-
cratic party will make a larger gain of
in this State at the ensu-
ing November election than in any other
State of the Union. The present repre-
sentation stands seven Republicans to
three Democrats. Alter November it is
likely to be nine Democrats to
one Republican. This is very
large gain in a State sen ling but
ten Congressman, and the reader will
be curious to know the reason for so
great a change. so decided a resolution
in public sentiment IL is on account
of the Civil Rights bill, more than all
other causes combined. Until the Sen
ate passed that measure, Tennessee con-
tanned more white Republicans than
any other southern State This was the
natural result OF the decided Union
stand taken by the people of East Ten-
nessee in 1861 a section of the State
that put 10000 Union soldiers into the
Federal army. From the day that the
war ended until the Senate passed the
Civil Rights Bill, the Republican par.
ty continued to increase In Tennessee.
At the last general election, and that of
1872, they elected seven out of ten Cons
gressmen, and came within about - 600
votes of electiOg their candidate for
Governor. To be sure there was a split
in the Democratic party that year, but
this does not account entirely for the
increase in strength among the Repnb-
licans. 1t was caused by the influx OF
old Wings into the Republican party, a
class who have never been quite salts
fed with their quarters IN the Demo>
cratic ranks.
but the Civil Rights bill has changed
all this like q ssh, and almost annihi>
lated the Republican party in this State.
The whites who came into the party n
1872 have left in a hurry, and taken
many thousands with them. The Civil
Rights bill has been a clear gain to the
Democratic party of Tennessee of from
$4,000 TO 10000 votes. Take Knox coun-
ty, for example, the home Of Senator
BrOwnlow In 1872, Brown, Democrat
ic candidate for Governor, received
los votes and Freeman, Republican,
1868 votes or nearly two to one In
that county there are but S14 cOlOred yO-
ters all told, even if every one should
vote, so that we know that nearly 5000
white mon vItad the Republican ticket in
1872. Yet such has been tn havoc
wrought in the Republican ranks by the
Civil Rights bill, that in August last, at
the county election, tie Democrats car
ried the day by nearly ZOO majority
This Is but a sample Of the sudden
change wrought among the white voters
all over the State by the passage OF the
Civil Rights bill by the Senate, and the
consequent agitation Of that subject.
Even those of the s. hitBs who still remain
faithful to the Republican party are al,
most unanimt Us in their opposition to
~ - 10
Senate / do not believe there Is one
white Republican out of seventy FIVE
who favors II; nav, do not believe there
is one in hundred No man can be
elected to any Office in this State who
advocates it. the only Republican who
apparently has any prospect Of being
elected to Congress from this State is Il
B. Bnter Of the lst District lie is as
bitterly opposed to the Civil Rights bill
as any Democrat in the State, or even
he, in his strong Republican district,
COu not be elec'ed 1t Ia conceded that
he will be cleo. ed, but in no other DIS
trict Is there a probability of Republican
success There is II possibility of it in
the Second District, but in the others
there Is not even so slight chance.
The vote Of the negroes is not affected by
the Civil Rights bill one way or the
other. They continue to vote the Re-
publican ticket "a usual, but they are
so far in the minority that it is oGly by
the strength of the white Republicans
that the party can be said t. exist. In on
" two counties in the State, Fayette and
Haywood are the negroes in the MAORI
ty, and in one of these their majority Of
voters is les than fifty In the First
Congress. Onal district, com osed Of eleven
counties, there are but 90 cDiored w.
ters. In the second district there are
but 1923 In the seven teen counties,
composing the Third district, there are
but 1856 in the Fourth district, OPT
There ara fourteen counties in the STATE
containing less than 100 colured voters
each Scott has but three Cumberland
but seven, and Morgan %. You will
read y see that without a large white
element in the Republican party ia Ten
n-ssee, it would not at'ain Il respectable
size 1t has had more Cf that element
than the lpartY in any Southern State,
and would have held il, and. | believe,
finally gained control of the State Govern>
ment bad not the Civil Rights bill DASH
ed it to the ground