The Lexington standard. [volume] (Lexington, Ky.) 1892-1912, 1911-11-04
"ZEKE'S EXPERIENCE IN
GETTING HIS FREEDOM"
lBY c. L MERRILL

South Tor the Lnree years \1coO-
I69) Immediately succeeding the
surrender, a brief recital of the
story of "Zeke Kennedy" will
prove of interest. Though it
had but a narrow local applica-
ton at the time, it points the
moral of general conditions.
"Zele had served during the
war out in "ole Virginny," as
chief servant in the 18th Missis-
sippi Infantry, of which "Marse
Tom" was a member and
picked up a few politics" Soon
after peace, he returned home
"wi' Marse Tom" to find himself
voter" He could scarcely
conceive what it all meant, but
in the summer of 1868 a few of
Zeke's younger brothers in white
enlisted him to stump the coun-
ty. which was Carroll.
The main issue was this: That
every white man who had ever
voted before the war, or taken
an ante-bellum oath to support
the United States Constitution,
and afterwards gone into the re-
bellion, or shown even the least
sympathy for his son or neigh
Dor who had, should be forever
disfranchised, and thus leave all
political power in the hands of
The new issue" This in sub
stance was the iron rule sub
mitted by the Federal Congress.
With such restrictions, the ne
groes having an Overwhelming
numerical strength, it was nat
uraIly supposed that the white
nan would be literally wiped off
the map as a political factor.
The State Contention ia 1868-69
1t was our first State election
under the new order of things.
The negro voters in the virgin
purity of clean politics, were as
yet untainted by Republican car
pet-bag scoundrelism. The
white electors appealed to the
reason and sense of justice of
the colored people, and the re-
suit showed that they did not ap-
peal in vain. 1t was the first
and only successful venture of
she kind. The new Constitution
was voted down by 5000 or TO-
900 majority. Carroll county,
the only county where "Zeke''
ruled the roost alone giving
,553 majority against it, which
vas of itself nearly a third of
the entire majority. Seeing that
Mississippi had upset the whole
)lan of the carpet-baggers tc
make that section a school for
'tariff-protection," those ennis
saries of rule or ruin were sent
down in force to capture and CO.
cree. They make their protest
against a "solid South" only
while brains and character rule.
What they fought for was to es.
ablish a ''solid South" which
the Negroes could hold down
for foreign thieves to plumber.
Our COL0red DemOsthenes.
1t was during this reign of
peace, civil and militant, that
''Zeke" delivered his first spell
binder" in the Carrollton court
house to a large audience of all
color. Cotton had been selling
for forty, fifty, seventy-fve and
an hundred cents a pound, and
everything looked good" to all
of us. The Negro was still free.
He had been released from the
bonds of domestic slavery and
had not yet taken on the senile
shackles of political bondage.
"Zeke" was a young man
about Marse TOMS age (25) ;.
was stockily built on broad foun-
dations, dish-faced and-as he.
said of himself-"jess as black
as the devil" He didn't know
a letter in the alphabet, but car
ried a solid brain in a narrow
pan, most of which jutted out
over his eyebrows, shaggy
to swear by. He was
modest almost to timidity as he
was escorted to the Judges desk
TO make his first political deliv-
cry.
Thunderbolts from "Zeke." Not
Zeus."
After discussing the @pints"
Of protection and other politi-