The Washington bee., 1888-05-26
TIE "BLACK DISTRICT" ELECTION

The New York TRIBUNE is vigorously
demanding action on the Smsl sls-Ellio:
contest for SCAT IN the House of Rep
resentatiyes from the "Black District" of
this State. and in support of its claim
that the declared result of the election
should not pc allowed TO stand, quotes
an article published in the GREENVILLE
NEWS just after election, two years ago.
ln that article we expressed the belief
that the election was unfair, that Smalls
was entitled TO the seat and that the
democrats OF this State and the United
States should relieve themselves of re-
Sponsi Iility for the conduct of the cleo
ton,
The News and COURIER, of Charles
ton, in reply TO the TRIBUNE, alludes to
It's ''queer heedlessness" and says this
newspaper ''hes had time TO learn that
it spoke in ignorance of the facts.
80 much of cur Charleston contem-
Pory's statement is true. We have had
ample time TO learn that We "spoke in
ignorance of the facts" but the Oppor-
tunity has not been improved. We have
not learned that we spoke III ignorance
of the facts, and no one has undertaken
TO teach us that we did.
What we said was the result of the be-
lief that the official returns and evidence
will show that by failure to open the
polls and other methods, many hundreds
OF men who would have voted for Smalls
were deprivad of the opportunity 10 vote,
and We hold that belief and will contin-
ue to hold it and to stick to the declara-
tions and expressions based on it until
authenticated and direct facts and figures
shall show TO the contrary. The face OF
the returns make a strong presumption
of fraud and throw the burden of proof
on the defense.
the GREENvILLE News does not be-
ieve In dough-taced methods of hypocrit-
lcal avoidance of facts. We always have
held and will hold that whatever meth
ods are nt cessary to preserve the life OF
the Statesand defend tue lives an prop
erty OF the people and the safety of our
women and children from the Radical
Negro rule ought to be used and boldly
defended on the resistless plea of self
preservation. But il was not necessary
for the democrats to have the representa-
tive from the BLACK District" That
District was cut off, against the protest
OF many good democrats, to make six
sure democratic ard one certain republi-
can District. There was repeated an
nOuncernent that it Reuld be left for the
rolored people and would give them rep
rtsentation. There was no sense of JUS
lice in interfering with it.
Greenville is at one end OF the State
and the Black District is at the other,
and We have no direct interest i'm the af-
fairs of that District. But We are trying
hard to build and develop the State; we
are using every possible effort to attract
immigrants and capital, particularly from
the Northern States, and we wish it to
be understood far and wide that proceed.
ings like those indicated hy the returns
from the Seventh District do not receive
the approval of the mass of the white
people, and that public sentiment does
not demand that the democratic party
OF the country should shoulder any such
load. -Greenvllle News, April 2l.
The GREENvILLE News, south
ern democratic paper, in the above
article admits that Genl. RObt.
---teu-l--.S1rae1x-u urf,tr rot or
South Carolina. The democratic
party in Congress, especially the
hortnern democrats, cannot afford
TO deprive Genl. Smalls of his seat
IN Congress. The News admits that
the better class Of white democrats
In the State don't agree with that
class that cheated fairly elected
representative out of his seat.
Wall the democrats do the fair
thing, anc seat Genl. Smalls ?
Gentlemen the people are watching
you; they are watching every move
that you make for human rights
aud political liberty.