Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1884-10-25
THE OHIO OUTRAGE.


4i $3.50
If there is Democratic lethargy in
tennessee or any part of the Union,
she news from Ohio ought to fully
arouse the party voters to a sense OF
their duty. s.'
We don't allude to the result OF the
recent election, but the manner in
which it was conducted by the Repub-
licans. The bull-dozing scheme, open
ly put in operation by Powell Clayton,
a notorious Arkansas carpet-bagger,
was not only foul shame and last
ing disgrace, but a violation OF the
Liberties of the people and menace to
the freedom of elections.
Such an occurrence is alarming in that
it indicates what desperate means the
Republicans will resort to in order to
retain their hold on power, and how
they will subvert the machinery of
the Federal government to that end.
The nefarious plan will no doubt be
extensively repeated in November,
and Democrats should prepare them
selves to resist it.
For some days before the Ohio cleo
ton came off the Republican press Of
the state, led by the CincinnatiCom
cial-Gazette, pretended to fear Demo
cratic frauds, and alleged that it would
be necessary to maintain strict
surveillance in order to secure a fair
election. This was only a ruse to pre-
pare for the outrage that followed.
What was done can best be described
in the following extract from an indie
pendent paper published in Cincinna-
ii, which puts it in very mild, nom
partisan light:
u. S. Marshal Lot Wright, under
the advice of Powell Clayton, one Of the
most rascally politicians in the coun-
try, appointed some of the worst men
in the city as deputy marshals. He
armed desperate negroes with COM
missions and murderous revolvers, and
sent them forth with the impression
that it was their privilege to use the
weapons on the least provocation.
They used them, and one outright
murder and several probably fatal
woundings are the result A negro is
a natural coward, and timid people are
quicker than brave men to use deadly
weapons, hence the greatest caution
should have been used in arming this
al no hnS oil e
should have been selected, and they
should have been cautioned not to use
their weapons only in cases o: dire ne
cessity. Stand right up to the racket!
Use all the force necessary" was wick
ed language to use in giving orders to
negro desperadoes. The election of
Tuesday was a disgrace to any civil
lied community. 1t was but the fore
runner OF others worse to come if the
same tactics are to be continued. The
brave, loyal people of Cincinnati will
not submit to be tyranized over by
Powell Clayton and horde OF States
prison negroes. This may as well be
understood now as later. Deputy
marshals at the polls were a necessity,
but there were plenty of decent, law
abiding and brave citizens from which
to select such officials. Marshal Lot
Wright was given every opportunity
To select such men. Had he selected
good men, even though they were all
Republicans, and made their names
public few days in advance, there
would have been fair election and no
rioting and numbering. A sensitive
man would shrink from the results of
Mr. Wright's ill-judged acts. They
should never be repeated.
The Cincinnati Enquirer, which
cannot be accused of any overwhelm-
ing partiality for Democracy, says:
The history of yesterdays election
in Hamilton county will forever re-
main foul blot upon the fair fame of |
OhiO's metropolis. Such scenes were |
Witnessed at the polls as brought the |
cry of shame from every honest man. |
Riot and bloodshed held sway at many |
of the precincts, while intimidation |
was practiced ON all sides by the paid |
OF a Republican National |
The many acts of vio-
lence formerly pictured in the Repub- |
lican press as having occurred in the
South were entirely too mild to apply |
to the condition of affairs in Cincinna-
Il yesterday. Thousands of imported /
negroes paraded the streets, decorated
with United States Deputy Marshal
badges and carrying in their hands
bulldog revolvers furnished by the
United States Government authorities.
The scum of coiored society in Ken
lucky had been selected to maintain
order % at the polls. The secret of
Lot Wright's refusal to make public
the names of his deputies was thus re-
vealed. The United States law, which
provides that all Deputy Marshals shall
be legal voters in the districts they
serve, has been violated at least one
thousand times, for fully that number
Of Deputies who did the dirty work
Yesterday came from Kentucky. Most
Df them are well-known thieves, coun-
,erfeiters, cut-throats and rascals of all
This is the class of men
who we're selected by the Republican
party to preserve the purity of the bal
ot box.
IL was indeed humiliating to honest
men to be compelled to crowd through
dirty. smelling crowd of ignorant
negroes. who invariably kept their
.l,ihs and reyolvers exposed, in order
q exercise their rights OF franchise. 1t
: safe TO say that not one-fourth of the
1onntv Marshals are able to read and
write. They numbered about three
thousand. two-thirds OF whom were
'egroes. remarkable only for their ut
or deprayity. Worry few OF them be-