Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1883-10-12

uluS Vi tuo uldudScIS tude CoutIol Iueiu "
any conceivable extreme, the Importance
of the principle is forcibly demonstrated.
In communities where the opposing poll
tical parties occupy an approximately
equal position in point of responsibility
and intelligence. and all leaders recognize
their accountability to the taxpayers,
though it cannot be justified on principle,
the practice is not so absolutely and man
ifestly vicious and wrong; but here where
the so-called republican leaders do not
recognize any responsibility to, but occu-
ply an attitude of defiance toward the tax
payers, and where they depend entirely
for their power to acquire and hold office
upon the superstition and perversity of an
ignorant voting population, into whose
credulous ears they instill at midnight
meetings the poison Of Misrepresentation
and untruth, the great and imperative ne
cessity of using every justiiable means of
rescuing the local trusts upon which de-
pend the welfare of the community, from
their malign influence cannot fail to i'm
press itself upon every iudicious citizen.
When the colored population of this
State was first enfranchised and it became
apparent tn It they predomina'ed in num-
bers, the idea of Selling upon and hold
ing all the local places of trust and profit
through the fundamentally of the isnor-
ance and prejudice of the newly enfran-
chised voters suggested itself to The minds
of some bold and bad men in this county.
So monstrously mischievous and wrong
was this contemplated step, however, that
the conspirators hesitated in their bad
purpose. They feared the vengeance of
an outraged community. 1t was not un-
til some men claiming responsibility and
social position had been brought into the
conspiracy that they dared to proceed to
a practical consum alton of their design.
Even then they proceeded to their bad
work with cautious step and a wavering
purpose. The conspirators disavowed to
being Republicans and disclaimed and
denied any design of organizing the ig
norant masses of the blacks in antagonism
to the white people OF the county. Grad
ually, however, and nsiduously they effec
ted their designs, aud, soon they found
that they need not fear, in this tame and
submissive community, the summary ven
geance which had been dealt out to SINH
lar wrong done by the more spirited com
munities in the South, and now they boast
of their alleged republicanism and do not
attempt to mask their design of continu.
ing to array the blacks in uncompromis-
ing and defiant antagenism to their white
employers and landlords.
1t would be superogatory here to dwell
upon the fact that the originators of this
bad conspiracy knew that they were per-
petrating great and enduring wrong.
not only to the community, but also to these
ignorant colored people whom they pro-
pose to deceive into an audacious orginiz-
ed antagonism to the white landholders
and taxpayers of the county upon whom
they depend for employment and support.
1t would be useless to comment upon their
selfish wickedness by stating that they
knew in advance that the course they pro-
posed to pursue would necessarily and in
evitably tend to displace the kind feelings
which formerly existed on the part of the
white employers toward black employed
men, by feelings of resentment and anger.
1t would be superiuous to say that ne
true friend of the black man would ever
have allowed a selfish greed for the
emoluments of office to prompt them to
any steps so manifestly detrimental to the
ignorant freedmen.
The proper questions which now ad
dress themselves to the minds of thought
full and practical citizens are: Is it to-
late now to repair the damaging effects of
this great wrong9 If not, what is the best
means of reparation
1t is certainly not too late to repair the
trouble. There are some good and con-
scientious men who have found their way
into the local republican ranks, partly
from true friendship to the black man and
mistaken belief that the Democratic
party is inimical to the true interests of
the blacks, and that opposition to the
white people Of the county means opposi-
ton to the Democratic party, and partly
from a recognition of what has heretofore
been fact that the only way to get any
local preferment is by pretended identi-
fcation with the republican corporation.
The consciences of such men, and their
experience with the republican corpora
ton, tell them that this whole local repub-
lican organization is systematized de-
ception of tn: black mans ignorance to
satisfy the selfish greed of few white
men. They recognize that the white tax
payers and land holders of the county
ought not to be entirely disregarded in
the selection of those who are charged
with the levying of taxes upon them and
the disbursement of the taxes they pay
Such men are tired of the bad associations
into which they have been led, and are
willing and anxious, when an opportuni-
ty is offered, to aid in restoring the old
and time-honored practice of letting every
man who desires to, announce himself for
county offices, and let all voters, white
and black, unite in electing the best men
to these positions, regardless of their views
on national politics, and unrestrained by
the action of conventions.
| Theact1on of the Democratic convention
in failing to nominate gives such men an
] excellent opportunity to aid in accomplish