The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1892-03-23
A Yarn Prom Florida.
From the Savannah News.

4 IOIn G1IC DdNduudu news.
The Jacksonville (F,a.) correspondent
of the Chicago Times has furnished his
paper with cleverly written sensation
al article on the politico-raee situation in
the South. The Times is a democratic
newspaper good one, too-and the
correspondents purpose seems to have
been to make political capital for the
Democratic party by the yarn he spirs.
Chicago is good long wa from the
South, and Chicago newspaper men are
probably not so well acquainted with
the affairs here as they are with those
o. some other sections. If they were
the story never would have been printed
1t reads well, but lacks the vital element
of truth.
The story is to the effect that northern
Republicans, in accordance with pre-
arranged plan, are furnishing Winches-
ter riff es and cartridges to the negroes
in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina
cat about cost price," for the purpose of
instigating race war with a view to es-
tablishing bayC net rule in the South.
I he assertion is made that at least one
member OF every negro family in Geor-
gia and Florida has a rifle ready for in
slant action, and that the negroes of the
two states invariably go about with a
rifle as a constant companion. "The old
and respected citizens of this place."
says the enterprising young writer at
column rates, "denOunce in bitter terms
the infamous schemes of northern Re-
publicans and carpet baggers to intimi-
date the whites and imperil their homes
by arming and encouraging outlawry in
such an element"
The article is fiction pure and simple.
The negroes are not being armed by any
body except themselves as individuals,
and in this the arming is not a concerted
movement. They are supplied with
rifles sat cost price, just as they are sup
piled with coats and trousers at hand
me-down $50 Sleeps you drinks stole
'em" price.
1t is true that the negro hands work
ing in the turpentine woods and along
the new railroads make practice of car
rying guns with them. Their object in
so doing is to bag any game they may
come ross in the forest. On several
occasions, indeed. they have been known
to turn these guns against their fellow
man, but the cause of it always grew
out of game or an old quarrel, and the
Slayer mas Deen promptly dIIesCcu anu
held for murder. Olly last week ne
gro was hanged in this city for a muder
committed in railroad camp. He had
his gun handy, was drunk and killed his
man. The Morning News must not be
understood TO offer an excuse for the
AZ; ying of guns. 1t condemns the prac-
t ce and calls upon the authorities to
suppress it, But 1T merely mentions the
! practice and explains it in order to show
that there is not one iota of politics in it.
The idea of bulldozing white Demo
Gratis by gun-carrying is not worth con
sidering, further than to say that the
DemccI ITS of the South arel not to be
intimioated by guns or anything else.
They know their duty and their rights,
and will do the one and defend the other
fearlessly. They have confidence in
themselver and in the good sense OF
their colored neighbors as class. They
k now the negroes are not buying guns
with any Interior motive, hence they
take no stock in such silly stories as that
published in the Chicago Times. The
Southern Democracy is established on a
firm and broad basis, and neither needs
nor will countenance anyssuch campaign
thunder and bloody-shirtism, even though
it be circulated in the hope OF creating
| sypathy for the party.