The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-05-25
The Republican Plan Revealed.

The speech Of Assistant Postmaster Cen
erai Clarkson. at the banquet Of the Nor
folk Club, synopsis of which was pub
lished in our dispatches yesterday. together
with the announcement Of the purpose of
the republican majority in the House to
seat three or four colored contest ants from
the south, indicates clearly that the repuo-
Iicans intend to pass a federal ele-tion law
and also TO mako the congressional cam
paigl this fall a bloody shirt one. Mr..
Garrison is soon to leave the postofice de-
partment, but be may re main in Washing
ton and conduct the republican congress
sional campaign. The President has re-
quested him to do 50, and no more bitter
and INSCRIPTIONS politician could be found
for that work.
He knew very well when, during his Nor
folk spsech, he was telling the story of the
Abbsville Is. c. postoffice affair. that he
was giving a wrong impression of it. 1t
was not his purpose, however, to keep close
to the truth. He desired to create a senti-
meat hostile TO the south, and hence he
related what the colored man VINO had been
appointed postmaster at Abbeville had told
other and more reliable witnesses.
That Abbeville affair was fully ventilated
in the House, and the South Carolina con-
gresham who represents the Abbeville dis
trict gave the facts. The story which the
congressman told was very different one
from that told by the colored ex-p0stmas-
ter, and it made it clear that no such out
rage was committed as was alleged.
But Mr.. Garrison did not confine himself
to the Abbeville affair In the course of
his speech he roamed all over the south,
making charges of one kind and another
against the southern people He had no
evidence whatever of the truth of these
charges They were the result of impress
sions which he had received in talking with
all kinds of irresponsible black and white
politicians from the south.
There is no fair minded man who will not
admit that Mr.. Clarkson's speech was I'm
just to the south-that it was, in fact, an
uncalled for and outrageous attack upon the
southern people. But Mr.. Clarkson I'M
doubtedly had purpose in view. Heknew
his speech would be telegraphed over the
country, and he wanted it to indicate the
character Of the campaign the republicans
expect to carry on in the congressional
elections, and also to assist the republican
leaders in congress in their efforts to pass a
federal election law.
The republicans are not sure that public
sentiment will sustain them in passing
federal election law, and they are trying to
change it so that it will sustain them. They
know very well that the three white demo-
cratic representatives whom they purpose to
unseat, in order to give their places to three
colored republicans, we're fairly elected.
Their object in unseating them, however, to
strengthen the impression in the north that
there are no fair elections in the south, and
that republican, particularly a colored re-
publican, cannot get an Office under any
circumstances. The democrats being in the
minority are forced, of course, to endure
this injustice, but it is certain that they will
not forget it. The opportunity will come
for retaliation, and it will BE- improved.
The people will not continue to support a
party that SO misuses its power and employs
such unfair and even disreputable methods
to gain its ends.