New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-10-15
From ksNbanl q.

htUDNuubh.
CHEROKEE, COLBERT Co., Ala,
~. October 10, 1874.
To the Editor If the N~,g National Era
SIR: Having been a subscriber TO YOU
valuable journal for some time, essay, wit
some hesitation however, to give you an
the public few items in regard to tn
condition of affairs in this part of North Ala
bama, as it might be of interest to some t.
know what We are doing to secure Rcpub
lican victory in the coming State election.
Until recently the colored voters in thi
vicinity have been somewhat divided in thei
politics. Some were disposed to vote will
the Democrats, influenced, of course, by thei
pretensions of friendship, but the veil ha
been removed by the recent speeches of thu
Democratic orators, and they now see Dem
ocracy IN all its hideous deformity.
| Not long since ex-Gnvernor Watts an,
Judge Wood addressed tho Democracy a
this place. These champions of whit,
mans supremacy, hrensied by fear of de
feat in the coming contest, threw aaide al
reserve and poured out most copiouSly thu
fire brands Of inveCtlve and abuse upon Tho
heads OF the Republican and the negro
Their speeches were fraught with all thai
would tend to influence the passions ant
! preiudres at the;: 90 rebel audience. They
referred with evident pride and satisfaction
to their course during the late rebellion, and
regretted It's UNHAPPY result, and in the most
expressive language made IT glorious
CAUSE,
The kind sentiments toward the negro
| which characterized xGoyernor Watts,
speech at Selma were wanting here. He
seemed to have forgotten Dear Old Aunt
Matilda when he got Lers. i,csur.,ng to
the most Offensive and indecent language he
pointed out a colors d man among his hearers
as specimen Of those whom the Republican
party wished to force into socim equality
with them and compel their "fa;r lily daugh-
ters' To accept their arms and to accompany
TO church aud other places Of resort, whether
they would or no-grOssly misrepresentng
every feature of the civil rights bill.
Judge Wood went so far as to say, were
he elected, before he would punish a white
man for violation Of the civil rights bill,
were it TO hecoma law, he would go to Jail
himself; as if he did not know that all cases
under it would be tried by the United States
courts, and the circuit judge, for which posi-
ton he is candidate, would have no iuris-
Aiction IN such c.,scs. Their speeches were
tra:tornus and inf,.s-'us E.lseh,ol, as whole
in detail. The lost cause, though PROSTATE,
through these men, and by the deafenino
applause with which their sentiments were
greeted, exclaimed, in n loud and unmistaka
bic voice, "resMyaat," and shows, beyond
controversy, that rebellion is not dead, but
sleeping" These speeches have had one
good effect, however; they have tended to
consolidate the colored voters, and have
brought back to the fold every recreant
brother.
Since Governor Lewis, Lewis E. Parsons,
and Hon. Alex. White have unfur,ed the
Republican standard of equality and justice
to all at this place, we have formed under its
glorious folds in one unbroken phalanx, and
on the 3D. of November next we will con-
tribute our whole quota, entire and und-
vided, to the overwhelming majority with
which we hope and expect to carry the State.
Though we are sanguine of success, yet it
behooves every true Republican who has the
success of his party at heart to be up and
doing-using every exertion to bring ont the
apfi rn Ell uth of hn 70
victory beyond a peradventure, realizing that
in this contest che who dales is a bastard,
he who doubts is damned"
Although the white landowners here
abouts gave their hearty appreciation to every
word that was said by the Democratic orators
referred to, some of them have the audacity
to come with strong professions of peculiar
friendship, and with persuasive language
attempt to cajole the colored men into voting
with them, saying that the speakers did not
express their sentiments. O I,'w Demo.
crat "can smile and smile and be villain.''
The colored farmers in this vicinity have
very good crops as a general thing, and,
although the Democratic press says the
Der has brought into this market the first bale
of new cotton for four years in succession;
and the colored people as a mass are more
prosperous than the whites around here.
l regret to say that our educational inter.
csts have been much neglected IN the past
but we have now a school progressing finely
under the supervision of teacher from Fisk
University. We begin to see the dawn of a
better day in our educational and political
horizon.
hope that yet justice and equality will
plant their feet on the necks of injustice anC
oppression, and wave the banner of Repub
| licanism Ger their PROSTATE foe.
1.-THE mills of the gods grind slowly, bu
they grind exceedingly small"
Yours for signal victory,
VOx SpEI.
From Missouri.
SEPTEMBER %. 1874.