The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-08-18
GREBNVILLE NEGROIZBD.
HOW THE INFAMOUS JOB WAS
DONE.
A Statement Of Facts by Ex-Governor
Jarvis Showing how areenYille
was Sliced to Turn it Over
to Negro Rule.

| JARVIS SnoW1ng now 9reenY1lle
was Sliced to Turn it Over
to Negro Rule.
Raleigh, August 6, 1898.
w. H. Bernard, Esq,
Dear Sir In response to your re-
quest for an account of how the town
of Greenyille was turned over to the
negroes by the Republican-Populist-
Fusion Legislature / submit the follow
ing statement Of facts:
The county of Pitt has a population
of about thirty thousand people and is
one of the finest agricultural counties
in the State.
Greenvllle, its capital town, has a
population of about three thousand
people and is growing, prosperous
town. A majority of its voters are
white men, and if the people were lett
to select their officers by an fair or
usual method they would be certain to
choose competent white men.
The town, however, is the home of
one OF the leading Republicans OF the
State, and being under obligations to
the negroes he planned to have the
town turned over to them. And here
is the way it was done: The fusion
Legislature OF 1895, adopting his plan,
divided the town into four wards. The
boundaries of these wards we're so turn
ed and zigzagged as to put majority
of negro voters in the first and third
wards, and majority of the white vot-
ers in the second and fourth wards.
The first ward is shaped very much
like large broad-axe, with very long
handle and the third ward is like the
letter V. The next step in this devil
ish plan was to confer upon each OF the
wards having majority of negro vot-
ers the right to elect two councilmen
each, and to restrict the white wards to
one councilman each.
at the town ele ctlon in May, 1897
the negroes ayailed themselves of the
power given them by the Republican
Fusion Legislature and took charge of
the town. They elected four negroes
councilmen while the white people
could elect but two. Thus we had
Board composed of four negroes and
two white men. This Board elected
white Republican mayor, a white chief
of police. negro assistant policeman
for the day, negro night policeman
for the night, and a negro clerk to the
Board.
The taxable property of the town is
near three quarters OF a million of dol
lars. The Board of Councilmen levy
the taxes and order the expenditures.
It may be interesting to know how
those who leyied and spent the taxes
ranked as tax payers. One of the
negro councilmen paid 81 cents taxes
on property, another 63 cents and the
other two nothing. So the four negro
who controlled the Board
paid $1.47 taxes on property for the
support of the town.
The white Republican Mayor paid
43 cents on property and the white
Chief of Police did not do
quite so we'll, he paid only 80 cents.
The negro clerk paid nothing and the
negro watchman nothing. The negro
assistant policeman paid $5.75. The
nine men who control the town, levy
it's taxes and spend the money paid all
together $7.75 and leaving out the as
sistant negro day policeman, the other
eight $3.50. The revenues of the
town for the year from May,
1897, to May, 1898, was about $500,
Of which about $500 went to pay
salaries and fees of Office or place hold
ers. The white Republican mayor and
the white Republican chief of police
we're both indicted at September term,
1897, of Pitt Superior Court for gamb-
ling. They confessed their guilt In
open court at January term, 1898. and
were reelected to the same Offices by
the negro Board of Councilmen in May
1898. The mayor has since resigned
to enter the Internal Revenue Service
and better man, Populist, has been
elected in his place, but the town is
still in the coptrol OF the negroes, as
they again elected four negro council
men at the election this year and these
negro councilmen have in turn elected
the same number of negro officials with
one exception.
There are numerous instances In
which towns have been divided up into
wards to keep the towns out OF the
horda of the negro. but this is the first