The New York herald., 1869-06-10
Negro Suffrage I'm washington.

| day last which challenge some attention.
| First, the total vote cast, about eleven thou
| sand, was several thousands less than the vote
registered. Secondly, the registered negroes
were by several thousands less In number than
the last preceding election the vote between
| the republicans and conservatives was very
! close. Fourthly, at this election Of Monday
last the republicans carried the city by about
| five thousand majority, and much to their own
astonishment. From these facts 1t follows
that the conservative vote, to the extent of
several thousands, was not brought out In this
election; and here we meet the question, why
| not? The answer has been furnished in the
| negro riots and rufianism which prevailed on
election day. It does not appear that the
wrath of the radical blacks extended to any
white voter directly but by their savage pur-
suit of an obnoxious democratic nigger, Of
some prominence among his people, consider
able numbers Of conservative whites were
doubtless frightened away from the polls.
Many others, no doubt, remained at home in
disgust at the growing beauties of negro suf-
frage in Washington.
| The result is that the municipal government
| of the national capital is in the hands of the
negro population of the city-say two-fifths Of
the estimated total population of one hundred
and fifty thousand. In other words, sixty
thousand blacks in Washington, with small
detachment of radical white voters, under the
management of corporal's guard Of radical
| white politicians, give the law to the ninety
thousand whites of the city. The political
excitement consequent upon the riots is be-
coming intensified, the radical negroes de-
manding perfect equality with the whites in
matters Of municipal Office and outdoor every
day society. In politics they will move to
elect colored mayor, and have already named
| Register Cook as their candidate. The Regis
ter is described as an advanced darky" in
our Washington telegram to-day, and man
possessing both tact and fortune. He de-
spises the Virginia ''contrabands," rating them
as unfit for decent negro society. Major
Richards, Superintendent of Police, is spoken
Of as the white candidate but it is thought
he will have little chance Of election, in conse-
quencc of his action for the suppression of the
riot. Equality or war of races will most
likely ensue. The negro will not give way.
| He demands full acknowledgment in the
theatres, restaurants and barber shops; yet,
strange to say, the fashionable BARRIERS of the
city will not operate on ''darky" or poor
''coiored person." Any negro is, it appears,
good enough to associate with white men
but zone negro is not as good as
another" even yet. What is the char
acter of this black element Of Wash
| ington? From all accounts it is made up of
| the worst materials Of the Southern emanci-
padoes. Just before the war OS60), in q
total population OF sixty-one thousand, the
blacks Of Washington numbered eleven thou-
sand to fifty thousand whites or in round
numbers, they were one-sixth of the popula-
ton. Thus, it appears that since 1860 they
have increased at the rate Of nearly six hun
dred per cent in nine years, while the whites
| show an increase Of less than one hundred
per cent.
| The war will account Tor the difference
With the beginning of the war the negro
slaves from Maryland and Virginia began to
| drift into Washington. AS the war progressed
a wider area Of territory was drained by
these fugitives drifting into Washington. With
Joe Johnstons evacuation of Manassas and re-
| treat to Richmond in 1862, the towns, farms
and plantations Of Eastern Virginia down to
the Richmond peninsula were nearly
stripped of their negro slaves. Some
were carried Off by their masters
southwark for safety; some sought their
| freedom within the lines of the Union
army; but from the small encouragement given
these fugitives by General Mcclellan the main
body of them drifted into Washington. The
abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia
still further increased these accessions Of
blacks In the District, and the necessities for
labor In the Washington depots Of army sup-
plies and in the Notifications around the city,
and all the manifold little jobs and chances to
pick up something incident to the headquarters
ofa vast active army system, in the movements
Of men and supplies, by land and water, fur
| nished these negroes resources Of subsistence.
When the war ended and these bountilul
resources were cut off, starvation began TO
appear among the Washington blacks. The
supply of them was greater than the demand.
The government had to furnish the destitute
temporarily with provisions and clothing.
Next, as slavery had been everywhere abol-
ished in the Union, the runaways from vir-
ginia, Maryland and elsewhere began to return
TO their old places, and so the law of necessity
has since been operating to reduce the negroes
Of Washington. But they are gregarious
race and they like the shows and cxcitements
and license and chances of idleness Of towns
and cities, even TO the verge of
famine. Hence the heavy black popula-
ton still remaining in Washington. Being,
too, an omnium gatterum chiefly of