Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-09-16
GRACE ISSUE"

QlGiTer calls the trace ISSUE" which is being
forced upon the country, while the New
York Eseniag Post calls it sthe black mans
b,under." The Post, which is supporter
of the Grant administration, has this notice
Of the movement looking to the organiza-
ton Of black mans party: 70
"a handful has been sent us from
Charleston, S. O.. headed Municipal Elec-
tioD,' signed by q committee who, from the
platform that follows, we presume to be eli
colored men. From that platform we learn
that the ticket is TO be selected from the
whites and blacks, irrespective of former
politics, and the demand is that it shall
be composed as 70 low /: For next Mayor, a
viii e man; nine colored Aldermen (most
positively, AMI nine white; captain or chief
of police, colored man; first lieutenant,
white; second lieutenant, eolored; then all
the subordinates or non-cOmmissioned Off
GERS aud. priv ties on the police force
: white and colored. These colored
men must be of cur own choice in politics.
We also demand an equal alternate pro rata
in all the other departments ofthe city gov
eminent, and share in the Executive pat
ronage; and No man, ne care not whom,
shall receive our notice as q candidate who
does not endorse and advocate these meas
ures.' As the platform farther requires
that eve (they) the colored mem shall Sc
lect for their sufirages white men for this
ticket who may come up to our their) re-
quirements and stand firmly and squarely
on cur (their) PLATFORM we infer That no
white man will receive support who is not
pledged beforehand to sustain this black
mans party in all its measures. We infer
also that in the opinion Of the cClored men
of Charleston, the rights and interests of
the two races are absolutely opposed to eacn
other, and that those of the colored race
can only be sustained by their eDtire su-
premacy over the white"
The Post puts it mildly in calling this
movement a blunder. 1t Is only quss-
ton Of time when this "race issue" will be
forced upon the white men in tie
States in which the negroes have
a majority. They claim that they have
been showers of wood and drawers of
water" long enough for the white Republi-,
cans, and they have determined to assert
their rights to be voted for as well as TO
vote, and it is PROFESSIONALLY the purpose
of the leaders of the Republican party to
hand over the control and government of a
number of Southern States the negroes.
In these States the "race issue" will be
squarely made, and no white man, except
perhaps an occasional carpet Dagger, will be
| allowed to held Office. The first out-spo-
ken movement in this direction has been
taken in Charleston, where the municipal
offices are apportioned among the Negroes
and whites BY the negroes themselves, and
this is mildly called blunder by journal
that supported the election of Grant and
defends his administration. There is other
evidence than that furnished by the move
ment in Charleston that the question of
race is to be made an issue wherever the me-
groes have a majority. The Benton County
argus, published at Ashland, Mississippi,
gives in recent issue the following facts
bearing upon this point:
ain all the counties where the negroes
have considerable majorities, white Repub-
licans are being thrown overheard, and the
man and brother is asserting the power to
which his strength entities him. At the
| recent nominating convention in Kinds,
! seven negroes and three whites were nomi-
| mated; and two Of th whites We;e nomi-
| mated for the clerkships, the negroes
shrewdly knowing that The legality
OF The law is doubted which provides for
the electi1n tGis year of circuit and chance
ry clerks. At the reorganization of tbs
party in Marshall county last week, seven
negroes and one white (Sheriff Buchanan)
were elected officers of the Holly Springs
club. AT the convention held on Saturday
TO send delegates to Jackson, five blacks
and two viii es were appointed delegates,
and six blacks and one white alternates.
The intention is boldly declared to make
Mississippi negro State"
1t is stated that the Grace issue" has al
ready become question in Virginia, and
that the negroes are organising with view
to assert their right to the offices in counties
where they constitute q majority. The
Washington Republican which 2 short time
ago deprecated in strong terms the organi-
cation of black mans party, now says in
its issue of Sept. 10: ~
"The Richmond Wing of yesterday en-
deavors TO prove that there is no occasion
for the colored men of Virginia organizing
on the race liDe,' and assures them that
not one of their rights is threatened By the
Conservative party. The colored men of
Virginia, after the experience they have had
with the constituency of the Conservative |
party, will hardly accept the assurances of |
the Wig and rush pell-mell into the meshes |
OF the enemy. 1t is true, as the Wing says,
that the Conservatives have not denied to |
the colored people the rights, privileges and |
franchises entered upon them by the con- |
stitutiOnal amendments"
The Republican appears to have toned |
down considerably on the subject Of the or
ganization of black mans party. 1t sp- |
pears now TO be opposed to such q party |
where it will joepar1ize the success of the
Republicans, as in someof the Northern |
States, where few thousand votes would |
turn the scale, but it is willing to see the
experiment tried in Virginia, where il con-
fesses the Democrats have withheld no
right from the negro. This ''rsce issue" is
already upon us, and its results will affect
the whole country, but the South is to be
the greatest sufferer. If black mans PSF
ty may be so organized as to secure the
control of number of Southern States
say half dozen-as it unquestionably
can be by the negroes concentrating
in the designated States, why may
we not have German party, which may
control number of States, especially in the
West and Northwest? If the organization
of parties on the basis of race shall be car
RED out, as has unquestionably been begun
by the negroes, where will 1t not reach, and
how are We to preserve that distinguishing
feature of being ''one people,,
which has been our boast? In short. how
is "the life of the nation" to Re preserved
with such incongruous elements as parties
formed on the basis of race and section
for the latter must follow the former Gas
surely as the night the day"-entering into
our politics? TIE psople who encourage
this thing are warming into life an element
1,,I .