Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-05-05
FOURTH EDITION.
COlOred voters in Council.

DAN. HAMILTON AND OTHER MALooNTENTs
STIRRING THEM UP AGAINST MIR, HASTINGS
FREE ABUSE OF THAT GENTLEMAN.
A meeting of about forty colored men
was held in the chapel near the Delaware
Avenue depot, in the Seventh ward, last
evening. Among those present we're Danl
z. Hamilton, who said at the outset he did
not know the object of the meeting, but
Joseph G. Walker, of the Sixth WErd, who
was also on hand, said he knew, aud Ham
ilton also did, that it was for the purpose
of proving to the colorod people that they
ought not to support Mr.. Washington Hast
ings for delegate to Cincinnati.
In the course of the evening, the meet
ing being prolonged until midnight, speech
es were made by Daniel B. Anderson, D.
p. Hamilton, P s. Blake, and j. G. Walk
er. Mr.. Anderson gave those present some
good advice, and spoke very favorably of the
candidacy of Mr.. Hastings. So,also,did MIR.
Blake. Hamilton, however, was very abu-
sive of Mr.. Hastings, and attacked him.
with all other Republicans who voted for
William Nj. Candy in 1874. He said that
Mr.. Hastings challenged the colored voters
at the 7th Ward polls, at that time; that he
had them arrested and sent to New Castle;
hat he was the cause of the eolored men
not having work on the city basin, at this
time, &C., &c. All these allegations being
false, they were promptly denied by persons
present, who stated the facts that MIR. Has
tlngs only challenged illegal votes; that he
cd at all; that only one was
arrested, a man by the name
of Pntchett, who lived in the Sth
Ward, he being challenged by I. b. Per-
kins, and arrested on complaint of Andy
MeLane, Democrat and that Mr.. Hast
iugs gave 800 TO help him make his de-
fence.
Hamilton then had the Secretary to read
recent editorial article in the COMMERCIAL,
urging the colored voters not TO mass them
selves, and form a color line in the party.
He said, when it had been read that he
wanted the colored people to stick to those
| who had stuck to them-meaning, it was
understood, Capt. Gallagher, Frank Nolen,
and others.
Walker also attacked Hastings, and
made number of other charges against
him, among them being tt at he stopped the
rolling mill in 1874 to help elec5 McMena-
min (Dem) to Council in the 9Th Ward;
that he (Hastings,) had now said McMena-
min ought to support him, in return for
this; that Hastings was responsible for the
800 900 floating debt now accumulated by
City Council; and that the popula-
tion of the city being about 10000,
of which nearly half we're col
ored people, there was not fair share of
colored men employed on the basin when
Mr.. Candy was Chairman Of the Water
Committee. All these charges we're sue
cessively denied, as being utterly false, and
D. B. Anderson pointed out that the popu-
Iation of the city was now about 10000, of
whom not over 5000 were colored, and
Walker had admitted that 100 or l65 out of
450 basin men we're colored, showing that
they had nearly three times their proper
tion according to population, though not
more than was just, as the colored peo-
pie were largely laboring men. 1t was
stated that the assertion that Mr.. Has
tings stopped his mill, &c, was an unquali-
fed lie, which Mr.. Hastings had traced to a
certain post office mail agent, who had re-
tailed it in a cgar-store down town.
Walker said he preferred Mr.. James Scott
as delegate UoiOincinnati, though he thought
it Six of one, and half a dozen of the
other " between him and Hastings, Scot
having bolted the nomination of FL. F
Pickels for Council il the 9TH Ward il
1873, and worked hard for 8. N. Pusey, al
Independent candidate.
The temper of the meeting, notwithstand
ing the harangues Of Hamilton ant
Walker, was not unfIiendly to Mr.. Has
tings, and the Chairman, John Price, VIII
was appealed to, on "polnts of order,' b
Hamilton, in order to choke off the friend
y. of Mr.. Hastings, acted very fairly and re
1 fused TO comply.