The Portland daily press., 1875-08-24
The Color Line in Georgia.

On general principles, one will be unable
to account for che sudden appearance and
disappearance of the negro insurrection in
Georgia. One day the whole country was
aroused, and the maker of dispatches saw
the mastering of hundreds of negroes. The
militia was called out and civil war and
shocking bloodshed seemed imminent and
inevitable. The next day, the danger had
passed, ring-leaders had been arrested and
would be tried. Little, however. was said
about the armed bands. To the casual OBJ
server, the "insurrection" was a ridiculous
farce and cowardly scare. But those who
engaged in it doubtless accomplished their
purpose. They are satisfied with the result.
The negro population has been taught a les
son after the new method. The old way
was to ku.klux him, and while it worked
well for a time, the subsequent effect Was not
good. The 'insurrec,ion" dodge is better
and safer. Force the poor wretch to be the
aggressor, then punish him or so intimidate
him that he will not again take any interest
in public affairs or vote. That's the purpose
of the late insurrection; and it will doubtless
be successful.
Georgia is Democratic state; its sheriffs,
justices, election officers ETC., are appointed by
the Democratic state officials. The Demo,
cratic Legislature has imposed heavy pol
tax and under the act large arrearages are
demanded. In counties where the colored
men are in the majority, they are excluded
from juries. They are kept in subsection by
being convicted of trivial offences and sen
to prison. There is no justice for the negro
n Democratic Georgia. His vote, when bet
does vote, goes for nothing. "They can
vote" said leader recently, "but we count
the votes and counting is better than voting. .
Our informant, who is not partisan,- says
that the right of suffrage is of no account to
the colored man, since it is a notorious fact
that whomsoever the Democratic leaders de
sire for the Office are counted n,utterly regard
less of the fact that they have not number Of
votes emitting them to an election.
But it is said that papers were found upon
certain parties duplicating local leaders in an
attempt to incite massacre of the whites.
We dare say that this was part of the plan
Of those who are working the insurrection
business in Georgia to furnish the pretext for
arresting eighty men and throwing them into
Jail until they shall be brought into court and
convicted by jury composed of their ac-
cusers. There are those who desired to
shoot the "rng-leaders" on the spot, but the
more cultivated and willy Georgian politician
restrained the more brutal and bloodthirsty.
That policy has not worked so well, and the
colored voters can as well be managed by
arresting few conspicuous leaders and send
ing them to Jail.
We can get some insight into the motive
impelling the Democratic leader in Georgia to
pursue this policy of intimidation as we'll as
the extent to which it has been successful, by
an examination of the returns of the late
election in that state in those districts where
the Republican vote has been heaviest in the
past. For example, in the eighth congress
sional district. in which Washington and
Jefferson counties are located, the Republi-
can vote in 1872 was $3.50; Democratic 9697.
In 1874 the Republicans, according to the
official returns, polled just t,ueIue votes in
the whole district. But what had become of
the other 621S Republican voters-had they
gone over to the Democracy?. Not at all, for
the aggregate Democratic vote in the district
was actually less in 1874 than in 1872 Again
in the fourth district. the Republicans in 1872
polled 1856, the Democrats 1O,319; but in
1874 not single Republican vote was re-
corded, and the Democratic candidate received
all the votes reported. Still the aggregate of
the Democratic vote was less in 1874 than in
1872.
Can any fair minded man study the above
returns and fail to come to the conclusion
that the colored Republicans were kept from
the polls through some general system of in
timidation such as this insurrection business ?
Is there any possible explanation for this
absenteeism amounting to thousands?