Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1876-10-19

Gary said the other day that he intended 10 ear
ry the election, or he would I'LL every street in
Edgefeld with dead negroes"
Under the circumstances. this does not pre-
sent pleasant prospect to the negro voters Of
Eugeheld county. This may be bravado in the
General, but the object Is manifest Resides
the almost innumerable individual cases re-
ported to the Department Of Justice. the Dis
trlct Attorneys OF the Uniten States have In sun
dry instances applied for instruction ia view of
the evidence which they give Of conspiracies
already formed and forming in the different
States to intimidate the colored voters and sup
press their suffrage. One. a gentleman aud a
lawyer Of high standing. states this case: An
intelligent colored Republican has been recent
~ organizing. in one Of the counties Of Mssi--
sippi. Republican clubs-clubs for political dis
cussion, open for everybody to attend. A lead
ing OBJECT OF The clubs hitherto has been 10 A.
certain the boundaries of the precincts In which
the negroes are required to east their votes.
problem which. under the new State law. is
mol solved by The negroes without consdera-
Die difficulty"
This colored Republican was instructing his
neutrality-suspicious. how to find their several
proper voting places, when his life was threat
ened II he did not desist. Not needing the
thrcathe was attacked aud fired at on the stand
while speaking. Being more daring than the
coiofed people have generally proved 10 be. he
returned the fire. but without effect. He was
seized finally. on u charge Of assault with in
tent to hill.and II was apprehend that the white
Liners would get him out of the Jail and kill
him. lie was removed 10 another couniy
where his fate IL unknown. This statement
was by District Attorney. a gentleman of
great intelligence rs well AZ lawyer OF emin-
ence. and conservative. He declares that there
is undoubtedly formed a cons piracy to control
the elections by intimidation and fraud and
mat an essential feature of the plot is to prevent
by menaces and violence the assembling of Re
pubcans for political discussion aud prepara-
ton for exercising the franchise of suffrage
lie ststes that IL such violence and meuacng
can he punished or prevented by Federal pow
er, fair election can still be secured but II
not. the in;imidations will very soon have gone
so far that the colored Republicans will not dare
to vote. If the perpetrators OF these wrongs
are responsible 10 State authorities only there
can be no remedy, and the election must be
abandoned. The Government has some able
and patriotic legal officers In the Southern
states, but they are environed with difficulties.
GRAVE QUESTION.
In view OF the extraordinary condition of
political affairs in the South the question i now
gravely presented whether the negroes will be
allowed 10 share in the election Of the officers
who are 10 administer the Government or not
or rather, whether the dominant class. with
property and very superior intellect in the
South .hsll be allowed To deprive them and Us
OF the right 10 vote. Shall We give ii up: or
shall we insist upon the right: There are 9th
er poor people, both North and Sou b. who are
also ignorant Shall they. too. I've deprived OF
their suffrage: IL We give ii up IN the South. we
create AT once an aristocracv worse than that
which we had hoped was destroyed. for the
Shareholders will have more political power
than they had when they owned the negroes.
Five slaves were counted in the scale OF politI-
cal power a three freeman: now they count
five; 50 that those masters will WELD two iiths
more power in the Federal Government on ac-
count Of the negroes now than they did before
the war. The question for the people OF the
II ited States 10 determine at the coming cleo
ton s,shall the Fifteenth Amendment BE- given
up. yielded 10 intimidation and fraud: II yes
then the instructions 10 the Nar,hals oil the
nited States In pre- serve the peace OF the Uni
ted States at the polls were wrong. II you
think that poor men. il citizens. ,hall b. sllow-
ell TO vote irrespective OF race, color, or preyi-
Gus condition Of -eryitujc. and that ii /. the
duty of the officers OF the United States TO en-
force the law in that behalf when possible, then
the circular 10 the Marshals was right and WAS
not untimely.
Gentlemen, we may fail to secure free vote
to the colored citizens. Iniimidstions may
have gone 10 far. The colored men may have
become demoralized; their experiences may
have been too alarming; they may have seen
or heard OF too many murders which have gone
uunotced and UNPUBLISHED 10 be willing 10 risk
their lives By going To the polls and attempting
10 vote the Republican ticket. We may not
succeed in preventing fraud and intimidation.
Fellow citizens, the safety aud prosperity of
the country require that the citizens Of the
United States should be free to vote according
TO the provisions OF the Constitution whether
they be OF high or low estate Fellow citizens.
the motives of the southern Democrats 10 make
the south solid for the Democracy are great.
They desire, not without hope. to have the
clsms Tor rebel losses OF property by the lst"
war. sometime in the future, allowed and paid
They desire 10 have provision made for the reb
FL debt aud also for their loss OF ayes. II any
Of these things are to be accomps he'd At all.
they know that II must be thro' the agency Of
the Democratic party. They know that II the
election j. carried by solid South they will be-
a majority OF the Democratic majority, and can
control it.-That same desperate purpose TO
prevent colorrd men from voting at the present
election extends 10 the permanent control or
exclusion Of voters in the future. With the
Democratic party in power they might hope
for some or all Of these things. With the Re
publican party in power they have no such
hope. The stake they have in the result Is
great They will not hesitate TO resort to des-
perate measures 10 win il.
Fellow citizens. are YOU ready to thrust the
government Of thi. great country 10 such Il com
binatiOn: Are YOU willing that 4 minority, by
intimidation and fraud, shall make the South
solid for the Democracy sgainst q divided
North thereby enabling that minority OF the
South 10 rule both the North and the South and
shape the deslnie, of the country: This Is the
great question we are TO decide NJ the CO ming
election.