The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-04-14
The Coming Elections In the South.


The Coming Elections In the South.
South Carolina will lead off to-day in the
Southern elections this month under the Con-
gressional plan of reconstruction. She fol-
lows Alabama and Arkansas, both of which, it
is alleged, have adopted radical constitu-
tons and elected radical State and national
officers. The latest registration March 3D
allowed to be published is that Of South Caro-
lima, where we find at that date Al, III whites
registered, against S0,379 blacks-showing a
black majority of $4,000.
1t is somewhat singular that while the mill
tary commanders In the South are willing to
allow publicity to be given to the latest regis
tration In cases where the blacks preponderate,
they studiously withhold the figures where
there is good reason to believe the whites have
increased the number of their registration, or,
it may be, are in majority. 1t is well known
that in Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia,
Louisiana and other Southern States where
registration was revised after the Convention
vote, the returns have been pocketed by
the generals commanding the departments,
and as yet are only to be judged by the ratio
of those who have declared their intentions to
register and those who still adhere to their
determination to have nothing whatever to
do with the business Of voting under the negro
reconstruction policy. Calculating by this
standard, there is good reason to believe that
the white conservatives have largely increased
;,,r tho In oil
the States, and now immensely overbalance
the white Adventures from the North and those
original white Southern Union men who can
take the iron-clad or any other OATH perhaps.
The whole difficulty, therefore, lies with the
votes of the blacks-how they shall be cast so
of both races in the South.
The total registration in 1867 was as fol-
lows Whites, 63l, 791; blacks, 697, $50
showing an aggregate black majority of 6S, 259.
That this majority has been more than over
balanced by the increased white registration in
1868 under revision is almost certain. 1t only
remains, then, for the conservatives to adopt
a policy of moderation towards the blacks in
order to carry the whole Southern country
| like whirlwind over the radicals.
| The white conservatives-the natives Of
| the soil, those to the manor born--have not
| come out in their strength upon any po-
litical contest yet had at the polls since the be-
| ginning of the rebellion. The blacks have not
yet seen their old masters going in body to
deposit their votes. Instead, they have fol-
| lowed the lead or have been led by the arm by
some Northern rapscallion who had been ex-
PEELED from his own region because he would
no longer be tolerated therein and fled South
to benefit his fortunes and humbug the poor
blacks Now, when the Southern whites con-
clude to vote-a conclusion they should not
hesitate to arrive at promptly-the blacks will
naturally be inclined to think twice before they
shacklc themselves to Northern and more
odious taskmaster than the intelligent among
| them were ever accustomed to obey in the
South. That they will in large numbers 60
with their old masters, their old friends, their
old neighbors, their old protectors, is as reason
ably to be expected as that the Prodigal Son
returned to his fathers welcome roof after a
season Of inappreciable mental suffering and
bodily torture. by the whites voting they will
bring the blacks to them; and once with them
they well know how, with kindness, Cancellation
and familiar treatment, they can be managed
BY this means the conservatives can carry at
least half of the Southern States yet to vote,
and, securing majorities in the Legislatures,
may send Senators to Congress who will be
admitted, while those sent to the lower House
will be admitted as friends to the radicals, but
will eventually prove true to the old constitution
and to human rights, white as well as black.
We therefore urge upon every white Southern
conservative to put his shoulder to the wheel,
and, with coat off and sleeves rolled up, push
on the work of reform and civilization SO much
needed in this beautiful but suffering land.
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INDECENcY OF PARTY ORGANS. Recently
we had on the same day in the respective