Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-13
THE NEGRO VOTE.

THE NEGRO VOTE.
The Knoxville Wing of the 18th
inst. contains the following. cor
rection:
"We found ourselves repeating the
trite remark, How this world is given to
lying = on reading the Nashville Satur-
days dispatch to the Chicago Tribune.
Here is one of its statements :
As the returns continue to come, it
becomes evident that fraud has been
everywhere reinforced. Wherever the
colored mer were permitted to vote, as
in this city and Memphis, they voted
unanimously for Stokes and the Repub.-
lican ticket
This we know is false. In Knox,
Hamilton, Jefferson, Blount and Sewer
counties, the colored men were per-
united to vote and they did not UOte
unanimously for Stokes, by many huns
dreds, and they did vote for the Repubr
lican candidate when they voted for
Gov. Senter."
A persistent effort was made TO
poll the negro vote for Stokes. He
had boosted in the outset that he
would get the entire negro vote,
and he relied upon the loyal leagues
to hold the negroes true to him. In
the cities and larger towns the
leaguers succeeded in keeping the
negroes from thinking and acting
for themselves, but even in these
places large numbers of negroes
voted for Gov. Senter and the Con-
sentative and Democratic candi-
dates for the Legislature. In the
country the negroes deserted Stokes
almost by regiments. The proba-
bilities are that the Radicals will
never be able to command the me-
gro vote as they have in former
years. The Conservatives and
Democrats made no effort TO secure
the negro vote in the late election
in this State, yet the returns show
that many thousands of them voted
for Gov. Senter and the successful
candidates for the Legislature. The
same condition of affairs was noticed
in the late election in Virginia.
Now that the Radicals have lost
their hold upon the negro, dssatis
faction with the "man and
brother" is beginning TO manifest
itself. Since the negroes of Vir-
ginia have assisted in carrying that
State over to the Conservatives, the
Radicals are beginning to express
doubt as to whether a great mistake
has not been committed in putting
the ballot. box into the hands of the
ignorant Masses" meaning the ne.
groes. 1t has surprised many that
the Washington Republican, a jour
nal known to possess the confidence
of the extreme portion of the Grant
cabinet, has thus early after the
Virginia election "gone back" upon
tho very shibboleth Of the Radical
party. Yet such is the case. 1t has
come out in an elaborate article,
written, as is believed, under the
inspiration of authority, and pros
poses to disfranchise an over
whelming majority of the negroes
now entitled to vote in the South
ern States. The Republican says:
"The system of putting the ballot box
into the hands Of the ignorant masses
no matter of what origin-if continued,
cannot fail to lead to very serious, if not
disastrous results. Congress will be
remiss in its duty to the country if early
action on the subject is neglected 1t is
contended by many Of our ablest men,
and with great force of argument, that
the best suffrage qualification would be
ability to read and write the English
language correctly With this as the
univeraI qualification test in all federal q,
and State elections, the ballot-bOx would
be protected against ignorance, and to
very large extent against the possibility
of corruption"
Who put "the ballot-box" Eve
suppose the author meant the ballot,
but his phrase is literally correcD
"into the hands of the Ignorant
Masses" from whom the Repub-
lican now anticipates such dire con-
sequences to liberty in this country?
Certainly it was not the people of
the South. They had no voice in
the matter. 1t was the work of
fanatical Radical Congress. 1t will
be remembered that while the pro-
posed fifteenth amendment was be-
fore the House of Representatives,
Mr.. Boutwell,, in response to an in