Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-10-13
Illustrations of the Feeling in
Dixie Among the Supporters OF
Hancock.

Dixie Among the SuppOrtcES Va
Hancock.
The correspondent of the New York Times.
H. c., writing from the South, sends that
paper the following as Illustrative OF the real
feeling of the South in regard to politics and
sectionalism The occurrences related are
strictly true, and strip off the thin disguise
which democratic orators attempt to throw
over the bitter hatred which prevails in the
South against the Union and its supporters
Jamestown is a small settlement in Guilford
county, N C.. Nearly all the people IN IT are
Bourbons dyed in the wool. For some time
past Mr. J. W. Ragsdale. democrat, has
been the postmaster of the place. The posi-
ton paws about S225 year. and some OF the
republican managers in the district thought it
should be given to republican. Mr.. Rags
dale performed his duty most acceptabiy,
however and the department would not re-
move him. But recently he accepted a NOM
ination for the legislature. and under the law
he was obliged to resign his federal position
Then half the male population of the place
set about securing the vacant postmastershlp
II was awarded To John w. Stack. small
farmer of the best character, of good ability
and who is vouched for by men of prominence
publican who has never been afraid TO de-
clare his political sentiments. His bittercst
enemy in Guilford county can bring no worse
charge against him. Yet his appointment as
postmaster of the town in which he has long
resided was greeted with howl of democrat
ic Indignation which cannot easily be de-
scribed The place had been held by a dem
ocrat, it belonged to deG:ocrat, and no
damned radical should ever occupy 1t with
their consent" This declaration was made
in a formal meeting of the Bourbons OF the
neighborhood, and to carry their threat into
effect it was agreed by all the property own
ers of the town that no store or room In II
should be let to Stack for a post-office. and
that if he should attempt to erect a temporary
building for the distribution of the mails upon
any vacant lot such building should be torn
down and he prosecuted under the State law
for trespass From this decision Mr.. Stack
has appealed in vain. To all his applications
for house room he has received the same an
swer: mo. we don't want a radical for post
master and YOU can't get room for an office
in this town 1t is likely that the gentle
Bourbons will have their way. The fight is
not quite an even one. MIR. Stack Is the on
" white republican in the place. ard he is
opposed by 500 North Carolina democrats.
Still another incident of not altogether
dissimilar character has recently occurred in
the up county of the North State. {. w.
Mannering is a law abiding citizen of Stokes
county in that ancient Commonwealth. Some
time ago he opened n retail liquor store, and,
against the protest of a local democratic COM
mttee who waited upon him in regard to the
matter, had the hardihood to take out IL
cense and pay the revenue tax. He was sur
rounded on all sides by illicit whiskey max
ers, who regarded such action on his part
80 kos
county, which is very hotbed Of moonshin-
ers. was soon made very uncomfortable for
Mannering CROOKED whskey" was sold all
around him at prices less than the tax. and at
last, almost in despair, he appealed to reve-
nue. officer Bynum for protection. That gen
tleman, by his direction captured and broke
up six illicit stills From that time on Man
nering became marked man. The MOON
sinners and blockade-runners entered into a
conspiracy to drive him out of the county.
As is shown by evidence now in possession of
the United States Attorney, they were warm
ly seconded by Pleasant II. NIobe, a local
democratic magistrate and justice of the
peace. The officer, on trumpeG-up charges
of breach of the peace, issued warrants for
Mannering's arrest, and had him thrown into
Jail Ih was bailed out. Immediately four
other warrants were issued for his arrest,
that number of moonshiners having convinced
Justice Mobe that they feared personal as
saults from Manrering. TO escape further
persecution the latter fled the country, and
now Mobe who was at one time himself en-
gagged in the illicit whiskey trade, together
with his associates, boasts loudly of how
1.-THE good citizens of old Stokes got rid of the
| cowardly hound who paid the revenue tax
| and helped the Excise officers
As has already been stated in these columns
the Bourbons of Sonth Carolina are for all
| practical purposes firmly united as they
| have been at any time before or since the
| war. Still up in the country there is slight
| greenback movement among the white men,
which, while it can result in no good to the
| republicans, has already had the effect of
| bringing to light some of the secret methods
| by which this Palmetto State was made "solid
| for Hampton and reform" 1t is now admit
| ted by those greenbackers who were Bour-
bons that in 1876, under the direction
| of the democratic committees, they
| not only helped to commit the most outrag-
| eous frauds upon the ballot. but by the use
| of threats and violence kept the negroes from
| the polls. 1t is evident that they now fear
| the same sort of tactics will be exercised
against their candidates. An evidence of
this feeling and an insight into the methods
| of 1876 is furnished by the following incident
| Some DAYS ago. during the discussion of the
|
carried on in public place. one greenbacker
complained to the other that he feared the
democratic election managers would not
| properly count their votes. To this Mr.
David Gist, of Union county, the son of the
| celebrated ex-Gov., who was noted demo-
GRAFT, but who is now one of the greenback
candidates, replied: "Well, if they don't
they may expect music. have 60 Winches-
ter rifles which did good service on their side
in &c. We can use them on our side now y
| One of the chief campaign cries of the
| Northern democrats is. 'Don't foster the old
sectional feeling" Who is it that fosters
and keeps alive that feeling? An incident
of Southern travel may throw some light
| upon the subject
| The other evening, while on the way from
| Charlotte, n. c., to Spartenburg, the train
! upon which was. stopped at Kings Noun
tain platform, and was literally taken pos
session of by a party of exeursionists who
had been attending the Kings Mountain cen
tennial. Such a bowling. dirty, drunken set
! of rufians it would have been difficult to
meet with. even in the lowest haunts of New
| York. They were all good democrats from
! the up country of South Carolina They
were in force and they were a law INTO