Letter from Major Van Bokkelen

Title

Letter from Major Van Bokkelen

Subject

Black race

Description

The Van Bokkelen letter, printed in this Unionist paper (p. 2), admits much of what the Democratic paper was accusing them of: that there was a plan to bring out black workers in the mills. He reports Mercer being for it, and then saying he was never for it.

"Voters, on Monday Remember" (p. 2) exhorts readers to vote a straight Unionist ticket in the June 5 election.

"Don't Throw Away Your Votes?" Half the King County Copperhead [Democrat] ticket is ineligible for office.

"Take Notice" (p. 2) "The Copperheads are industriously circulating that Mr. Denny is in favor of negro suffrage and equality...This is one of the numerous wholesale falsehoods invented by the Copperhead organ at Olympia."

"Short of Timber" (p.2) D.T. Denny, on Democrat ticket as county treasurer, is not a candidate.

"A Nut for Joe Foster" (p. 2) Rep. Joe Foster, Democrat, is "not a legal citizen of the United States."

"A Word to Patriots" (p. 2) Joseph Foster was once a Republican, then joined the Democrats. "He has openly stated that he would prefer Jeff. Davis for President of the United States before Abraham Lincoln, whom he denounced as a tyrant, a food and a traitor," then claimed these "were only jokes."

"Radicalism of War" (p. 2) In war "every loyal heart is an extremist."

"A Supposition" (p. 2) If King County elects Copperheads "we have no right to ask any favors" from the Legislature, which is sure to be Unionist.

"Who Will Vote for Major Tilton" (p. 2) Disloyal people.

"Made Him Swallow the Oath" (p. 1) A man who exulted over the death of Lincoln was forced to swear allegiance to the U.S. flag.

"Late Eastern News" President Johnson agrees that jailers in infamous Confederate POW camps will not be given rights of POWs; Mexico rumored to have "a system of silent organization" to recruit secessionists; Government rumored to have letter implicating Jeff. Davis in Lincoln assassination; Johnson offers $25,000 award for arrest of conspirators.

Abstract

Letter from J.J.H. Van Bokkelen of Port Townsend admitting to have discussed a visit of Freedmen's Bureau man to import black labor for mill workers, and that Mercer favored this, but that after a bill was introduced in the Legislature banning "importation of negroes," Mercer said "it was never his intention to touch the negroes."

Creator

J.J.H. Van Bokkelen

Source

Seattle Weekly Gazette

Publisher

Seattle, WA: J.R. Watson

Date Issued

1860-06-01

References

Denny, Arthur Armstrong, 1822-1899

Medium

Web

Type

newspaper

Bibliographic Citation

Vol. 2, iss. 3, p. 2, col. D

Spatial Coverage

Olympia; Thurston

Temporal Coverage

1865

Provenance

Washington State Archives

URL

www.sos.wa.gov/history/newspapers.aspx

Start Page

2

End Page

2