Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-10-22
Editor Courier:

Editor Courier:
The Freedman's league held a meet.
ing at Bear Creek on Monday, Octo-
Der 10, and had very successful meet
ing. No Hamilton votes were found
among the colored voters of Bear
Creek. Now people want the facts,
which we find that John T. Hamilton
is not giving in his statements about
the figures. He is trying to mislead
| the people. Mr.. Hamilton knows that
the Thirty-Fifth general assembly de-
cided how much money should be rails
/ ed by tax levy for state purposes for
the coming year. He knows that the
| amount actually levied and in process
of collection for the year for expenses
of state is $2,724,693. If he does not
know it he knows where the facts can
be ascertained in five minutes. But
he does know that he wants to mislead
the people.
The colored people are making
study of the democratic party and ex-
pect to make closer study from now
on for their own benefit. Men who
go into Office to work for the people
should be honest people and men who
have principles-pr principle to treat the
colored men Justly as they would any
other people. The colored man is en-
titled to the same rights as men of
other races. We were born in this
country; we have conscience and a
brain and feelings and we expect to
exert our rights where the polls are
free and untrampled. We shall sup
port men for Office whom we think
will treat us with that respect, which
we are entitled to and we think there
is enough good men among the re-
publicans that are entitled and should
have the preference instead of a dem
ocrat for the reason they do not uphold
slavery and they don't uphold the party
that did hold slaves The republican
party stands with the man who stood
against slavery and went in rebellion
against the United States until they
withdrew and obeyed his command and
slavery was abolished. Taking the col
ored man and woman from the block
where the democrats used to sell them
as cattle and horses. 1t may seem
strange though it comes to us just the
same. Lincoln issued his preliminary
proclamation January 1, 1853, declar-
ing that on January /, 1853 all persons
held as slaves in any state the people
thereof shall then be in rebellion
against the United States be then and
thence and forever free from bondage
Slavery in this country has been dead
for many years. Though there are
other kinds of slavery besides bound
slavery and the colored man has suf-
fered more from these forms of slav-
cry than even the poorest white man
this kind of slavery. The democrat
has expected the colored man to work
for just enough to live on and as long
as we work for that kind of man he
gets the most out of us and that has
been the democratic party. The dem
ocratic party had the colored people
in the south under them about $50
years and they knew less and the
country was in worse condition at
the end of that time than it was when
they took it. Now the republicans
have had the control about forty years
have educated the black men, have
made them lawyers, doctors, senator's,
judges and have caused them to have
a greater record than any nation in
such short space of time. That is
wonderful progress and therefore that
Is why we colored people will stand
by the republican party as long as we
have such men as George w. Clarke,
Albert B. Cummins and G. w. Ramsey
err on the ticket.
J. Fl. HURT.