The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1894-10-31
Are You a Democrat?
Watchman and SoutEron:

Editor Watchman and SoutEron:
1t would not become me to reply to yo1r
sarcasm against 'the Great Png a-Wug Of
High Hill or to your spitetul flngs against
the EeiormerS OF Sumter county. We will
just keep our fight over past issues in abej-
ance until the next primary.
You have again pledged yourself and
taken al oath to support the nominees OF
the Democratic party. The individual vote
Of a newspaper does not mean supp ort, 1t
is expected that you Will cease to ant2go-
re and say what yoI can to induce others
to support the ticket. l am told by some
of the Conservative faction (and they would
do their faction 10 wrong) and by some OF
tie Republican leaders that Mr.. johnson
viii get many of the Conservative votes OF
this county. tell you this in no spltetnl
spirit. but tel you in Cr G: that you might
give Mr.. Stokes, the Democratic nominee
Tor Congress. the infu .nce and support Of
your paper in accordance with your pledge
a-d your oath, beg you earnestly - GO
this.
Mr.. T. B. johnson seen S 70 be, person
ally, a very nice aud respectable gentleman,
but we are concerned about him politically
Mr. Johnson was introduced to the people
of this county by the negro; his political
association is with the negro, and he is the
negroes candidate If he was elected to
Congress his associates would be among
the Republicans of the North, the very peo-
pie who hate, curse, abuse and oppress the
people O! the South.
cant understand how any thinking
man can tolerate indeIe dentism, but " e
have seen it, can't understand how any
Southern white man could be so forgetiul
of the past iudignities heaped upon our peo
pie, when Republicans appealed to the u.
5. Government to aid them with bayocets
in trampling our people. women and child
ren, under the heel of the negro and car
pet-bagger, one of whom Was Mr.. L. Is.
Johnson. God grant that we may never
see q Sumter county white man vote Tor
him as one OF the surprises of the polite.
drama
Again Mr.. Johnson has accumulated
money and is a money lender. Every in
terest of his IS with the bondholders and
money lenders who are opposing Us and
giving US five cents cotton for our hire.
Every interest of his is Numerically op-
posed to the negro whom he seeks to repre-
sent. Mr.. Brayt ton WHO was the regular
was bought by Mr.. Johnson was
more nearly identified with both white
and negroes and like Murray would have
voted against contraction of the currency
which is fast robbing our white people OF
their homes and the negroes of all chances
of profitable employment. no sensible
white man could vote for Mr.. Johnson and
10 negro who cares for his starving race
will do it.
The Democratic nominee, DR.. J. VIM.
Stokes is q gentleman OF refined, polished
manners, deep thinker aud convincing
talker. He is thoroughly identified with
the people, both white and black. His
bread and meat like ours depends upon the
products OF the soil and upon the prosper
lty OF the people. He knows that the less
money there is per capita, the more must
people borrow to do business. He knows,
for he is one OF us, the scarcer money be-
comes the more of the products of the peo-
! pies labor it takes to obtain it. Therefore
we can safely count Oh every act and every
word of his, being in the interest Of the
business men and products OF Sumter
county. His political assertions IN Con
grcss would be with the men OF the South,
producers like ourselves. DIR. Stokes
would aid aAd strengthen his brother Cor
gressmen from other States, struggling like
We are against oppression, which looks like
wholesale bankruptcy and ruin.
therefore raise my feeble voice against
any division at the general election, which
will tend to separate and disintegrate the
united white strength Of Sumter county,
against scratching a single name off the
Democratic ticket, and against staying at
home when every vote is needed appeal
to all with whom might have Influence,
to turn out Oh election day and cast your
solid vote for every man whom the Demo
cratic party has placed in nomination, be
he Tillmanitc, or Straigh'out.
Fl. R. THOMAS.
October % 1894