Wilmington Journal

The Bladen Radical Pow-Wow—A Political Preacher—Blocker Tampering with the Delegates—Stiff and General Fisher—The Negro and the Carpet-Bagger, &c., &c.

ELIZABETHTOWN, July 1st.

Dear Journal—The Radical Convention in Bladen on the 25th June was a rehash of the scenes that occurred in their recent Lumberton Convention. For some time past the carpet-baggers had been engaged in brilliant manoeuvres—pulling their wires—but when the collision came, they found that the negroes were not so easily managed now as heretofore. The meeting opened by the Sheriff (Eldridge) calling his deputy (Wilkinson) to the Chair. This trick was quickly detected by some of the master spirits of the negro element, who raised such a yell that the Chair was vacated, and a Committee appointed, by no one in particular, to select permanent officers. This Committee soon brought forward Dugald Blue, who, smelling gun-powder ahead, "respectfully begged to be excused." F. W. Foster was next announced, who, amid the confusion, took possession of the Chair, with evident satisfaction to himself and chagrin of the anti carpet-baggers. Alex. Pope, a colored aspirant for legislative honors, was made way with, by allowing himself to be made Secretary. The Chair then proposed to appoint a "select committee of three" on nominations. The negroes objecting to any of "Foster's selections," the proposition was withdrawn, and a committee of twelve on nominations were appointed, six of whom were candidates, and received the nomination according to their report afterwards made. While this committee were out, the meeting was addressed by "Parson" Cashwell, who said he wanted to go to the Legislature very bad, but was objected to, first, because he was a preacher; second, because he loved the women too well; and third, because he was incompetent. He justified his course as a preacher in answer to charge No. 1; admitted charge No. 2; and said, in answer to charge No. 3, that he had as much sense as any Foster, not excepting the notorious Foster Blodgett, of Georgia, via New York. Mr. C. was proceeding to denounce the last Legislature as a swindle and a humbug, when James McCallum, a colored delegate of sound sense, and ever on the alert, asked the Chair what township O. H. Blocker represented. He was told by the Chair that Mr. B. was not a delegate, but only a visitor from Cumberland county. Then, says James, he is in the committee room, tampering with the committee in the interest of you Yankees, and if you don't have him to come out of there we'll put him out. Mr. B. soon made his exit from the room and from the Convention, whereupon James declared that the committee was sacked and the Convention was a swindle, and they (the negroes) would repudiate the whole concern at the August election! Mr. Cashwell concluded by telling his bear story, (which was a 'very palpable hit' at the carpet-bagger,) and then yielded the floor to Mr. "William Stiff," another colored aspirant, who claimed the nomination for the 'House of Commons,' because his father had been bound out by the County Court of Chatham in 1840. William finished his speech by broadly asserting that the negroes were inferior to the whites. At this point a colored delegate named Devano was loudly called for, but the Chair by some logic of its own, held that General Fisher, who had been called for by as many as two voices, was entitled to the floor. The General meekly came forward, and denied the assertion of "Mr. Stif." that the whites were superior to the negroes, &c., and while he was endeavoring to show that the converse of that principle was true, Mr. Eldridge, the Chairman of the committee on nominations, came forward and announced among other things, that he had nominated himself and Mr. Fisher. Then it was that the pent up wrath of the negroes burst forth upon the devoted heads of the carpet baggers—a dozen were on their feet at the same time—shouts, yells, curses, loud and deep, filled the air—a perfect bedlam ensued. If all the fiends had been unfettered and turned loose, they could not have created more confusion, nor enacted more disgusting scenes than your correspondent then witnessed. All the fury of the negroes seemed to be directed upon the three individuals (Eldridge, Fisher and Foster) who belong to that much persecuted (?) class of people among us denominated carpet-baggers. The negro leaders told their people to leave. A motion was here made to adjourn for a short time, but too late for the purposes intended, for by this time the negroes were outside, when speeches were made by those who were not afraid to denounce the unfair manner in which they had been treated. The shameless fraud practised upon them was to be seen by every one. Honest members of the Republican party proclaim publicly and boldly, that never were a people so foully used, so badly defrauded, and so shamefully taken the advantage of, as were the colored people, by the office loving and impecunious carpet-bagger. The negroes see it. Their favorite declared himself an independent candidate, amid their loudly expressed determination to stand by him. They seriously feel the want of some able and competent leader, however, to direct their affairs. After the most of the negroes had left, the carpet-baggers resorted to a coup de main by calling the Convention again and with a guard at the door—nominating the very same ticket. Mark that. But Saturday's doings sounded the death-knell of carpet-bagism in Bladen. "Thou art weighed in the balances and found wanting" has been read upon the wall, by trembling carpet-baggers, and well may they reproach Galloway for sowing the seed which is speedily bringing about their political destruction.

Ever yours,
CAPE FEAR.