The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-11-14
RECALLS TIMES OF 1876.
Editor Williams, Of Richmond, in a
Reminiscent Mood.

! twentv-ninth anniversary OF tine enc
of Radical government in South Caro-
lima. Editor "A. B. Williams, of the
Richmond News-Leader, makes some
interesting reminiscent remarks IN
connection with the event. He says:
This is the twenty-nin nth ann1vers-
arv of the final overthrow of the last
of the republican reconstruction gov
ernments in Ahe south. It is hard to
realize that we nave many thousands
Of voters who were not born then and
that the majority of the voters in the
country could not vote on that day
of portent, of dread and anxiety and
hope. It all seems so fresh, vivid and
near to those who participated IN the
events of that time Those who were
- in one of the three southern states
South Caroolina, Florida and Louis
iana-which were the fiencest and
most fearful backgrounds, cannot ur1-
derstand and never will understand
what that seventh of November
meant. Its apporach was almost like
the coming of the day of judgment,
The white people felt that it marked
the elimination and would tell the re-
suit of their final and supreme effort.
They staked everything on &e IS
sue. They violated law vita the
knowledge that if they were beaten
banis1lment, persecution and oppress-
ion intensified would come to them.
Thev gave what money they had and
their time and labor with reckless
prodigality. For weeks and months
the three states were armed camps.
The republican parry in the country
was fighting for it's life, while the
democratic party was made desperate
by the first prospect and hope OF VIC
tory in twenty years. In the southern
states it was death grapple for su-
premacy between She two races.
In South Carolina there was no
sleep anywhere the night before. The
laws had been framed by the republ1-
cam Governments to make fraud easy.
The day was to begin everywhere
with a struggle for possession OF the
polls. Through the. country Hamp-
toms Red Shirts rode all night. Men
in companies of fifties jor hundreds
were transferred from one county Or
township to another so that they
might be strangers in THE neighbor-
hood in which they were to operate
There was firing with pistols and an
vii cannon, blowing of horns and yel-
ling from sunsel to daybreak and IN
towns fires were kindled near
each polling place and heavily armed |
men kept vigil so that they might
make way for the early voters of their
own side who might then be off IN |
The saddle to vote elsewhere. Laws
and restrictions were thrown to dhc |
winds. Even where United States
troopswere on guard the oldadage that
"blood is thicker than water" was
proved triumphant1y and enlisted men
slipped away from barracks and camps
assumed citizens clorhes and voted |
as industriously and frequently as the
most jealous white native. Nobody
knows who carried South Carolina, or
would Laave carried it with a fair vote,
and nobody ever will know, and we
suppose it was the same way in the
other contested southern states. Un-
doubtedly thousands of negroes voted
for Hampton for governor, some be-
cause they honestly realized that the
old conditions were destructive, some
from fear, some for affection, some
for money. Many of these voters,
wearing the red shirt and mounted,
were escorted to the polls by pro-
tecting troops of white men, cast their
ballots amid the curses and execra-
tons of people of their own color and
returned home to encounter ostraclsm
and persecution. In the low country
and on the sea islands where the ne
groes outnumbered the whites from
ten to forty to one negro voters, boys
and vaonen wearing mems clothes /