The Forrest City times., 1890-03-22
AN AWFUL CALUMNY.
FeatherSton Assents to a Pub liCation, as a Correct State
 ment
THIN STATEMENT IS FULL Is A MOSu.
 MENT TU HIS DISGRACE.

 cial of Sunday last:
 NOT A SOCIAL. QUESTION.
 No Fear of Negro Equality Among Intelligent southern People
 rEArunwsroS FALLING INTO HIS HABIT.
 Tho Man Who Was Presented With Seat in Congress Begins to Talk After the Manner of Clayton, Mcclure, ct ai.
 Tho statement. of Mr. Fcathcrston, recently
 seated as congressman from tue First District
 Of Arkansas. respecting the culurcd citizens of
 that state are full cf interest, and, being made
 by gentleman who has always acted with
 the democratic party until he became idcnti-
 fed with his fellow farmers in the organza-
 ton known as tho wheel" will be received as
 testimony freed from either partssnship or
 sentiment such as would naturally he attrihu-
 ted to the same statements if made by ropub.
 hcan, says Washington special to tho Chicago
 Tribune.
 His fathcr owned iUo slaves before the war.
 and worked them on his plantation in Missis-
 sippi, where Mir. Fcstherston was reared and
 for the ten years in which nc earned on farm
 ing in Arksnsas negroes have been employed
 by him extensively as laborers; and, what Is
 more four-hfths of the people in tho section
 
 parcs him for giving weghty testimony re- spccting their capacity, behavior. achieve
 ments and possibilities
 Mir. Feutherston says that with few excep-
 ttons the oolored people Of Arkansas are mak- ing remarkable progress in education, in prop
 erty-getting. and in everything pertaining to good citizenship. and that the exceptions arc
 no moro numerous than among white men. | He instances four who have been in his employ
 and who came from Mississippi ten years ago with nothing. but arc now owners of places | containing from forty to ls0 acres each of good land. He says the coorcd people perform 1 nearly al the manual labor and m spite of l great injustice often done thcm arc steadily l acquiring valuable property and comfortable homes.
 The pretense that the white people kavc the l least fear uf social equality the result of
 negro voting Mir Y. charseterises as a bascless 1 humhug. That tho negro would vote ss dis | creetly .nnd intelliRenty as the average white
 voter he declares must be conceded hy every | fla r-mindei man W ho has the opportunity to | observe them both IL IS not fear of negro
 domination or social equality that causes the | cNisting friction m political matters in Arhali-
 sas IL |. quite another thing.
 | WORK OF PROFESSIONAL. roLirlCIAss. | Nr oathcreton declares the fact to he that l there exists iu Arkansas and i'd others of the ! late rebeiuous states au oiigsrchy of disap ] pointed army officers who, hav3ag embarked 1 In politics as \ profession, have adopted for 1 their motto, This K a white man < govern ment," aud have resOrted to Winchester rifles. l false ballot boxes and Kindred frauds hY means 1 of which they intend nt all hazards to main | tain themselves in office, Tue outragcs against life committed under the instigation of thcec l political cliques, and the frauds pcrpe;tHtcd. 1 against honest elections have at last aroused | determination to shake uI this incubus upon
 the honor and prosperity ot tho state and | therefore, tt is that thousands oI farmers | t"shctlcrs' J and ahofing men. ss well as re- | puhlicau- hsyo united tn rsst0re to inc people | of that rtate a free ballot and far count, 1 Mir. EeathcFstou insists that thts cRApot hc 1 done without u severe aud determined contest. l for the future nf the relxnlng oiigarchy ic. bends on thcir power Ia keep the southern masses in sutiectton to their dcspotic sway. l He SAYS the acton of congress in his cAsc will | give new courage to ihe voters oi that section. ] and ho also b.tioyes that an act ot congress providing for feucra, supervision of elections 1 for ooustcssmcn and presidential electors
 would be great ssd in the impending sifug' 1 Te
 l Tho movement inaugnrates hy these brave l and patriotic men Is by nu means devoid af danger Ia life and properly Already stncc | the struggle commenced several men have been murdered for uo other reason thsu their ] determination to restore to the state honest 1 elect luu- One uf these n. N Wilson, Shcria l of St Francis county. was shot down in his own house. He n friend and co.wurkor | with Mir. featharston. who. with two ar tarco | others Al nncu repaired to thc dead shcriS 1 house. prepared to dcicnd themselves or {" l sell their lives as dearly as m taeiE power. which fact, heing well understood hy the how | in. mob that nsssiird them. alpnc saved thetu
 from the fate of Wilson.
 | pu that same occasion A0ericus SeolY, a l native born. educated. honest eolured man. ] fell pierced with cighty.tour hullcs within
 hearing of Mir fraihctstna, sud nut mere teau ! fifty yards from where he stood Another 1 white man, who Ar. Fealhcfstou's uutsry
 public iii taking testimony for thc eieet'ou ! contest. was murdered in cold blood for no
 other reason than fVr daring so to act TESTIMONY or Ex-nEsoCRArs. | It should he remembered ,hs, Mir, Feather ! stun and those acting wtth hial have until re- | oently been members of the democratic party,
 and the only reason they are not yet in accord
 with thoir former political associates k tbolr ! openly asoved purpose to secure fot every cit- l iEcn who by tho constitution aud laws or his 1 own state and Hue United states Is entitled to
 vote the r,sht t9 oast ,hst vote m snd have It 1 stnn asked for the votes of his fellow citizens ! because he cont.nded that the poores, man ln i Arkansas, whether white nf black, was as ! much entitled to a frcn aud honest ballot us | though he were as rich as Jay Gould. Leading democrats ot st Francis County 1 offered Air. teathess;on ,hc county cierkship.
 with Il salary of Stbsl if he would not loln tn | the movement for honest elections; but to this
 nc refused to llsIen, beng convinced that duty l la his state and country called hlu to aid m l tho great movement for "haliot reform" | The significance Of this election contest and
 it's result Is that tt is the frat gun Hrsd hy cqu- gress tn aid of citixens of Arkansas who in thc 1 urst district of that state having made com mon cause against the violence and fraud tn l ate struggle and rewarded for their bravery ! by the seating Of their candidate, Mir. Feather
 ston. whose only platform ~ss ''a free ballot Mr. feaihers,on having carefully read the ! foregoing ss-ents to It's publication as a correct
 statement Of the facts aud tae true position oi aIaifs ln hls eousress!una. dietrtct.
 | Wonders peyer cease ' The people
 of this county have long since ceased,
 however, to become surprised al any thing of political nature emanatlng | from those republicans who continue
 to shield themselves under the cloak of
 democracy. In pronouncing the bulk
 of the assertions made In the above ar
 ticle unpriucipled falsehoods, We do
 so, granting the plausible fact contained
 in the closing paragraph If Feather
 ston aid H0I see ana assent Ia this pul~ licatiOn then We aIe due him an apology, and stand ready to render Uata hlM 1 that which IS due. O. tue other hand,
 If this awful calumny w.s shown to,
 and approved for publication by, Frsth-
 erstou, then, and in that ease. he sh9ill-
 lered the responsibility, and must
 stand branded an unmitigated liar and
 a man without honor. by those people
 oi the district which he nov claims to 1 represent, who are SD deeply vronged He is not worthy tue respect of the
 meanest negro, whom he uretrnds to
 defend but for whom. in fact, he has
 never had other use than his personal ! gain, either pecnnisry or political. He
 admits that he las used the negro as Il
 as laboters. We do not lihd that he
 admits using them as politicians, voters
 aud tools tn elevate himself to n posi-