Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-10-04
VARIANT TESTIMONY


Even men of honesty and honor
may differ widely in their statements
of facts. For instance, Senator Bay
ard said, on Tuesday evening, speak
ing of the negroes in the southern
states: "Ihey tell you they are intimi-
dated from giving their rotes. I haze
been introduced to you as man of
honesty and honor, and as such a man
1 aciU tell you that nineteen t,ven tieths
Of ali the intimidation practiced upon
the colO2ed voters of the southern states
is exercised by the negroes upon each
other" That is what one man says as
q man of honesty and honor. Now,
Mr.. Robert TOmbs claims to be man
of honesty and honor, and he would
be likely to raise a row with any one
who should say that he was not such
a man, and here Is what he said in an
address delivered before the legisla-
ture of Georgia, by invitation, in JAN
nary last: eve got good many
honest fello,cs into the legislature, bat
4 srill tell you hoac zoe got them there
I aciN tell you the truth. The ners.
papers cont tell IL to you. We gol
them there by carrying the black vott
By intimidation and bribery, and /
helped do it. I aoould hare scoracd the
people If they had not done it," These
utterances show how men of honesty
and honor may differ as to matters OF
fact. Doubtless both Of these men
mean to tell the truth. The only
question is which of them is best post.
ed. Mr.. Bayard can doubtless say
with truth that he never intimidated
negro from giving his vote, or into
voting ticket that he did not wish
to vote. But Toombs, who would
not think for moment of rating
himself below Bayard in respect tt
honesty and honor, tells the Gcorgis
legislature that the "black vote" in
Georgia was carried by intimidation
and bribery, and that he helped do it
Mr.. Bayard's testimony is purely
negative. Mr.. Toombs' testimony i,
affirmative. Mr.. Bayard does no
know that the blacks have been in.
undated. Mr.. Toombs says that III
does know it, and that he helped dc
the intimidating. Ask any resprcta.
BILE lawyer which goes furthesi to.
ward establishing the fact; th,: tes-
timony of an honest and honorable
man who doesn't know, or the
testimony OF an equally honest and
honorable man who asserts that he
does know, and that he had to dc
with accomplishing he fact itself.
Now it is simply foolish to deny
the fact of intimidation in the pres.
ence of an audience composed OF
tolerably Intelligent people. The
fact is admitted by the more honest
southern democrats" like Bob
Toombs, and excused on the ground
that the democrats are ''exasper.
ated"by negroes who have the andac.
ity to vote something besides the
democratic" ticket. 1t is hardly
wise for a man who wants to per-
suade people to vote for Tilden to
deny a fact which the confederate
house as good as admitted, aud which
Mr.. Tilden practically admitted when
in conversation with South Caro-
lima democrat, he discountenanced i'll
timidation. Mr.. Tilden's supporters
had better follow his example in dis
countenancing electioneering by
violence, and denounce it as it de.
serves, as Mr.. Tilden has done, and
as the confederate house did by all
almost unanimous vote. Ifthey will
take that course, both north and south
there will be an end of intimidation
and bloodshed, the "bloody shirt
will no longer be banner under
which the republican party can
march to victory, and no man will
any longer feel that there is danger
in change in the name Of REFORM
Chicago Times.