Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-08-13
THE COLoRED VOTE OF THE SOUTH

One of the most significant features of the
political canvass now going on in the South
rs the fact that the Democratic party is
entering into an animated and, apparently,
not altogether unsuccessful competition with
the Republicans Tor the vote OF the colored
people. In Georgia the Democrats put
forward the claim that they will gel, at
least, 10000 of the $1,000 negro votes of that
State In Georgia the Democrats, headed by
Howell Cobb, have formed a sort OF League,
the members of which pledge themselves not
TO give work to any negroes who cannot show
that they are members of some colorcd Demo-
cratic club. 1t is stated that there are fourteen
cOlOred Democratic clubs in savannah, Ga
and that numerous accessious" are received at
very mt eng. The BADGES OF these club are
exhibited by colored men seeking labor as proof
that they intend voting the Democratic ticket.
The Republicans aver that the colored men
who Join these clubs, do so under coercion
TO procure employment, and that they will
''play possum" when the election come, and
vote the Republican ticket This may or may
not be, but the fact remains that such colored
clubs are being organized. and that the Demo-
Gratis are counting confidently upon getting
their votes. In Alabama the Democrats s I'm,
also, TO be cultivatiug the negro vote with ASST
duty. A meeting of colored people was held
a Democratic club A Seymour aud Blair rati-
fication meeting, composed almost exclu-
siyely Of negroes, - was held, the Allah ma pa
pers say, st Demopolis last week, and ad-
dressed by four white, and six black speakers
Jim WeStbrook, Jack Lee, Reuben Ryon, Sandy
Cameron, VIM. Roberts and julie Armstrong.
.'Old Uncle Sandy Cameron, from Hale" we
are told by the same papers, 4" was scathIng in
his denunclation of the carpet-baggers," &C.,
&c. Joseph Z. williams, a Tennessee col.
Ored orator, is stumping Alabama for the De-
mocracy," is another item we find in the
southern papers. We learn also from them
that ga large Democratic meeting was held
Harlan, Georgia August :, was addressed
by several noted southern speakers, and large
number of colored Democrats wore Seymour
and Blair badges; that in Louisiana at Thi-
bodeaux, Alexandria, Iberville, and Algiers,
large meetings of negroes have been held ad.
verse to the Radicals that =. in North Caro-
lima the negroes of Washington. Salisbury.
Hopewell, and Halifax have organized Demo.
cratic clubs; that IN Tarboro, Sandy Long and
Eiton Harrison, colored magistrates appointed
by Gov. Holden, have come out for Seymour
and Blair that ''the negroes Of Hopewell
Mecklenburg county, have formed a Demo-
cratic club, and large numbers have Joined IL.
with officers of their own" &C., &c.
Tue iact thai the negro vote Of the South is
being sought by both the parties is OF Interes,
an many respects; and the que ton arises how
far the demand for his suffrage we'll effect the
condition OF the color nan fayorasly
Doubtless it will raise him in the social
scale somewhat; he will probably be
treated with more consideration as
free and independent voter" .sopen
20 conviction" then if certain 10 20 ALWAYS
with one party. As regards the negro vote we
90 not suppose that any hing like coercion on
the question Of employment will affect 1t in the
main In the long run the planter will find the
iaborers quite as necessary TO him as he TO
them L@boI in the South for some time is
likely TO be quite as much in demand as vo,~.,
and the experience Of the planters since the
war has shown thar the supply of labor Is by
10 means equal TO the need. On the whole we
may conclude that, while cons .derable n umbers
Of the colored deople may vote the way their
employees may wish, it will be from other IN
nuences thsn that Of employment coercion, and
that the aggregate colored vote, for some time
TO come at least, will not be materially sfrcctsd
by such appliances.