The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1897-10-21
Will Aid Democrats.

the Troub1e-Bushnell Is Denounced.
Will Aid Democrats.
Columbus correspondence:
The Republicans of Ohio enjoy an ad-
vantage this year which is not shared by
their brethren elsewhere-they will have
two State tickets, each thoroughly rep
resentative of the grand old party. to
choose from when they enter the voting
booths
As the national Republican party is
made up in about equal proportions of
white and black voters it is singularly
appropriate that one Of the Republican
State tickets in Ohio is known as the
white and the other as the black ticket.
There is no great difference, apart from
the question of color, in the personnel Of
the two tickets, but the candidates on the
white ticket have had more experience in
office holding than their less fortunate
compatriots on the black ticket.
The movement to organize the negro
protective party had its origin in the
lynching of colored criminal at Urbana
last spring. The negro was being tried
at the time and the mob invaded the court
house and, taking the prisoner from the
custody Of the officials, hanged him to the
nearest lamp post.
1t had been expected for some days that
the negro would be mobbed and Gov.
Bushnell had sent several companies Of
militia to Urbana to protect the prisoner.
When the mob assaulted the court house
the soldiers used their muskets indiscrim-
inately, killing number of innocent spec
tators, but doing no harm to the lynchers.
Nobody has been indicted for taking part
in the mOb's work.
The lynching stirred up the negroes oil
over the State. Gov. Bushnell was blam-
ed because it was charged that he had not
exercised proper vigilance in providing
protection for the Urbana criminal.
The colored people were greatly disap-
pointed too when the grand jury failed to
indict any members of the mob. The re-
port Of the grand jury was that after
making due and diligent effort they had
been unable to discover the identity Of any
person who participated in the lynching."
This report could not be regarded other
wise than as remarkable in view Of the
known fact that the mob, which numbered
several hundred men, included among its
members many Of the best citizens of Ur-
bana and vicinity.
While nursing their wrath toward Gov.
Bushnell on account of the lynching af-
fair the negro agitatOrs discovered that
they had other grievances against the Re
publican party. They claimed that they
had not been given proper recognition in
the distribution of State and Federal pat
ronage, and they held Gov. Bushnell and
Senator Hanna responsible for the over
sight.
Begins In Cincinnati.
The agitation for an independent move
ment by the colored people began in Gin
cinnati and was quickly taken up in
Cleveland. 1t soon spread to the other
cities of the State and before the Repub-
Gcan managers regarded the movement
seriously conference Of the negro lead
ers had been held and an independent
State ticket had been nominated.
The negro candidate for Governor is
Sampel ]. Lewis of Cincinnati. He is
said to be one of the ablest representa-
tives of his race in this State. The can
didate for judge of the Supreme Court is
Graham Deuwell of Columbus. Mr.. Deu-
we'll is lawyer of recognized ability, hav-
ing lucrative practice at the Columbus
bar.
The other candidates are Jason NJ.
Tilley for Lieutenant Governor, Moses
Moore for State Treasurer, Charles Il.
Armistead for Attorney General. John
Mckee for member of the Board Of Pub
lie Works and @. D. Horner for school
commissioner.
The party headquarters are located in
Cincinnati and Harry Richardson Of Day
ton is chairman Of the State central COM
mittee.
The Republicans have from the Start
attempted to belittle the Independent ne
gro movement. They have charged that
it was being engineered by the Democrats
and that all the expenses were paid out of
the Democratic campaign fund.
While 1t is probably true that the Demo-
Gratis have encouraged the movement in
every possible way, it apparently amounts
to something more than mere campaign
diversion. In order to get the ticket on
the official ballot it was necessary to Sc
cure 5000 signatures to petition asking
that it be given official recognition. When
the petition was filed with the Secretary
of State it contained 10,S45 names, and
vestigation, are the names of colored men.
If the Republican Secretary of State
could have found any reasonable excuse
for such action he would have declined
to let the ticket go on the official ballot.
The Democratic managers secretly hoped
the ticket would be thrown out, as they
had assurances that in such a contingency
the bolting negroes would vote the
straight Democratic ticket.
But the Secretary of State could not
afford to reject the ticket. The petition
which accompanied it contained too many
names to justify raising the cry that
fraudulent methods had been employed
in securing signatures.
The negro protective ticket will go on
the official ballot, and it's presence there
will prove a veritable thorn in the flesh
to the Republican managers.
Many COlored Voters.
When political conditions in this State
are at the normal stage the Republican
majority is about 10000. The negro vot-
ers in Ohio number about 10000, and for
many years they have held the balance of
power between the two parties. There
are many indications that normal condi-
tiops will be restored in Ohio politics this
year.
How then is it possible for the Repub-
licans to win If more than two-thirds Of
the negroes vote the independent ticket?
1t is plain that the Republican State
ticket cannot be elected unless steps are
taken at once to placate the negro boilers.
Bitterly as the negroes feel toward Gov.
Bushnell, they regard Mark Hanna with
even greater aversion. Their dislike for
Hanna is shown by the determination on
the part of the managers not to put an
independent legislative ticket in Hamilton
County. This course is taken for the pur-
pose Of affording the colored eoiters an
opportunity to support the Democratic
candidates for the General Assembly.
1t is charged against Hanna that he has
absolutely ignored the Ohio negroes in
distributing the Federal patronage; that
he has opposed the appointment of eolored
L L.