Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-01-15
From the Chicago Tribune,
The Negro HObgOblfn,

of dispatches from Vicksburg, con.
tanning the details of the struggle
between the ex-Rebel whites and
the blacks for the possession of the
county offices, cannot fail to be
struck with the fact that the blacks
are the only sufferers. If any one
is punished, it is a negro. If any
one is killed, it is a negro; and if
any one is to blame, of course it is
negro. The fact, however, does
not tally with the other facts which
are regularly sent from Democratic
sources. The negroes having no
other opportunity to send their Ver-
sion of the story, the North has to
form its opinion from the version of
the other side, and, as the version of
the other side does not hang togeth-
er, but is full of the most glaring
absurdities and inconsistencies, it
becomes a very difficult matter to
form correct or intelligent opinion
except that the Democratic story
is a tissue of lies invented by cut
throats, and diffused over the coun-
try for the purposes of deception.
In the North, the natural charae-
ter of the negro is peaceful. The
average colored man, notwithstand-
ing his ignorance and low condition
of life, is fully as well-behaved and
law-abiding as the white man. In
these respects he compares quite fa-
vorably with the whites of allnation-
alities. In,the South, however, we
are told that the negro is a law
breaking, ferocious, blood-thirsty
demon; a sworn enemy to society;
pillager of property, an incendiary,
and natural murderer. We are
told that he takes this bent without
any objective cause, and, conse-
quently, that no community is safe
where the negro exists in any con-
siderable degree. As the result of
this dreadful condition of society
we are informed one day that great
masses of negroes have armed them
selves and are marching in solid
phalanx against some city or town,
with purpose of massacring all the
citizens and burning their homes
The next day comes the intelligence
that this fearful force is dispersed,
and sixty, eighty, or hundred ne
groes are slaughtered. No white
men, however, are killed or hurt.
One day we are told that the ne
groes outnumber the whites FIVE or
ten to one, and that breech-loading
guns of the longest range and dead
liest capacity have been distributed
among them, with plenty of ammu-l
milton, and we naturally expect to
learn the next day that there had
been wholesale butchery of whites,
but somehow or other the "defense-
less whites'' manage to slaughter
fifty or sixty more armed negroes
No white man IS killed or wounded
in the terrible battle. One day we
are told that the negroes who are
marching on Vicksburg or some
other Southern city are of the most
ferocious character and prodigous
numbers, that they are impa1ing in
fants upon pitchforks, ravishing
women, and are within an hours
march of the devoted city which is
doomed to the fire and sword. The
next days telegraph brings the in
telligence that seventy more negroes
are slaughtered, and not a white
man is hurt. In yesterdays dis
patches we were informed that the
black women were arming them
selves with the view of butchering
the white. women. This, of course,
is. very dreadful intelligence, but
isn't this intelligence getting little
too dreadful? If the black men are
going to murder all the white men,
and the black women all the white
women, who knows but that the
black piekaninies may break loose
some day, and, armimg themselves
with carying-kniEes, sirup-bottles,
safety-pins, and feather holsters, de-
liberately proceed to cut, maui,
stick, slash, and suffocate all the
white babies in. their neighbor-
hoods? fas..
Now if the blacks are as power
full and ferocious as the Southern
Democrats continually represent
them to be, how Is it that they do
no damage? If they are SO well
armed, so much more numerous, so
well organized, and so bloodthirSty
in their despotism, how is it that
they kill nobody? If the whites areso
feeble and defenseless how be itthat
theysucceed In killing off a large num-
Der of these ferocions creatures ev-
cry day with no harm to themseLVesS
How is it that white men do not
get killed, that women and children
are not injured, that houses and cot
ton gins are not burned with such a
swarming multitude of ''blaek de-
mons'' let loose?
Isn't it about time, therefore, to
stop this kind of .dastardly false
hood and to state the real version
of the Southern troubles? In the
case of the Vicksburg contest, would
it not be just as we'll to tell the
truth, that the Democrats of Vloks-
burg, owing to an informality in the
Sheriff's bond, took advantage of it
to drive out all the Republican coun-
ty officers by force and violence in
stead OF availing themselves of the
plain legal remedy, and when the
negroes opposed this procedure, they
slaughtered sixty or hundred of
them, and then threatened to assas-
sinate those who should aid them or
sympathize with them? Would it
not be just as well to say that, in all
these Southern massacres, the color
ed people are butchered, first, be-
cause they are colored; and second,
because they vote the Republican
ticket?
Chase ON Impeachment.
AS YnuNh hos bpan mistakenly