Morning journal and courier., 1880-09-30
A NOTABLE APPEAL.

Some Of the representative cOlOred men Of
 Boston have addressed letter to the Repub-
 ican national committee which deserves and
 doubtless will receive careful consideration.
 It asks, in an impressive way, that southern Republicans may not be left to fight their
 losing battle in this campaign alone.
 This letter calls attention to the fact that
 while the Democratic party is organized in
 every northern State, even in those States where Democratic majority never has oc-
 cured and never can occur, the Republican
 party, with few exceptions, is only organized
 in sure Republican or doubtful States. The
 national committee has not forced organiza- ton in the southern States where they claim
 a majority for the Republican party. Why is this? it is asked. F'Has that grand old
 historic party, which has always dared to do right which has organized armies and SUD- ported them in the midst of the bitterest in- ternecine struggles, at last lost heart in it's fight for the right of universal liberty and | equality before the law to all men?" ''They 1 do not believe this to be the case, but they do 1 think that if vigorous canvass is not made
 in the South it will be evidence of cowardice
 on the part of the Republican party and a stain upon its record.
 1 The signers of this letter do not believe the I assertions of Democrats that the negroes in | the South have gone over to the Democratic
 party They say: "We know that the black
 men of the South are true to the Republican party and only need encouragement to face the battle and bring us to victory" and they show their deep and sincere interest in the | matter as follows:
 We, the undersigned, pledge ourselves to | go forward in the matter and assist our party l in the South to carry it to a successful end. 1 Knowing that the colored men all over the country are Republican at heart and that | they are in the majority in several southern 1 States it is an outrage on the part of the Democrats to claim solid South. We are assured beyond all doubt that by effort I many Republican Congressman can be elect 1 ed from certain congressional districts in the South, and we ready to aid our party there to the extent of our powers in achlev- l ing such an end. As colored men, believing | in the principles of the Republican party, we issue this address, believing it to be the senti ment of majority of the Republicans of the | United States, and we are prepared to go | into the southern States, and under the au- l thority and support of the national Repubh- can committee, to assist race to organize I and insist on casting their ballots and having l them counted Let the colored men of the North organize for this special work, and | take the stump in the South side by side with | the white leaders of our party, and, in the presence of the country demand and secure 1 free speech and fair ballot, or prove to the country that the amendments to the Constltu- l ton ares dead letter and the a failure. It needs but to do this to have old-tlme l Republican victory. Is your honorable com | mittee prepared to make the crucial test nec- 1 essary to insure success in this presidential ] election If it is, the undersigned, and un- 1 questionably many scores of our race in the 1 North, are prepared to undertake their part
 in vigorous campaign in the South.
 This letter is signed by John L. Ruffin, E. Molyneaux Hewlett James w. Pope and Will l liam H. Bell and they start a movement
 which may, and we hope will, grow into large proportions The Republican party has not
 done it's duty by those whom it set free and
 then, after short period of protection, left 1 to the tender mercies of the Ku-Klux. It can
 do something now to repair its neglect by ac-
 tive work in behalf of free ballot and fair
 count in the southern States. And there has | been no time since the war more favorable
 for such work. General Grant, who had the best opportunities for observation while in l the South, says fsI believed then and be- l ieve now, that they (southerners) simply
 want breakup in this solid South in it's
 political condition. They see that it is to | their pecuniary interests, as well as to their happiness, that there should be harmony 1 and confidence between all sections. They | want to break away from the slavery which
 binds them to party name they want a
 pretext that enough of them can unite upon
 to make it respectable. Once started, the
 solid South will go as Ku-Kluxism did before. When the break comes, those who start it
 will be astonished to find how many of their friends have been in favor of it for long | time and have only been waiting to see some
 one take the leadn What better thing can
 the Republican party do for the country and for itself than to help the spread of this feel ing in the South by fair presentation,
 through competent speakers, of it's. prin-
 ciples and aims? It is late to commence 1 work in the South in this campaign, but not
 too late, and we hope that this appeal of Bos- ton colored men, supported as it is by the