Omaha daily bee., 1888-08-12
DRAWING THE COLOR LINE.
The True Inwardness Of the Cry,
Negro Supremacy.
SOUTHERN ELECTION METHODS
Forcible and Fraudulent Suppression
OF the Colored Republican Vote
How the "Solid South is
Held for Democracy.
The Same Old Game.

CRIrTENDEN, Ark, August S.-[Spe-
cial Correspondence of THE BEE. AS II
report was circulated that a race war"
was expected at any moment in Critten
den county, Arkansas, and desiring to
ascertain the truth of the same your
correspondent came here, and found the
facts to be as follows:
AS the republican party was made up
entirely of negroes, for fears sake they
entered into an agreement with the
whites (democrats) to divide the Offices.
1t is commonly known as the "fusion
agreement For some cause unknown
to the negroes the whites found it uec-
essary to break the agreement by talk
ing one of the Offices held by negro,
so at the late election the negroes went
to work and nominated a full-iiedged
republican ticket which was elected,
thereby beating them badly at
their own game. The white
Leagues organized and set up, the
old dodge, negro supremacy which
means strictly drawing the color line"
in politics to enlist the sympathy Of
those of the whites who believe it sin
for a negro republican to hold an Office,
it matters not how unimpcrtant. Tele-
grams were sent to neighboring states
for help, which came willingly, eager
to kill the first poor negro that dare
show himself. Hundreds of volunteers
filed the county, ready for any emer-
gency. A flag of truce was sent with II
proposition that all the negroes resign
their Offices and leave the country at
once or abide the consequences. Not
having committed any crime, they re-
piled that the only terms they would
accept was restoration to their Offices,
with all former liberties.n Somehow.
the negroes had not been idle, and
were well equipped with arms OF the
most improved pattern. SO serious
trouble is expected at any moment.
to be Il republican, yet the
south clamors for emmigra-
ton. The life of white republican
here is as insecure as that Of the black
| republican. With these outrages eX-
posed what northern man would be fool
enough TO come here? Who would in
| vest money where the pistol and shot
gun is the supreme law? If you doubt
what has been written come down and
see for yourselves. / have stated the
| situation mildly.
Now, we shall notice Mississippi. In
| the shoe string" district, which polls
| the largest republican vote of any dis
| trict in the state, the democratic Jour
nails have begun to warn the republic
cans not even to try to carry the dis
| trict. which means that they will prac-
| tice the old methods of fraud. violence
and criminal suppression of the negro
| vote
Louisiana. for instance. as frankly
| said by Ex-Governor MclGnery, is car
| ried 'by the violation of the civil rights
guaranteed the blacks by the constltu-
ton of the United States" AS with
| Louisiana, so unQucstionably with Mis-
| sissippi. and again with South Carolina.
| In these three states the colored voters
are largely in the majority. The ma
| jority vote is forcibly and fraudulently
| suppressed. 1t amounts to the forclble
| and fraulent subversion of the constitu-
| zion. The electoral votes in these three
| particular states are thus boldly and
| outrageously stolen. These stolen votes
| made Grover Cleveland president
| Georgia makes return of ten representa-
tives in congress, upon sum total of
81 ,520 votes. That is an average of but
| 2,152 votes to each representative. Ore
| gon gets but one representative upon
a vote Of 63, 900. The one white voter in
Georgia Is equal to twenty-five white
voters in Oregon. That makes the
pinch in the Oregon shoe. The
southern colorcd voter still counts
in the basis of representation. The
southern bourbon leaders suppress, ye,
steal the colored vote. They thus hold
a solid south, make returns of 1913 elec.
toral votes, so elect Cleveland, so holt
the ajority in the lower house of con
gress, and so dictate to the nation
through the notification of the consti
tuition of the nation. Whom the God:
would destroy they first make mad.
The southern bourbon leaders hav,
acted with much the same madness a
displayed before the war. They hav,
shown much the same shortsightednes
in their estimate of the stamina of tht
northern voters, and it would seem. pro
duciug the much similar results Every
thing points to the election of Ben jamil
| Harrison. The outlook is that his cleo
ton will be on the much Simila" footinl
as was the election in 1850 o
| Abraham Lincoln. Benjamin Harrison
| if the signs Of the times mistake not
| will, like Lincoln, receive every elec
toral vote north of the Ohio. Tn
; solid south" will be offset by ''solit
, north.r The issue that ovcrshadow
all is suffrage in the south" Tn
, southern blacks are citizens or "chat
tells" They are citizens if the consti
: tuition is TO be enforced. They ar
/, chattels if the constitution is to b
| nullified. II the one they are to be in
sured their rights as voters. 1t tn
other, the southern bourbons must b
, | denied representation. 1t can easil
I be seen from these facts that the sci
y pent of democracy is winding aroun
,, the vitas of the national, throug
a fraud. violence, notification of the cor
{ stitution and criminal suppression {
p suffrage. Sit idle and the ponderor
a coil of rebellion will crush the life OF
of the republican institutions and set /
tc If IhL ,lIninLa