Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-26
COLORED VOTERS.
WHY AS REPUBLICANS THEY
HONOR THE OLD PARTY.
A Mass Meeting Last Night at the
Old Pavilion, at Which They
Condemn the Elevator"

voters Ol tnlS CITY dSSeInDleu at the Olu IA
vilion last evening. In the audience was
large number of ladies, who seemed to be
as earnestly interested in the proceedings
as were the men.
The meeting was called to order by B. A.
Johnson, who said the object was to con-
denim the course of the Elevator paper
published in San Francisco, which in the
past had been regarded as the organ of the
colored people of this coast, but which had,
few days since, come out in favor of the
election of Washington Bartlett, the Demo-
cratic nominee, for Governor. The paper
had right to support any one it saw fit for
any Office it desired, but it must not pre-
sumo to represent the colored voters of
California. The paper in years past, under
a different management, had been an able
exponent of the colored party, but latterly
it had fallen into degenerate hands, and the
colored citizens of the State would have to
arise and assert that the Eleydtor was alone
in its fealty to Bartlett, that the loyal
masses of the colored people were to-day
where they always had been, and ever
would be found, on the side of the Repub
| lican party, and in the present campaign
the supporters of Swift for Governor. APP
| plause.
The meeting organized by the election of
the following officers: President, +. A.
Small Vice-Presidents, George w. Booth
and Captain William Calf; Secretaries, r.
]. Fletcher and r. C. Ferguson.
In assuming the duties of the chair, Mr..
Small, who was introduced as a native son
| of the Golden West, made short and elo-
quent address, full of pith and sentiment,
which was well received and frequently
applauded. He said the cry of the Democ
cracy was, away with dead issues, dead
only with the issues of the present or the
possible issues of the future. We do not
blame the Democracy for crying, don't say
anything about the past. Why should they
want their long line of misdeeds brought
to the light? We, as colored people, how
ever, are that part of the Republican party
who think the past the most in
teresting recital We can listen to-.
| We see the Democrat standing over us,
our master; we behold the Republican
striking from our limbs the shackles, our
deliverer Why should we forget the past
How can we forget the past? And ever
remembering the past, how can we ever
vote the Democratic ticket? Let US take
the bitter with the sweet. Let us ever re-
member that the issue that made the grand
old Republican party made US free people.
On motion of George w. Booth, a COM
mittee of five was appointed upon resolu-
tons, as follows George w. Booth, B. A.
| Johnson, Frank Butler, w. Fl. GWinn, Jor-
dan Allen.
The committee retired, and shortly re-
turned with the following, which was read
by the Secretary:
WHEREAS, The San Francisco Herdtor, which
claims to be the representative organ of the col
ored people OF this State, has been influenced to
| indorse the nomination and advocate the cleo
| ton of the Hon. Washington Bartlett, the
| Democratic candidate for Governor; and, where
| as, it is not herein commended that the
Eyeudtor has not the right to conduct their own
| business in their own way, and TO indorse and
| support WhOmSOeYer t. cir interest may dictate,
or even to sell their Endorsement and support if
they see fit. But it is the right, duty and privi
| lege of all those whom said organ may claim to
represent, to take such action in the premises as
| they may deem necessary, to prevent their be-
| ing included in any such transaction or nego-
tiatiOn; therefore, be it
| Resoired, That we, the colored citizens of Sac
| ramento in mass meeting assembled, do hereby
protest against and repudiate any claim of the
| Eterdt5r or that any other organ may make to
represent the colored people of this city and
| county in the Endorsement and support of the
| Democratic candidate for Governor.
ReS0lued, That in advocating the election of
| the Democratic candidates the Elevator does not
| represent three per cent. of the colored people
OF this city, nor do we believe to any greater eX-
tent throughout the State
ResOlred, That the pretexts set forth by the
| EterdtOr for supporting the Democratic nominee
| are trivial, specious and deSignedly misleading.
Resolred, That we hereby indorse and pledge
our active and energetic, support of the Hon.
John F. Swift, the whole Republican State,
district county and city ticket.
G. W. Booth took the floor and spoke in
favor of the passage of the resolutions He
said they had right to be heard when a
paper sought to misrepresent them. He
read extracts from the paper in question,
which Endorsed Washington Bartlett for
Governor, and claimed that they were all
misrepresentation of fact. He said we
were all once proud of the Eleydtor when it
pride to himself and the people he repre-
scented. We don't question the right of
the present management to indorse
whoever they see fit, but they must not
profess to be able to pull the re-
| spectacle Republican voter into the
filthy pool in which they, the proprietors,
have plunged. Their articles were carefully
| written receptions. No colored man in the
State would write to them TO ask whom they
should vote for Governor. The Elcudt0r says that
| Bartlett has had colOred people in his employ
for the last sixteen years. SO has every rebel in
it our duty to vote for Bartlett be
| cause he has had a colored man cleaning
| his spittoon and backing his boots since
| he had been Mayor, As Mayor he had the dis
| posing of over 1000 offices, and because his
| boots were BACKED and cuspadores cleaned by
a colored boy during that time, who earned a
| big salary and got little pay, the ElepdtOr says
| support him. 1t is an insult to the Intelligence
| of the colored voters of the State. The EIerdt0r
says that Bartlett's record speaks for itself In
deed it does. We know his record, and it is
such a record as conyinces us that self
| respecting colored man viii fail to put vote in
| the ballOt-bOX for Swift
Captain Gait made a short address, in which
| he handled the prOprietors Of the Ecrct0r with
out gloves They had slandered the people of
| their own race: they had gone back upon their
| manhood, they were not deserving of that free
dom that had been so dearly bought for them
| by the Republican party He thanked God that
| the colored people WOrshiped no false gods and
Judas IscariotS amongst his people received the
| contempt they so richly deserved.
K. J. Fletcher said that every selfrespecting
| eolored man condemned the course taken by
the EieUator No intelligent colored man of Sac
| ramento had written to that sheet asking how
| he should vote al the coming election. Colored
| men were not generally at sea as TO whether
| they should support q Democratic or Republi-
eau ticket. They were not built that way. The
| Ecrdtor has no right TO speak for us. He was in
| favor OF the resolutions first, last and all the
| time. The paper was a living lie itself The
very issue in which it iniorses the candidacy of
Bartlett it condemns the actions Of the DemOc-
| racy in Virginia and the South. The EierdtOr
| shows what Mayor Bartlett has done for col
I
| that. Why should we not, colored
| men, ask what has the Republican party
done for us? 1t could be answered by
the question What have they not done for us2
The very vote that the editor of the Elerdt0r to
day pledges to the Democracy was given him
by the Republican party, and If such thing
were possible he should be disfanchised Zap
pllusel Does he not know, does not every col
ored man, woman and child who is old enough
to comprehend anything at all, that we owe our
freedom, all we have or ever expect to have, to
the Republican party? Every Act of Congress
that has been in the interest of the colored pe0
PIE has been introduced by Republicans, fought
through and passed by Republicans, against a
fierce and united Democracy, men of the
stripe of Washington Bartlett We all know
what we have received from the Republican
party We all know where we would have
been to-day, if the Democracy, men like
Washington Bartlett, had succeeded at the
ballo. box. To-day we would have been in
bondage and the eruelties of slavery, with all
| its hideousness. as was visited upon our fore
! fathers, our own flesh and blood less than a
quarter OF a century ago would be our sad CON-
| ditiOn to-day. The Republican party fought for
our freedom and won IT, The Democratic party
fought that we might be continued in bondage
aud lost. The ElerdtOr asks me TO support
Washington Bartlett. a Democrat, who begrldges
me my freedom. Do you want to deprive me Of
my manhood2 I may respect Democrat per-
sOnally but when it comes down to the polls TO
vote when am about TO exercise the right of
American citizenship am Republican, and
no power on earth can change me. l am Re-
publican from principle. | am for the party
that made US men; that took care of and edu
Gated us. They took off our fetteTs and gave us