Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-11-05

Among the very many difficulties which
the Democrats had to encounter in the
canvass in this county was the secret and
open Intimidation of colored men who
wanted to vote either the whole Demo
cratic ticket or for some one or more friends
of theirs on that ticket. The key note of
the carefully written speech which DR..
Wilmer delivered in this town on Friday
last, was, do not split your ticket" He
harped upon this throughout, and the
same song was sung during the whole
campaign by his satellites, who, by his
permission, were nominees of the Repub-
lican party. This cry was enforced on the
stump and off of it. The negro bullies
used it in private with most effective sue
cess. During the past week not less than
twenty-five colored men, respectable in
their positions, have come to US and stated
their desire to vote-some the whole
ticket-some portion of it, and invaria
bly,, they have told US the same tale
namely, that they would vote that way at
the risk of their lives. The inquiry was
made of US in each instance if proper
protection would not be afforded them,
not only on the day of election, but there
after. We told them the law was suffi-
cient to protect them in the exercise of
their rights, but from secret Vaccinations
of the organized brigandage of the Radi-
Gals we were powerless to save them
This was enough, and in every instance
these men were marched in guarded ranks
to the polls and voted the full Republican
ticket. These are facts within our own
personal knowledge and doubtless similar
ones are within that of many of our read
ers. On the night before the election
runners were dispatched throughout each
neighborhood and all the lukewarm or
suspected negroes were hunted up and by
threats or other means forced to 60 to the
Radical breakfasts. Once there, they were
easily managed. Either member OF the
Wilmer family (of whom six now hold
one of the candidates was in charge and
saw that each man held the right ticket
and none other, and after this precaution
the men were marched in ranks to the
polls. Guards were on hand to see that
no man should approach. If at times
some Democrat, more bold than the rest,
approached and asked some one of the
prisoners if they did not wish to vote as
they had promised the day before, it was
amusing to see the mortal terror with
which the poor fellows would swear he
had never made such promise. But il
was not often that such an approach was
ever allowed. In one instance one of oul
candidates went to the breakfast presided
over by ''the chief striker" and informing
him that there were a number of negroes
there who desired to vote for him, the
candidate, he inquired of the mighty man
u if they would not be allowed to do SO
when the declaration was emphatically
made that no negro in that crowd should
be allowed to split his ticket, and then
our candidate was cody invited to join
the Radical party himself, with the assur'
ance he should be its nominee for the
same Office two years hence. In another
instance, one Of these same leaders boast
ed that he had taken from the negroes at
his breakfast Mirty.foe Democratic tickets