The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-16

rounds of the press: Ugly stories are afioat
concerning the state insane asylum. A state
committee is now investigating il. 10 IS
said that patients have been beaten 70
death, that whippings occur daily, that the
! food Is disgusting. Several attendants
have fed. So far as the legislative com
nittee has investigated there Is no founda-
/ ton for such stories. The House COM
/ committee consisted Of thirty members.
! They arrived at Milledgeville last Wednes-
| day night, and devoted Thursday and Fri
| day to a thorough investigation of tho
affairs and condition of the institution
was impressed, said Capt. FOute, chairman
Of the subcommittee, with the extreme
! cleanliness Of the buildings and grounds,
/ AID the general satisfaction expressed 10y
| the inmates with their Treatment. | made
| II my business 10 inquire diligently now
the inmates are treated, and l was reliably
/ Informed that they are treated as we'll as 1t
/ is possible under all circumstances to treat
/ them, They are comfortable and healthy
They seem contented and happy
Is. +. Wilcox OF Rochelle threatens to
| enter suit against the Savannah, Americas
| and Montgomery railroad for damages be-
cause be was put off the train Wednesday af-
ternoOn by Conductor Lewis. The story is
that he bought a ticket from Amerious to
! Cordele, but decided when he got to Cor
dele that he would go on to Roclelle. The
| train had left Cordele four miles when the
| conductor demanded the ticket or the fare
at cents a mile. He refused in pleasant
way at first, but at last offered o pay the
proper amount, but the conductor would
not accept it. The train was stopped
and MIR. Wilcox was put off When Mr..
wilcox took a survey of the situation he
found he had not only been put off in the
woods four miles from town, but his clothes
were cut in several places and over $500
missing from one of his pockets. This IS
the substance of what Mr.. Wilcox had to
say about the matter Conductor Lewis,
as we'll as others on the train, says that it
was case like many others lie has to con-
tend with, where passengers refuse to pay
fare and are put Off the tram. He denies
that knife was used by anyone in putting
Mr.. Wilcox off, and says he knows nothing
about the money which the passenger
claims TO have lost in the scufis.
Bill Pledger, the negro politician of At
lanta, has just issued a manifesto He
begins by thanking God that the negro
holds the balance of power in Indiana,
Illinois, Ohio, New YORK and Connec lieut.,
and suggests that tie colored people ''too
often draw upon God for what he has
| already given them, viz: strength to do
Tor themselves" He suggests that they
rely less on any particular party, but stand
| independent. After a review of the rela-
lions of the races, Pledger goes on to say:
Ihere are now million Of negroes in
| Georgia, and you are a power for good or
| bad. Let that power be for good. While fools
| parade the streets because they have lost
government jobs and insult the chief of the
nation by vile conduct, murder negroes be-
cause Cleveland was defeated for President
as has Teen the case in Ebert, Oglethorpe
Fulton, Lowndes, Wilkes and other coun-
ties in this state, and whip innocent ne
groes, as in the suburbs of this great city
OF the empire state, with the police present:
observing closed carriages going from the
city for no other possible reason than that
of aiding and abetting in the work of the
whipping, and drive teachers from their
places OF work because they are teaching
negro children, aud burn the homes and
churches Of our people throughout the
state, and drive them from their farms
after preparing crops for the harvest, with
out giving them a dollar; beat numerically
our ministers of the gospel, yet fellow
citizens, If you do not, on the SPUR
of the moment, defend your
homes aud families against the imme-
date trespass of these violators of the law,
wait on esober judgment of the author
tiles that be; and the sentiment you shall
create by an Intelligent discussion of these
matters An convention assembled The
negro problem is upon the nation, and, like
Banqua'ss ghost will not down, though
demagOgues, fer the sake of controlling the
delegates to a gubernatorial convention
from a few baokwoods counties, would
suffer eveiy negro in the state killed. You
must present your case to the
world and appoint a committee to
wait on b President and congress of the
United States, and tell them to scale the
representation in congress for Georgia from
ten members to five to six. Tell them YOU
are for years willing to do without voting
but insist.that men who are entitled to that
representation given you shall not have IT,
Expect nothing from any political party
except from that which does most for YOU
Urge our brethren in the north to study the
question here and vote accordingly. AS to
leaving the south, let all mankind know
that you are Americans, were born here
reared here and expect in some way to solve
the problem here, and here you expect to
die and sleep by the side of your fathers,
where you had one. Agitate and continue
to do so till you get every right you are
entitled to- Now, to the end that YOU
may do something for the material
| interests, the moral betterment and
political benefits of the negro OF Georgia
| specially, and the black man of the nation
| generally, hereby call upon the colored
| citizens of Georgia to assemble at the
| county site Of their respective counties and
| select delegates to the number equal TO
| twice as many members as such counties
shall have in the lower house of the general
assembly, and ask that these delegates
assemble in the city of Atlanta on Tuesday,
| Nov. II, 1889. The reason this convention
is called for that day is because the Pied
mont exposition viii open on Oct. and
| close Nov. 10, and under the influence
| of the present excitement, with an
influx Of persons unfriendly to you during
that time. a colored mans life would not be
safe in the city of Atlanta, ald it would be
| the hight of folly to invite him here 10 be in
suited and massacred. 1t was only a few days
ago the coloIed Odd Fellows of this place
invited their brethren from abroad to take
part in their anniversary exercises, and
while the evening repast was going on white
men patroled the streets with Winchester
rifles, without interferences by the city
authorities, menaced and committed assault
and battery upon a number of our people. y
| w. A. Pledger, chairman colored national
executive committee, and menu er of said
committee with Rev. John Watts for the
state of Georgia
| FLORIDA.
Lake City's mechanics all have employ