The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-02-02
Southern Talk.

Robert Toombs is the frankest man in the
South. His bitterest enemies are forced to
admit that he is perfectly honest in the ex-
preston of the purposes ofhis section and in
his statements as to the means by which the
Democrats have got possession of Georgia,
Other Southern leaders attempt to disguise
their purposes, to keep their plans secret un.
til they have obtained controlling power in the
national government. Toombs is not man
of dsguises, and scorns the trickery of his fell
lows. Indeed he delights in exposing their
schemes. In speech made at Atlanta last
week in favor af a constitutional convention,
he boldly proclaimed the purpose of the Dem
ocracy to gain the colored vote by bribery and
intimidation, ''letting the cat out of the bag''
in public manner which his Northern allies
will scarcely relish. He denounced President
Grant as drunken and ignorant soldier, and
tie men in the Federal armies as low Dutch,
Irish and Yankee thieves who had devastated,
robbed and ruined the country. "God AL
mighty curses such people," he said, sand
my poor, weak curses follow after His" The
state constitution was described as ''nigger
constitution constructed by knaves." He
demanded new instrument, a constitution
which shall not be based on population alone,
and one "by which the people will rule and
the nigger will never be heard Of" and said
there was ga time coming when the people
will rise up even as they did in France when
they brought the guillotine of Robespierre. {"
His remarks on the control of the negro vote
will be anything but pleasant reading to those
in the North who deny that intimidation has
been used. On this point we give his words
in full:
''We got a good many honest fellows into
the first legislature but will tell you how we
got them there. will tell you the truth. The
newspapers won't tell it to you. We got them
there by carrying the black vote by intimda-
ton and bribery [Laughter,] and helped to
do it! [Applause.] L would have scorned the
them as long as they put beasts to 90 to the
ballot box! [Cheers No man should be Civ
en- the elective franchise who has not the intel
ligence to use it properly. The rogue should
not have it, for government is made to punish
him; the fool should not have it, for govern
ment is made to take care of him! Now, these
miserable wretches-the yankees-have injected
five millions of savages into the stomach of our
body polite and the man who says he accepts
negro suffrage, I say, accrsed be he [Cheers. ]
will accept everything; will accept Grant
and empire, before will accept such Demo-
crat! [Applause.] The poor, ignorant negro
talk OF him governing you and mel 1t takes
the highest order of intellect to govern the peo.
pie, and these poor wretches talk of governing
us! Why, they can't perpetuate their own
negro power. In the counties where they
we've in the majority thev did not preserve their
power and perpetuate their rule. My remedy
helped to break that up. We carried the m
with US by bribery and intimidation! 1 advised
it and paid my money for it! [Applause I You
all know it but won't say it. But will say it,
for fear no man, none but the Great judge
before whom [ must appear in a few years, Tor
my enemies have thought my services to my
country so great that they have done me the
honor to exclude me from again serving my
peOple"