People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1892-07-29
FROM GEORGIA.
The Situation i'm the South as
Viewed by s. L. Bishop, a
Former Resident of Sum.
ner County, Kansas.
The South Will be Almost Solid for the
Peoples Party-WOnderful Excite.
ment-ThreatS Of YiOIence-A
Test Vote In GlasScOck
County.
WAYCROss, GA, July Is, 1892


time ago / promised to write an arti-
Gle for your paper on the political sit
uatiOn in the south and would have
done so some time ago, but have not
had opportunity until now. 1t would
require too much space, even if | had
the time, to discuss the events and
underlying causes that have brought
the south into its present conditions,
but it is safe to say that there never
was a section of any country that was
in exactly the same situation that
the south is in today. Without stop
ping to discuss causes, l will proceed
to the discussion of the subject just
as | find it.
- The great question in the minds of
the southern people is negro Suprem-
acy. This has been the campaign is
sue Of every campaign for years. The
southern people believe that this is a
white mans country and that the
whites and not the blacks shall rule
it and it makes no difference which
race is in the majority, the whites
are going to rule, either by fair means
or foul. Anyway, they have done so
ever since the protection Of the gov
eminent troops was taken away from
the negroes after the war and as long
as the races are divided. the one
against the other, they will continue
30 do so. ! do not care how many
election bills are passed. If the so
called force bill" as the southern
people call the election bill. would be-
come law it would not change mat
terS in the least, for the whites would
find some way to avoid its results.
As long as one race is united in Opbo-
SitiOn to the other, the best educated
race is going to rule. No law can be
effective until public sentiment is
ready to enforce it, but the force bill
is to be the campaign song Of the
Democratic party in the south. They
even accuse the Peoples party of be-
ing in favor it and place miscOncep-
tiOn on it and say that it is simply
measure to turn the elections over
into the hands of the present admins
tratiOn and put the federal army into
his hands to force the south to sub
nit to negro rule. They never once
intimate that the rule would apply to
the north as well as the south, pro-
yiding the same tactics were used
there that they use here, but the
whole burden of their speechesis that
the farmers and labOring classes must
stick to the Democratic party and
hold the south SOlid or beruled by ne
grOes under the protection of federal
bayOnetS.
For the first time in the history of
the south, the Democratic party is ex-
ceedingly anxious to have the negroes
vote the Republican ticket. Just the
other day | saw where a negro had
got up in a Democratic rally and
pledged himself to support the Dem
Ocratic party in this campaign and
the Democratic speaker took him by
the hand and fairly wrung it and the
crowd of Democrats cheered Justify at
the scene. Such a thing never occur
red in Georgia before, but it will like
ly occur many more times before the
campaign is over if enough negroes
can be induced to become parties to
such action. You see it makes a diff
ference as to what ticket a negro
votes as to whether he is worthy to
shake white mans hand in public or
not. If he had been going to vote the
straight Republican ticket he would
still have received plenty of encOur-
agement, for the first time in his life,
though he would hardly have got a
hand shake in public, but if he had
been going to vote the Peoples party
ticket and would have had the cOur-
age to have said it in public, he would
have done well to have got out of the
crowd with nothing less than a bro
ken head. A northern man would
have Jared pretty much the same
way. Here in WaycrOss they have
passed a resolution declaring them
selves fighting Democrats" and de-
nOuncing all who do not agree with
them in politics, as public enemies.
They have bOasted openly thatifthey
cannot defeat Tom Watson for con-
gress, they will use personal violence.
This threat was not made officially
by the Democratic party, Of course,
but it has been made by prominent
Democrats. l, personally, know OF
one who has bOasted what they would