Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-02-16
THE NEGRO IN THE SOUTH
"STILL LONKING FOR HIS F FRANCHEESE.
Southern People and CoIored People Un-
derstand Each Other, While Outsiders Do
Not-0pen Letter Worth Reading.

d ptI \ VI IIly ODSSI dUIOuS III IGSdIu u
the political situation as given MT
from various sources.
THE COLORED MANS IDEAS.
Soon after the close of the war, in {
certain village on certain day, there
appeared large collection of cOlOreC
people coming from all directions, eacl
bringing a sack, as they often do wher
coming to town to put things in
Their numbers increased until the
whites in the village became alarmed
and after consultation one Of then
resolved to question them in reference
to the cause of this unusual gathering
Approaching one of them he said
"SeemS to me there's good many OF
you cOlOred people in town today
Eyes sab, " he replied, II reckon we'se
pretty much all in town today
"Well, what's up? What have you al
come in for?" "Well sab, [ reckon
we'se after dot cheese Massa Lincoln
promised us, and Dick IA fellow little
better educated than the rest says
he's gwine tar sent it along today and
we have cOme'tO the depot to get it,
"What kind Of a cheese is it?" After
little consultation one of them re-
piled, 1T is francheese.
This | have as a fact from man
born in South Carolina who belonged to
the state militia at the time the civil
war commenced. The cOlOred man
has looked in vain for his ''francheese'
ever since. He has learned to patiently
accept the situation and it is we'll for
him and also for the whites that he
has.
They have the Australian system of
voting here, but | was told by an al
derman in certain city, himself at
heart a republican though elected as
a democrat, that the primary meet
ings were so conducted as to exclude
the cOlOred man and only white men
were put in nomination, that there
was no show for the cOlOred man tC
vote unless he voted for a white man;
that it took good deal of sand for a
white man to stand up and declare
himself a republican and have every
body tell him that he belonged to the
niger party. He said that in the city
of Jacksonville during theyellow fever
the whites left the city and,the colored
men took advantage of the situation
and elected themselves to office, that
they soon abused their power and that
the Legislature passed laws making
many of their offices appOintive by
the governor and that many such
offices were now filled by appoint
ment.
In another city | was informed by g
gentleman that before the Australian
method was used he went to vote. The
place was on a side hill, they were not
allowed to 60 into the room and vote
but were obliged to 60 to the back
side of the building and place the
ballot up as high as possible and il
was taken by man there. The voter
did not know what was done with ii
but after the voting was over, the
room being cold, they took the ballot
boxes and went into another house
where there was a fire. In this house
lay a ,ick man who objected to the
intrusion and after a few words he
rose up and drove them out at the
point of his pistol. In the stampede
one of the boxes was left and wa!
found to have been loaded with ballots
In another place each candidate haC
separate ballot boxes which were ar
ranged in a row. One of the more
intelligent of the cOlOred men entered
during the balloting and, noticing tht
order in which they were placed
arranged the ballots of other coloreC
men accordingly SO they were all yot
ing as they wished to. Seeing this
the boxes were rearranged, no law wa
violated and my informant considered
that the end sought justified tht
means employed.
| In another case there was issued
state republican ticket. A cOloreC
man asked friend to look it over ant
tell him if it was all right. He says
you wish to vote the republican
ticket, do you?" He said, Eyes sar.
Well, that is all right as far as th
state ticket goes, but the local ticke
is left for Eyou to fill out" Th
cOlOred man, not knowing what to do
crumpled the ticket in his hands anC
silently went away. These and man,
other devices have produced an indif
ference among the cOlored people ant
also among the whites as is shown b.
the following copied from the St
Louis Globe.
DECLINE IN SOUTHERN VOTING.
Voting seems to be g ping out O
fashion in the Southern states. Il
the election last November the stat
Of Georgia cast considerably smalle
TOTAL vote than that of ST. Louis. S.
did Alabama, Arkansas, Florida
Louisiana. Mississippi and Soutl
Carolina. 5The aggregate vote of st
Louis was larger than that of Florida
South Carolina and Louisiana com
bined. Even the vote of Tennessee
was barely double that of st. Louis
| The vote C Georgia, the second mos
populous state in the south, was onl
69,33s. Georgia cast comparativel
small vote in 1896, heavy falling OF