The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-11-22
The Dem ocratio Party and the Negroes.
IN. Y. Herald i

than in Repnblican bapds. IL 1s the ten
dency and effect of the Republican policy
to array the negroes in hostility to the best
classes of the Southern population, and
thereby obstruct the ascendency of intelli-
gence, character and property in Southern
politics. Negro suffrage has proved to be
great evil, chiefly on account of the divorce
effected in the South between numbers &Hd
intelligence. The Southern blacks have
been formed into n political party under
outside guidance and contrOl-a party
which had set of interests, or supposed
interests, separate from the general inter
ests of the Southern community. 10 a
healthy state of politics there is " soil
darity' Of feeling between the prosperous
and the AMOR classes, and although there
may be- TWO parties-as there always are in
free ccuntres--they are composed on both
sides of the rich and the poor, the intelli-
gent and the ignorant 1t Is the preroga-
tive of Intelligence to control ignorance,
and the lief evil of Southern politics since
the war has consisted in such an organiza-
ton of the blacks as has arrayed them in
opposition to the enlightened local feeling
of the communities with which their lot is
cast. But as soon as Federal influence shall
cease to control the negro mind intelli
gence and capacity will reassert their sway
and negro voting in the South will be as
safe as the immigrant vote has always been
in the North. The Democratic party will
have no temptation to deprive the negroes
VI inc Tiput ot suffrage, ooCauso IL Will nave
no difficulty in controlling the negro mind
when the potent Federal Influence CO.
operates with local intelligence instead of
frustrating and defeating it.
Even under the great disadvantage of
having the Federal influence opposed to
them the Southern Democrats have made
some Roadway in controlling the negro
vote. In the recent election in Louisiana
quite proportion of the negro citizens
acted with the Democratic party. AS s,on
as Democratic ascendency is established in
Washington Democratic negroes will be as
common in the South as Req ublican ne
groes, and the negro question will then
cease to be an element of disturbance. The
true interests of the negroes are identical
with the true interests of Southern whites.
The negroes cannot prosper when the COM
mnnity in which they live is impoverished.
They can find remunerative employ ment
only when the wheels of business are in full
activity. If capital yields no profits labor
cannot expect constant employment or
good wages; and the most important
lesson the Southern negroes have yet to
learn is that they cannot thrive on the de-
preston and ruin of the owners of prop
erty. Their credulity has been too long
abused aud their simplicity deceived by
interloping demagogues, who have incul-
Gated the idea that they have separate
interest from their white fellow citizens.
This state of things is likely to continue so
n
publican party; but within year or two
after it is left to local control o majority of
the negroes will be steady Democratic
voters, and the negro problem will disap
pear from our politics.
The Democratic politicians, both of the
North aud the South, have always dis
played remarkable capacity for control
ling ignorant voters. There has always
been q large class of uueducated whites in
the Southern States, but there was no sec
tion OF he country whose politics, previous
to the war, were so completely controlled
by its Intelligent classes. 1t has been in
former times the active party in extending
the suffrage; it has always been foremost
in defending the political rights of citizens
of foreign birth it has always felt the
to array the most despised orders of the
community on its own side in politics and
make them it's faithful allies. The Demo
cratic party has genins for managing
such classes of voters, and it would belle it's
antecedents and tendencies il it should at
tempt to disfranchise the Southern negroes
instead of attempting to manage them. It's
past opposition TO negro suffrage is tran
sient phase of politics which has been
farther prolonged than it would have been
If the Freedmen's Bureau and the carpet
bag influence had not got go decided
start in the control of the negro mind.
Had the South been left to'itseif after the
elective franchise was conferred on the
blacks the Southern State governments
would have fallen ss/ completely under the
influence of the OLD governing classes as
they were whep> the same classes so sue
cessfully map5ged the uneducated whites
Nothing is more certain than that the mass
of the nsEroes will never act Independent
ly in politics. 1t is their destiny to be
led. They have thus far been led by the
republican party and arrayed by it against
the enlightened public sentiment "f the
Southern communities; but from the mo-
ment the democratic party gaius control of
the federal government the republican will
have no advantages for acting on the negro
mind, which will then fall under the con-
troll OF local opinion. A war of races can
in no way be SO surely averted as by giving
the intelligent classes of the South an OPP
portunity 10 exert their natural ascen-
dancy over the negro mind aud subordinate
It to the ideas aud public sentiment of
their section, A var of races would be,
aoonar np later ineVitahle if n distant ont