Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-08-11
But the Time has Come when this
and the Robbery which Resulted
from it Must Cease through
Free Election and an APP
peal 10 All Clssses of
the People.

| EDITORS APPEAL-In the AUaldnche, OF
| the sixth instant, appeared an article from
| a citizen of this (Phillipsl county, that for
| impudence and Justification stands without a
| parallel. | have been citizen OF this place
| for twelve years, have passed through all the
| terrors, apprehenslons and lntlmldatlons OF
| Radical mlsrule, supported and backed up by
that most odious Of all national legislation,
| the reconstruction lava, when elections have
| been carried by organized and armed bands
of Ignorant colored men, misguided and led
on by white men, refugees from their own
country, here only for lncendiary purposes to
aid them IN carrying out successfully their
real object-plunder. During this long, dis
NAL period of persecution and torture, the
Democratic and tax-paying people OF this
county have been insulted upon the streets
of Helena by armed bands of mounted men,
cursed and denounced as id secesh, and
unworthy to live, accompanied by all sorts OF
threats of demorahzlng and unlawful char
acter During all tits time we, the white
people, who have been annually paying the
demands Of the government, have moved
quietly along, disfranchised and abused, and
not allowed any representation IN the con-
troll and management of the affairs OF this
county, holding, as it were, our lives In our
hands, expecting at any moment to have the
demand made upon US for them, not
knowing when we retired at night at
of confagration. These bulldozing Radi-
Gals organized the negroes into secret socie-
ties, swearing them never to vote Tor Demo-
crat or southern man for any office upon the
penalty of FORGETTING their lives. These poor,
ignorant people have thus been blindly led,
believing that they would be murdered II they
dared to vote in opposition to the will or their
leaders. | have often seen colored men go to
the polls to vote the Democratic ticket, who
were driven away and severely treated tor
offering to cast their voluntary suffrage. Ar
kansas, with sixty thousand Democratic ma
jority, was bulldozed for nine years and
counted Republican. In many counties in
the northwestern part of the State, where
there was not a Republican vote, large Re-
publican majorlties were drawn from the
ballot boxes. The ArdldHche correspondent
has forgotten this, or else the spirit of some
poor fellow made martyr to his bulldozlng
is haunting his conscience. We have organ
lied military companies here Tor the special
purpose of holding peaceable and fair cleo
ton, and protecting the colored people In
their franchise, large numbers of whom have
called upon Us to know If we will protect
them against the Radical mobs if they vote
the Democratic ticket. We have made those
guarantees, and they are hocking into our
ranks by the hundred. They are organizing
Democratic clubs and wearing their dis
tinctive badges ali over our county. Our
campaign opens 10 morrow with a grand
old-fashioned barbecue at Colonel A. J. Jar !
mans, in Spring creek township, which gen
tleman has a colored Democratic club in his |
township, numbering one hundred and |
eighty-tive now, which will reach three hun |
dred before the election on tine second day OF
September. new era of good feeling has
dawned upon this county since it has been |
made manifest that the white people Will |
protect the colored Democrats. A very large |
number of colored men are disguised with |
the Radical management of our county, al
fairs, and openly say that they have, been
driven like serfs, upon whose labor and votes |
their Leaders hsSe become pampered and I'M. /!