C.H.J. Taylor-Republican

The colored voter became anxious for office and the cry of “No, it's not time” was powerless to hold them back. Then it was that these wily, cunning, political white tricksters got together and said: “boys our political drift wood, our hobby horses, our stuffed clubs to whale the political life out of Democrats are waking up; they are growing discontented and restless; listen how they howl for gore, spoils and pie of office. We must give them recognition, and this is what we will do: We will select

the least competent from among them and to these we will add a few sharp unscrupulous ones. Their conduct in office will be such as to justly cause wide-spread complaint, and then we will say, now, black boys, you see we told you the truth. -'It's not time."

The result was a number of justices of the peace were elected who could not read their names. Men of color were sent to the legislature of the State as representatives and senators that

actually could not tell the time of day, and as for being able to write intelligently, very few could answer guilty to the charge. This statement is not made to the discredit of these unfortunate blacks, who literally, like Cincinnati of old, were called from their ploughs to take upon themselves the official ermine as judges and lawmakers for the people; they did the best they knew how, many of them. It is to the shame of the radical Republican dictators, that these truthful statements are made.

A colored man, who by hard study and work was, in every particular, fit to represent the people, would never be selected by them. He would want to stop and read "measures" presented before voting for them; sometime he would disagree with the leaders, and balk their plans; hence it was a part of their duty to see to it, that the intelligent, representative Negroes were kept out of office.

They usually hunted around for some voluble, ignorant black man, who called himself a preacher, and who entertained his audience by sound and tone, appealing to their passion rather than to their reason.

Such a black man, who, while preaching, would carry his hand up to his ears and encourage plaintive groaning and melancholy moaning, they would make their leader.

They found him easily nattered; calling him the "smartest

Negro" in his county or settlement filled him with unspeakable joy.

The Negro who voted the Democratic ticket, if it was found out, had to be very careful not to be caught out of reach of a white man, for, if he was, the other Negroes discharged what they felt to be a religious duty, and that was, to give him a severe thrashing."His mother and father disowned him for such an act; his wife left him, if he was married; if single, his lover refused to receive him; the little black children yelled at him, calling him old "demercrat nigger;" his church turned him out; his preacher consigned him to a lake which burneth with brimstone and fire forever and forever; and more sad than all the rest, though honest he might be, a considerable number of Democrats seemed eager to tell him that they had no confidence in him. Daniel in the den of lions was in Heaven compared with the place where rested the pioneer Negro Democrat. It is stated that mothers of the Negro race changed the little prayer repeated by their children to read:

Now I lay me down to bleep,

I want to be a Republican

If I should die before I wake,

I want to be a Republican.

I pray the Lord my soul to take,

If I have been a Republican.

All of which I ask for Jesus' sake,

Because I am a Republican. 

C.H.J. Taylor

PRICE, 25 CENTS. 

ATLANTA' GEORGIA : tAS. P. HAKRISON & CO., Pkintekk. 

1889.