The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-24
A BIT OF HISTORY
How Candy Elected" Mem
berS of the Convention.
1t Took Three Separate Trials to Get Full
Pledged Republican Instead Of
Conservative.

To the Editor: About the first of
January, 1868, w. E. Hardin, late of
Sparta, n. c., and myself started to
Raleigh, he to get his county court Ii
cense to practice law, and l to get my
Supreme court license, / having been
there the year before for county court
license. We had some fun on the way
as we did always.
When We got to Raleigh we found a
new chapter opened; the convention of
1865 WAS to be opened that day; the
first time that negroes ever voted ~
held office, and the whole thing was
new and strange to us.
An election had been ordered by the
Federal Government under the supervis-
ion of General Candy, who was then
stationed at Charleston S. c.. and the
State was divided into districts. negroes
enfranchised and some 10000 white
men disfranchised, and in the territory
i'll which | lived five or six counties
were put in district and were entitled
to two delegates to the said convention.
As Hardin and myself were crossing
the Blue Ridge on our way to the SUI
dispatches from Candy stating that
elected and that T.. G.. Bartlett, of
Ashe, was also elected, and he was car
rying the certificate to Bartlett who
lived in Jefferson We were one day
ahead of Mr.. Bartlett.
On Monday we went before the judges
of the Supreme court and were ex-
amined by them before the meeting of
the convention, and then went up to the
Hall of the House of Representatives
to the organization of the convention
and to see what the hands would do
1t was the first time that the members
of law-making power We're called
hands"
George w. Bradley, dark-skinned
white man, was introduced to light
skinned negro, from New Hanover,
think, whose name was Galloway.
The introduction was made by Dick
Reeves, an old time trader from Surry
or Iadkin county. in which Dick youched
for Bradley as friend from the noun
famous county of Watauga, and for
Galloway as being good cook. well
qualified to black shoes and curry horses
as he had served Dick as such during
the war;
About that time Bartlett, Bradley s
colleague, came in and took the oath, and
took II seat i'll the convention. Soon
enquiry was made as to his politics. He
responded that he was "a Conservative =
1t is said that telegram was sent to
General Candy AIT Charleston, c., Ito
whom all the ballots had been sent in
boxes at the close of the election) that
there must be mistake for Bartlett
WAS not a Republican, so General
Candy counted for about an hour and
telegraphed back that there was a mis-
take, and that John G.. Marler, OF Yad-
kin, was the man that was elected. SO
Bartlett drew his pay for one day and
Went home with a very long face.
They sent for Marler and he came.
was sworn in and took his seat in the
convention, and soon thereafter it was
found that he was "a Conservative"
and more active one than Mr. Bart
lett; and General Candy was notified of
the fact and new count was had and
Marler was counted out and man by
the name of Marshall was counted in.
Daddy Cowles was made president
They framed the Constitution of 1868,
and ''niggers" have been voting ever
since. j. w. TODD.
Jefferson, y. c., Dee. 10, 1899