New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-06-20
VOL. III.-NO. 24.}
THE NEGROES SOLID FOR GRANT.

per cent. OF the c0lOfed vote IN the entire
State, and what few he does receive will be
in the northern interior counties, where the
Republicans have no organization. Here,
through the "cotton belt" he will not get to
exceed one per cent. In this city he will not
get that. Montgomery contains very many
more negroes than whites, but in all the city
Horace Greeley will not receive five colored
votes.
Yesterday called upon James r. Rapier,
the leading colored man of the State. No
man in the State possesses more influence
with his race than he, or more extensive ac-
quaintance. He was born in this State. has
good education, was a delegate to the New
Orleans Convention, has been in all the
counties of the cotton belt, and is the head
and front of the negro Republican party of
Alabama.
In conversation Mr.. Rapier expressed the
belief that Alabama would so for Grant by
five thousand majority.
rs there no division among the colored
people ?o asked. .---
$ Not in the least" he replied: I" the
nomination Of Horace Greeiey at Cincinnati
will catch no more colored votes in Alabama
than would the nomination of JEFF. Davis"
9 Do they not know that Greeley is their
oldest and truest ffiend!"
No, the mass of them don't know any,
dDout anu III tHeN WDuiu
not support a man, no matter who, that the
Democrats support. They are afraid to 90
in that direction or in that crowd. They
cannot be bought, bribed, or caught by the
nomination of an old friend of freedom
They see the Democrats supporting Greeley,
and that is all they want to know
mentioned Mr.. Greelcy's long service for
negro freedom in the Tribune, and as one of
the founders of the Republican party.
I" The Tribune! What do the negroes of
Alabama know about the Tribune ?" queried
Mr.. Rapier. 81 will wager that, up to the
time of the surrender, not twenty colored
men in Alabama ever saw a copy of the New
Y Ork Tribune. 1t was not allowed to circu-
late through the mails; it was very rarely
seen in the State, even by few whites, and
the negroes knew no more gifts existence or
the existence Of its editor than they did of
the man in the moon. l only speak for Ala
bama, for | was born and raised here and !
know what state to be true. No colored
man in the State has more extensive ac-
Iuaintance with cOlored men than myself l
have travelled in all the counties of the cot
ton belt on business, and my Office is head
quarters for Republicans from all quarters"
Do you not know of any colored men in
this county who will support Grceley?"
NO; Horace Greeley will not get four
wait till November, and you will see that /
am correct. l know of just one colored man
in the city who is for Greeley, and he has
acted with the Democrats all the time, and
has not a particle of influence. He ran for
the Legislature as an independent candidate,
hoping to catch colored votes because he was
cOlored, and only got four. The negroes
cannot be got out of the regular Republican
organization, no matter who is nominated,
who runs, or anything about it. They go in
body, and with the organization"
How about the northern counties of the
State, where Seymour got a number of col
ored votes in 1868 90 / asked.
swell, up there in some of the backwoods
counties, where the Republicans have got no
show, he will get a few colored votes, Just as
any Democrat would. But he will not get as
many as Seymour did, for the Ku-Klux have
been pretty well smashed up by the Federal
courts since then, and they will be more free
to vote for whom they please. For this rea-
son Greeley will not get as many cOlored
votes as Seymour did, or as Governor Lindsey
did at the last election. But what few votes
he does get will be confined to those counties
where the Ku-Klux influence rules, and where
the Republicans are without organization.
The three per cent. of the colored votes
which the Democrats always carry, and
which comes from those upper counties, L
think they will fail on this year, as the Ku-
KluX are about smashed, and nearly every
man will vote as he pleases."
"Greeley's name, then carries no weight
with it ?"
6 Not in the least, sir; not in the least. In
the entire State of Alabama he will not get
fifty more colored votes than would any Demo-
crat that might be nominated. The idea
that his name will carry any weight with it
or, an1N l.
only know two names--LincOln and Grant.
People who think that the mass Of the ne
groes OF Alabama know anything about Hor-
ace Greeley fool themselves. They never
heard of him till nominated, and now to see
the Democrats supporting him is a poor
recommendation, and they will go solid for
Grant. He will get all the colorcd votes of
Alabama, except what few the Democrats
can manage to carry in the back counties"
" How about the white Republican vote ?"
sob, that is for Grant, with a very few
exceptions. know, perhaps, dozen white
Republicans who will support Greeley but
will make very small show on election day.
l am quite positive that Alabama will go for
Grant; the majority may be small, but it will
be enough.''
While was talking with Mr.. Rapier, sew
eral colored men from different portions of
the State, in attendance upon the Federal
Court, came in, and all agreed to what he
said. They did not express themselves as
fluently and ntelligently as Mr.. Rapier, but
they succeeded in saying: "We are all for
Grant" several times; which was to the
point, and does not need enlarging upon.
Mr.. Rapier is the best intellect under q
colored skin in Alabama. His acquaintance
among his race is more extensive than that
of any man in the State, and what he says
can be relied upon as correct 1t can be laid
down as broad proposition, subject to few
and trifling exceptions, that the negroes Of
the South will not vote for Horace Greeley.
So far, in my experience south of the Ohio,
have met but one who was for him, and he
has voted the Democratic ticket for four years,
and doesn't propose to change his course now
that Greeley is nominated.
s'One Man Who Did His Duty.''
II iS raally rofrac bipo M loct 10 rot fo on