Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-08-23
How tits Published to the World.
Chicago Inter-Ocean


sary outcome of the evil state of affairs
in the Southern tier. Under false pre-
text of dread of negro supremacy, con-
dition far more improbable in any South
ern city than Scandinavian supremacy
might be in Minneapolis, there has been
a steady resolve to keep the uttermost
and most unreconstructible element of
old rebeldom in power. The Southerner
who talks of negro supremacy as a prob
ability of a free ballot is generally
duDe, but the fraudulent beneficiaries of
the deceit are the brigadiers, judges and
majors under whose oligarchy the South
still remains poor, ignorant and retro
gressive.
Richmond is in the county of Fort
Bend, Tex. The vote of the county in
1884 was Cleveland, BIZ; Blaine, 1888;
in 1888 it was Cleveland, 500; Harrison,
1857. The white voters, probably not
more than 800, the total white population
being about eight hundred, were almost
solidlyD the colored voters were
almost as solidly Republican. 1t was OBJ
vious that so long as the whites voted
solidlY against the negroes there could be
no white men in enjoyment of local Of
fees, unless by forcible or fraudulent
suppression of the negro vote. Cir
cumstances being thus, certain
whites made overtures to the ne
groes for a mixed ticket, the chief
offices, it would appear from present
information, being given to white men.
So far from endeavoring to assert that
Supremacy which their numbers
might have maintained, the negroes
consented, and a mixed ticket was
nominated and elected. In this COM
munity, in which the negro vote was
as three to one white vote, the result
of friendly negotiations and honest cleo
ton gave to white people decided pre-
ponderance in the management of local
affairs It is a result which every
thoughtful observer of Southern politics
believes to be possible in almost every
county and city of the lower tier of
states. But the Bourbons of Rich
mond were angry. 1t was not enough
that the numerical majority should
concede political supremacy to the
minority; it was offensive to them that
any negro should hold office, or even that
any white man should hold Office by the
free choice and consent of the negro vOt-
ers. They were for a "white man IS
government, - not only in the sense of
all the officials being white men, but of
their being white men who were chosen
because of their want of accountability to
the colored voters. And this is the true
status of the Democratic party all over
the South. II would as lief have negro
governor of state or sheriff of a county
as q white man elected by negroes The
quality desired by the Bourbons is that q
judicial or executive officer shall be OBJ
noxious to the colored race
Accordingly the Bourbons of Richmond
stigmatized the progressive whites and
their negro allies as WOodpeckers, -
the other party called the Bourbons
''Jaybirds - 1t is a short step in Texas
from a quarrel of words to a quarrel of
arms, and as long ago as December last
the ''Jaybirds shot and killed one
Tanning, white man and a wood
pecker. - Tanning was a Republican,
but most of the white 90 WoOdpeckers'
were of Democratic antecedents. By
way of reprisal James Green, white and
"Woodpecker, - shot and killed
Amos Hefferman, white and "Jay-
bird;'' this was on New Years
day last. Since then Skin
mishes and fatalities have been frequent.
The judge of the county court was spe-
cial object of hatred to the ''Jaybirds, -
and a few days since Volney Gibson and
Griff Gibson, chiefs of that faction, de-
FISCO HIS GdhlllS Oh 1AO JuO5O was iOO
quick with his revolver, and VOlney re-
treated into some bushes in which his |
brother Griff lay as a reserve force. At |
this point the sheriff, Woodpecker, - |
interfered on behalf of the judge and after |
that the war became general in Rich |
mond. The sheriff was slain, and so was |
one of his deputies, while another was |
seriously, and it is believed fatally, |
wounded. 1t would seem that the |
Woodpeckers were the best armed |
and most aggressive. The governor was |
appealed to and sent, in the first place, |
a squad of ''rangers, " who were either |
unable or unwilling to preserve the |
peace; later on he sent eight companies |
of militia, and for while order reigns in |
Richmond.
1t is ridiculous to speak of a state in |
which such condition prevails as enjoy
ing a republican form of government. It |
is under an oligarchy tempered by fear of
anarchy. And but one remedy |
is in sight. When it is known that the
national executive will protect all citi-
Zens of the nation in the exercise of those
rights with which the constitution en-
dows them there will be peace and pros
perity in the South.