Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1880-08-25

" false. Ii has been suggested to
me- that plain, unvarnished state
ment Of the "true inwardness' OF
the manner would not prove unac-
ceptablo TO the readers OF the sun,
aud might DO some good. AT
least, as ! humbly conceive, 1t can
do no harm.
IL is true ! am n Southern man
and Democrat. This is unfortu-
nate, 10 begin with; for is not
every Southern Democrat a bull
dozer and an outlaw? Can any
credence be given his statements
by the "loyal" Republican mind 7
We shall see. While | am South
ern man and a Democrat, | am not
Bourbon, so called, and never
was. In 1861 was Douglas
Democrat in 1861 | was for com
promise and Cancellation; in 1862
aud until the close of the war, like
hundreds of thousands of others
who opposed secession, was SOL
der of the lost cause, and shrank
from no sacrifice in it's defence.
Since the surrender of Lee | have
known no flag but the flag of the
Union, and have honestly labored
for a restoration Of constitutional
liberty and the Union of our faith
ers. While opposed to the recon-
struction acts and the methods Of
their enforcement, | have never
been regarded as an ultra man, and
have always advocated moderate
measures. In 1875, when the peo-
pie of Alabama determined to call
a convention 20 enable them to rid
themselves of the odious Constitu-
ton forced upon them by Congress,
and to form n new Constitution
more acceptable to the masses, |
advocated the election of nom
partisan delegation to the Con-
vention, believing that Constitu-
tional Convention should know no
party. aud that partisan politics
ought not to enter into the canvass.
| offered myself to the people as
candidate upon that platform, and
had opposed to me, as the regular
Democratic nominee. the Hon. w.
NJ. Lowe, the present Greenback
Congressman from this district. |
was defeated, simply because the
Republicans refused TO support me.
At that time they were unwilling
to vote for a Democrat under any
circumstauces. They have grown
more liberal since, and are eager
now to vote for independent Dem
ocrats under any and all circum-
stances. In 1915 they had not
realized to its full extent how
damning was the record they had
made IN this State, and that the
sceptre of power had departed
from their hands forever.
During the eight years they held
control of our State Government,
they succeeded in nearly bankrupt
ing our State aud people, adding
to our State debt, nearly thirty
millions of dollars. For this they
had little or nothing to show. In
1874, thanks TO the Civil Rights
bill, the taxpayers of the State
succeeded in electing a Democrat
ic Governor and Legislature
At that time our State bonds were
utterly worthless, aud our State
money was selling at sixty cents
on the dollar Now our bonds are
at premium, our State money has
been redeemed at par, our people
are prosperous in remarkable
degree, both white aud colored,
and the latter have realized that
the Democrats are the best con-
SENATORS of the peace, the best
promoters of the interests of all
classes, aud the safest guardians
of the public credit. Do not I'M
derstand me to say that all the col
ored people have realized this
truth; what | mean to say is that
multitudes of the more intelligent
ones among them have done so.
Consequently, they vote with the
Democrats, freely, intelligently, and
oftentimes in despite of shameful
bulldoziug on the part of the ig-
norant masses of their own race.
1t is no "shot gun policy" which
has effected this revolution. The
simple truth is, the negro has
proved himself to be more of a
man than his heretofore would-be
Republican masters believed him
10 be.
Let me furnish the readers Of
the Sun little evidence j have at
hand to support this statement.
There are now published in the
State of Alabama several papers
edited aud owned by colored men.
Two of these, and by far the two
ablest, are edited in the interest of
the Democratic party. The Herald
Of Huntsville is one of the two.
1t is edited by w. II. Council, who
is also the principal of the State
Colored Normal School at Hunts
vile. Council is not yet thirty
years of age. He was born a
slave, aud has educated himself
since the war. During the days OF
carpei-bag rule he was violent
Republican. He is a man of rare
gifts, however, and is, besides