Morning journal and courier., 1880-08-11


 Democratic ''Nigger'' Ante-EIection WOrk-HoVv Voting Is Done in TaIla- dega-Great Interest in the Election of County Officers.
 TUSCALOOSA, Ala, Aug. 6. To the Editor Of the JOURNAL COURIER: An election day in Alabama is as different from an election day in Connecticut as day is from night, especially at a county contest On State tickets there is practically no doubt the State going from 50, 900 to 75, ,O0O Demo- cratic. But when there is an election for county officers look out for fun, and some times bloody fun" Alabama had an cleo tion for State officers last Monday, Aug ? and at the same time the counties had con- test for local officers from probate judge down to constable. I had heard Wery little said about politics except when in Montgom-
 cry where I had the pleasure of hearing Gen.
 eral Weaver, Greenback, Labor Reform, So-
 cialistic, Woman Suffrage, etc., candidate for
 President, speak to a well conducted audience
 of sonle.S00 in the opera house for about two
 hours. He was well received, and is really
 an eloquent and witty speaker There was
 not the slightest sign of disapproval at the hard blows he gave to the Democratic party
 and to the members of Congress from Ala
 bama. The band played national airs and
 Marching through Georgia" The attempt
 to build up Greenback party in Alabama is
 in spite of General Weaver's efforts, com
 plete failure, and the Democrats generally
 claim that it is really an attempt to revive
 radical domination under a less offensive
 name. The Republicans put forward no
 State ticket, uniting with the Greenbackers
 Result, the same old style Democratic ma
 iority of some 60, 0OO. Now it is claimed
 Hancock will get 75, ,000 majority, and I think
 it quite likely, as the Republicans regard the
 State as hopelessly against them. It costs
 something to bel san outspoken, working rad
 ical'' here. Social ostracism, and if a mer-
 chant loss of the white trade, and hard and
 bitter remarks from Democrats who imbibe
 freely, and often from those who do not Yet
 there are in some parts of the State men who
 do not hesitate Sto stand out openly, and,
 avowing their Republican principles, stump
 the country for weeks.
 When in Montgomery I attempted to find
 out the bottom facts about the rotten-egging
 business at the ratification meeting held by the Republicans in June. I questioned sev-
 eral of the young men, clerks in stores that I
 visited in my business labors and arrived at
 this conclusion: that the throwing of eggs
 was done by some of the young white fellows
 out of pure mischief, and that political feel
 ing had nothing to do with it. There are in
 all these Southern towns of any size certain
 number of young roughs, many of them well
 connected who run together, drinking whis-
 key and playing poker, are up to almost any
 mischief and ready to hit ''nigger" on the
 smallest provocation, and if he happens to be
 a little drunk and saucy they are apt to draw
 a revolver on him or knock him down and
 cut him. I saw black fellow knifed and
 shot at ill Talladega on Monday (election
 dey) by @ crowd of five or six young bucks
 who had been drinking freely, simply for
 talking back to one of them or, as they call
 1t down here, mot keeping in his place." I
 give the negro credit for being one of the
 most peaceable, quiet men in Alabama, we'll
 spoken of by citizens generally-a big stout
 fellow, weighing POO, with fist like sledge-
 hammer, and a fist well used too, for he
 knocked one of his assailants down
 twice before he ran. l saw him
 few minutes later sitting on a stool in his shop, with white doctor stitch ing up his wound, an ugly cut in the side of his short, thick, black neck. His wife, a mulatto woman, lowered around her face full of concern and anxiety, and the doors of his shop were guarded by sheriffs and DO heemen to keep out the curious crowd. My blood boiled as I thought how little matter such a deed would be considered by the whites, and how little probability there was that the young fellows guilty of the deed would be punished. Arrested by the police and promptly bailed, they were next morning fined $10 each without costs. Had the color been the other way-the assailants black and the victim white-it would have been five years at hard labor" Such is justice in Alabama This affair really had no political significance so far the election went, as this negro votes the Democratic ticket every time But it points out the slight esteem in which the life of a negro, even Democratic one, is held in Alabama. The day is far distant when the rights of negro here will be respected the same as those of white man. Im- migration and an improved moral tone are necessary, and are the means whereby the position of the negro will be improved and his rights respected. I give the Demo- crats of Talladega county credit for abstain ing from bulldoZing, or attempting by any l but legitimate means to influence the vote of | the blacks. Most of them voted freely the | Independent ticket made up of Republicans | and bolting Democrats. Some voted the | Democratic ticket
 I arrived at Talladega at o'clock Saturday morning, two days previous to the election. saw early in the day I could sell no goods until after the election, and spent Saturday going around, renewing my acquaintance and hearing the political speeches. The business houses of this town of 5000 people all front on the four sides of a large square, about the size of New Haven Green, in the center of which, among trees, is the county court house, rather rusty brick building enclosed by hard looking fence. There is the seat of justice. and under the shade of the trees is the place where whites and blacks listen to the stump speeches of all parties. Under Republican rule the whole county-a large one too-voted at the court house, and elec- tion day found some five or six thousand in the streets. Collisions were frequent and lives were often lost. Since the Democrats regained power the county is divided into if teen beats" districts and about 900 vote 1t the court house. Elections are now quiet and fights less frequent and 1t is decided improvement. On Saturday speeches were in order. The Democrats had their stump speak ITS out at noon, ,and among crowd of some 300 could count 75 negroes, attentive listeners md often nodding or otherwise expressing approval The remarks were generally di- ected to the blacks, and were intended to prove to them that under Democratic man. .gement they were in better condition than lnder 'fradicar'-paid less taxes, were better reated and had better schools. The speech $ were quite temperate in tone and contained lothing Northern man could take exception o. During the day crowds surged around { he square, little knots forming here or there. 'ometimes l could see a prominent white nan with two or three colored ones around { i'm, trying to talk them into voting the traight ticket. In another place trad, '" 7ith twenty or thirty blacks forming a circle xhorting them not to desert their friends, he Independents. Here parcel of negroes re gathered around wagon load of water V 1elons, buying them from dime to two s it's, viz, twenty five cents. It is astonish- V 1g how many watermelons eaten on such T day. I venture the statement that fully V % were sold in Talladega on Saturday, and J. many more on Monday. I believe I elped make away with three or four big T nes, one of them 44-pounder, and being ,esh from the patch it was simply delicious. T bout o'clock Monday saw large crowd athered on the sidewalk ill front of one of le stores, and on inquiry I found that lit e unpleasantness had taken place between = Fo white citizens. One, an oldish man, alking with cane usually, had in the heat : discussion called young man who had 4