The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-11-16

their woes to the active energy Of Smalls
who had invoked the law and consigned
their accumulated savings to the ham
mer. Without discussing all that the
suspicious old sisters feel and say about
the. transaction, they were down upon
Smails, who, they said made his money
easy aud could afford to let up on them
even if the surreptitious transaction be-
tween the officers and himself was alto
gether square. In consequence the old
women no doubt exercised their intlu-
ence upon the church brethren and
caused many to absent themselves from
the polls. In candor must say that
do not think that .Smalls is as much to
blame as the good old souls who have
undoubtedly lost their lmoney seem to
think. At sthc lowest calculation he
must have lost at least SO to 100 votes
from this cause alone.
Another cause that has operated against
Smalls and would have operated against
any Republican candidate, was that here
tofore the leaders and speakers were
prodigal Of promises as to what the Re-
publican party would do for the ,colorcd
voters if Smalls were elected, commen-
cling with forty acres and mule through
repaying the losses by the Freedman's
Bank down to any number Of Offices to
be distributed wholesale among the faith
full. rome of which promises havc been
fulfilled. In this campaign the speakers
avoided making any promises whatever
and admitted that being in the minority
they could do nothing and with Demo
cratic administration, which they said
would he indefinitely protracted, they
could expect nothing through aRepub-
lican Representative. This killed Smalls
with the NEST bla tant Of his oadjutors.
When he could make no promises even
they took little interest in the campaign
psecially when all the former predic-
tons against Il Democratic administra-
ton as affecting the colorcd peoples
political rights have been found unfull-
filled. His majority was further dimin
ishcd by All indifference amounting to
a,,nti,r r!tssAa ds.A-ss
There is still another cause which has
undoubtedly deferred many Of the COL
ored people from coming up to the polls
some even pretending that they had
lost their registration. certificates. It is
said that a great many Of the younger
voters have.bccn under the impression
that when they voted, their neglected
liability to pay their poll tax was trace.
able, and that the poll lists could be
used by the constablns and informers to
report delinquents. This has, no doubt
caused most of the youths who have at
tanned their majority since the last cleo
ton to refrain from registering and ha,
also prevented large percentage of vo-
ters from reminding the tax collector of
their existence by coming to the polls.
The leaders are beginning to say: we
said SO. all the time that Smalls was the
weakest canidate We could have put mp, s
and "that it was a''mistake on their part
not to have nominated johnson or any
other profcssed Republican" But they
are unmindful of some Of the reasons
have just given, which would equally
have operated against any Republican
they could have chosen. Others say
There is no use of crying over split milk
and If they could not elect Smalls they
prefer Col. Elliott, and are glad that
Beaufort will be represented by him in
Congress. T. G. w.
Svill IT, Lyn,, po TvSoH