Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-08-25
Observation-Disclosures.

violent. bloodthirsty, fully equipped and
organized for massacre; the whites inno-
cent, unoffending. wronged, frightened,
and unprepared for bloodshed; the result
the total discontinue OF the negroes
with VthcE- killing wounding or irpprisoa-
ing Of large numbers of them, white their
intended white victims $50 represented
escape without any damage whatever.
Wonderful, indeed, is it not. that the
poor, scared, hunted whites do all the
shooting. while the blootithirsty blacks,
armed tor slaughter, are the only persons
who are Killed or wounded!
1t appears that the location of the late
ins,lrrection Is inBurke. Washington and
jefferson counties of Georgia. In these
counties the negroes largely outnumber
the whites. But the whites have exclud-
ed the blacks from the juries, and man
aged to keep large proportion OF them
from voting, Under this patrlarehal sys-
TEN, by which white jurors could on friv-
olous pretexts send the blacks to Jail and
exclude them from the ballot-box, the
blacks became somewhat uneasy and de-
sired new order of things. According
| ly they determined to hold a convention
and consider their grievances and how to
remedy them. This it seems is the great
and bloody Instruction which they pro-
posed and all that they proposed. 1t was
pretended that documents were found on
certain negroes revealing the plot to mas
sacre the whites. but ifany such existed they
were manufactured by the whites to fur
Their the scheme they had in view.
"All at once" SAY reports received from
reliable sources. ''the whites were
aroused and armed themselves; militia
companies were put in motion, and ar
rests were made right and left. Although
the negroes are such bloodthirsty lot,
they made no effort to resist arrest, and
they have committed no violence even in
self-defence. Eighty or a hundred So
called .'ringleaders," who are probably
negroes who are for some reason special
" obnoxious to the democrats, have been
put in Jail, they are to be tried by spec
ial court, before white juries; and there is
not the slightest reason to doubt that they
will all b. Imprisoned; with or without
evidence Some OF the white citizens,
who have not become accustomed to the
modern and legalized methods of Cypress
ing the blacks, wanted to shoot them and
hang them in the good old way but
milder counsels prevailed and they were
cheated out of their diversion"
The real motive underlying these move
ments of the Georgia democrats is under
stood very well when the election figures
of the State are studied. The purpose is
to intimidate the blacks and keep them
away from the polls, as the following
facts show: "In the Eighth Congression-
al District, in which Washington and JEFF
ferson 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 twelve
votes in the whole district. But what had
become of the other 62lS republican vot-
ers-had they gone over to the democra-
cy? Not at all, for the aggregate demo-
cratic vote in the district was actually less
in 1874 than in 1872. Again, in the Fourth
District, the republicans in 1872 polled
8466, the democrats 10,3l9; but in 1874
not a single republican vote was recorded,
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 one doubt thai the re-
publican vote in these districts was kept
from the polls by intimidation and fraud ?
Is there any other possible explanation
for its entire oblitcraton?
1.-The simple fact then is,'' says the Bos-
ton Journal, ''that the Georgia democrats
are keeping up their old policy of 'tix-
ing'' the blacks so that they shall not vote.
This attempt to levy hack poll taxes is
only means to this end and the whole
sale arrest Of negroes for pretended in
surrecton is another. 1t takes one mas
sacre Just about SO often to hold the me-
groes down, and keep them from assert
ing their rights of citizenship. The only
wonder Is that the present trouble, SO in
geniously precipitated by the white politi-
clans, did not eliminate in bloodshed
Perhaps we ought to be grateful for this
much, and accept it as one of the ndica-
tons of that new era of reconciliation of
which we hear so much. At all events it
is we'll that the people of the North. when
a cooked-up report Of "another negro ris
ing" comes along, should understand that
it is simply a democratic expedent for
manipulating. or rather for suppressing,
the colored vote. In the light of the facts
we have given, the latest "insurrection" is
seen to be wretched farce, with very
plain purpose In it; and our readers may
safely discount in advance any simil ar ac-
counts that may be hereafter forwarded"
When the republican party went out OF