New-York tribune., 1867-03-21
HOW VILL NEGROES V0TE'
The Times sees fit to ask


els The TRIBUNE little premature in It's exulta-
tQn the fact that Wade Hampton and other distn'
gushed south Carolina politicians address poLoa @ az meet &
with cOlored Oratorsi Does not this ioreshadow the
possibility at all events that the cooreo vqe may nO'
aries from the Northern States IL would cause as
ha E gvRg fEe the suffrage to ho
had only put an increased vote at the eoana Sl 'o
south Carolina looks a little like It,"
Reply-The Times ought to know what every
one who combines honesty with intelligence
must know that THE TRIBUNE has always held
and taught that Blacks, like Whites, would
vote without regard to their color after their
rights as men are fully and freely conceded.
Why not' Why should man, because he is
Black, vote otherwise than if he were White,
provided the law makes and knows no distinc-
ton of color9 Surely, no person was ever
taught by THE TRIBUNE that "the Colored
vote" ,rould always be at the command of
itinerant political missionaries from the
Northern States" :" and The Times can injure
none but itself by nsinuating the contrary. II
the Southern Whites shall see fit to resist the
acknowledgements of the Blacks, and to run Gas
Of late in Georgetown, ID. c. white Mans
"tickets," even after enfranchisement is a fixed
fact, they will thereby compel the Blacks to
vote soidly against them but we do
not suspect the great body Of the Demo-
Gratis of any such folly. On the contrary,
we know them TO be entirely too smart polit-
clans TO persist in The stimulation of negro-hato
one moment longer than they suppose 1t Will
pay. Already, we see boasts in their journals
that the negroes of one district in Boston voted
their ticket M a recent special election, and that
those of Troy did likewise at the late charter
election. In the Boston case, as the Democratic
candidate was a negro, the yaunt il very prob
ably true az TO Troy, we consider it very
doubtful. since we are well assured that the
Troy negroes arc industrious, moral. temperate,
thrifty citizens, who keep out of grog-sh0ps
and other low resorts where Democrats most
do congrega,e. Still It may be that they voted
AZ is claimed if they did. they doubtless had
good reason FOR IT,
The sooner our people are disabuScd OF all
nonsense about the Colored vote" the better
for al parties Blacks. ike Whites, viii be
apt to vote as 4 unit for their own rights as
men. 50 long "a those rights are as5ailed or
endangered And if Wado Hampton. or any
other " distinguished politician" in South Car
olina or elsewhere, fancieS he can pull wool
over their eyes on this point he will find it
entirely too short o. obscure their vision.
But whenever it shall be fully and freely
conceded that negro Is man, with the
feelings. rights. perceptions. and aspirations
of manhood, we presume that the Colorcd
vote" will be- cast a. the Whito vote i5-in
accordance with the diverse education, habits
associations, tl.tc4, and feelings ot the voters
respectively. And then Won may bo morally
sure thlt negro who is keeping a thieves
grog- shop. or den OF infamy. or one of tho
worse kinds OF sailor boarding houses. will
usually vote the Democratic ticket, instead of
being constrained 10 vote in opposition to his
class interests and personal tastes as a protest
against The denial OF Human Rights 10 ms race.