Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1878-09-05
ga Friend in Time of Need Is a
Friend Indeed.

| a. Oan,ocratic fellow-citiZens are us |
+, o,arv artifice and making deceptive |
promises and false pretenses Of friend
sI,i,, for the colored voters of this county.
Their pretended love and friendship for
the colored race, however, extends only
to colored voters. The rest of the race,
who from sex or minority of age are not
qualified with the ballot in their hands,
may go to the bow-wows, or some other
locality of an uncomfortable degree of
warmth, for what the Democratic party
cares. Let us tell the colored race to be-
ware of their Shiny professions of love
and friendship for the colored race. It is
not for you that they have so much ten
der regard, but it is the sacred ballot you
hold in your hand they are after. 1t is
an old and true saying that we wish to
commend to the colored voters, and to all
the colored- people, that ''a friend in need
is friend indeed'; and in this cOnnec-
ton we wish to ask few questions -
When was the Democratic party the
friend of the colored men? Was it when
you were in distress? Was it when you
were in abject slavery? Was it when the
republican party by legal enactments de-
cIared universal liberty to your race p
Was it when the Republican party put
the ballot into your hands, and declared
that the colored men were citizens of the
United States? You know it was not
You know, moreover, that it was the Re
publican party that by their acts recOg-
nized all these rights as belonging to the
J colOred race as well as to the white race
and you know that the Democrats in Con-
gress and in our State Legislature, every
one of them, opposed all these measures,
and many of them who now hypocritical-
ly profess love for the poor, oppressed
down-trodden race, would, if they could
still have them held in bondage and treat
, ed as brutes. These same men used tC
say that "when the 'niggers' were allow
l ed to vote they would quit voting and
/ leave the State"; an act they might have
performed without the slightest damage
to the State or anybody but themselves
Their fippant argument against negro
suffrage was: "Do you want your daugh.
. ter to marry a nigger!'' The colOred
e men certainly have not forgotten the
sneering taunts and the profane prefix
with which they were wont to designate
the colored race, to-wit: ''The damned
niggersl' and other Democratic pet names
they use when speaking of the colOreC
race.
You cannot fail to understand that i
? Democratic policy had prevailed, instead
8 of Republican policy, your whole race il
\ the United States would still be in slavery
and the oppressed subjects of a'wickeC
and cruel slave Oligarchy.
a Now, we appeal to you, before you g
over to your old oppressors and help tt
place them in power, if it is-nOt your in
terest to help those who have helped yol
when you needed help, whether it is no
: wiser and better to vote with party ant
: stand bravely, as you did during th
, struggle that gave you your liberty, by
friend who proved to you to be frien'
in time of need? Once more, coloret
voters, let us ask you what the Democrat
:, ic party has ever done for you as rae
Ii that should entitle it to your suffrages?