The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1872-03-30
Publc Opinion } on Public
Questions.
The Colored Vote.

PIE OF tn country, though conStitut-
ing in 15S 10 more than one-seventh OF
the wholly population, were not deem
ed OF much political significance. The
comparatively few wi no in the North
ern StateY enjoyed ii lAe elective fran
chlse, wde not sufficiently numerous,
as compa7ed with tho great body OF
voters, t4 enter into the calculation OF
political parties or make any consider
able impression as to the result. Poll
tlclans d. not consider them of con-
sequence enough to he worth any spe-
cial atteIttio Politics belonged to
white men as their exclusive right
and privilege, while black men were
OF no ACCOUNT.
This 81 tie of things has been Won
derfully changed by the destruction of
slavery Ind the acknowledgements of
the colored people. History contains
no record of SO great q revolution on
so large scale and i'm 80 short time.
1t seemsfmo like a aImiracle than an
event tISlnspiring under, the usual
operation Ofmoral causes. The vic
tins of cruel prejudice and long OPP
pressionk;uddenlyt and without any of
those catamities SO often predicted,
stand hISip the full manhood of Am
erican citizenship, This is no longer
the "white mans government; but,
rather, the government of the people,
holding 10 each other the relation of
civil and political equality, immaterial
of what snay be theih race or color.
The principles of the Declaration of
Indepens senee have at length been in
corporal Id into fundamental law of
the land. The Fourteenth Amend
ment says that "all persons born or
in the United States and
subject - the jurisdiction thereof, are
citizens IF the United States and of the
State wherein they reside" The fif-
teenth Smendment says that "the
right of .itizens of the United States
to vote shall not be denied or abridged
by the nited States, or by any State,
ON accO! mt of race, color or previous
of serFitude." This is
different doctrine from that
of Chief Justice Taney, who denied
the citiYnship of the negro, and de-
clarcd 4lat he had no rights which
white men were bound to respect.
The I4xt national election will be
the first in the history of the country
according to cofored men the full Op-
portuniiy to participate as citizens in
the cho1 ,e of President and Vice. Pres
ident. }che colored race iii 1870 nnm-
bered 4 IB80, ,O09, in i total population
Of 3S, ,55b, 1888, which is a fraction more
than one-eighth of the whole. If we
estimate one-sixth Of this number to
be votes, then, according to the GEN.
aus of 1870, the coldred voters will he
3l3,234t Their increase since the TAX
ng of the census must bring the
lumbeH up TO. about nine hundred
.housalM. These Eoters are for the
most ptrt in the Southern States. In |
Mississippi and South Carolina they
,onstit tie large proportion of. the
voting population, and in Louisiana
heir ntmber is slightly III excess of
he white vote.
Theie is hardly d Southern State
f we except Delaware, Maryland, |
and West Virginia-in |
which 3hey are not sufficiently numer
,us TO kOld the balance of power, and |
,y the / vote determine the result of |
my elS.tion. Nor are they by any |
means an insignificant element in
everaI of the Northern States. In
$40 pennsylvania contained IS, ,294 |
,olored people, which would give l0,- |
'82 col6red votes, TO say nothing of
he increase since that period. The
State Of New York has about 10000
uch otes. Ohio has nearly 1900 |
more. 9In Illinois there are more than
900, a}ld moro than 1000 in Indiana.
Iew Jersey has nearly 6000, and Con-
lecticltt about 1000. In all the |
lorthFn States, with few exceptions,
he col bred vote is large enough to !
make }tself distinctly felt as a poll
ical pSwer.
This vote ought 60 be entirely Re-
,ublican, from one end of the land to
he oteer. Such, as we cannot doubt,
t willsbe by an overwhelming pre-
DT. Garnett, himself a
oloreG man, and speaking in the in
crest of his race, ueslgnates q cOlOred |
nan .4ting the Democratic ticketas
blacE fool" This race owes moth
ng I'd Democracy except Indignation
md c4ntempt From first to last, the
Democratic party has been politically
Is sw 5rn enemy. Allied with slave
Ioldeis before the war, it did its ut
most b prevent the adoption of the
hree Ereat amendments which have
fitted ythe cOlored people to their
'reserFt position. Not one of these
weuld have been ratified I
the Democracy had been the ma
1rity fparty in this country. Every
tate kontrolled by Democrats voted
gainl all of them; and, when they
'ere proposed in Congress, the whole
trength of the party was solidly ar
aged against them. The Democratic
ecord in this respect is much darker
han the skin of it's victims. This one
ndictment against it, were there no
ther, ought to cdnsign the party to
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