The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-06-25
THE WANING INFL Enc OF THE
NEGRO.

Now that the political clans are marshalins
their forces for the fall campaign, it behoove:
every man earnestly interested in the weltar;
Of the country, and particularly the voters o
Louisiana, to make careful survey Of tn,
past and deliberate well as to their future
course Of action. T. do this they have to put
to themselves and answer many questions o
! the most vital concern.
The indications are that the next canvass
will be one Of the most important in the his
tory Of the two great parties-the Democratic
and Republican. The great issue upon which
the latter rose through many years struggling,
from insignificant body in few of the
Northern States the simple issue of American
slavery, till strengthened by the vote Of free
| laborers, naturally jealous of slave labor, its
power eliminated in the election of President
Lincoln has been waning in force since the
second election Of President Grant.
Now that the negro is a freeman, he is no
longer the same great bone of political con
tention and but for the fact of the negro vote
itself, and the desire Of the Republican party
to maintain itself in power by the use Of that
vote it is not likely that the negroes SO far
that AS party hasany genuine concern for them,
would have been long since colonized and ex-
patriated like the Indians; or, if left in the
country, would have been limited to the pecu-
liar prerogatives of free aborers without being
made quite so free as they are as voters, law
makers and rulers
: But Independent of this there are physical
causes for the decadence of the power of the
negro vote an element Of political influence
They are not prolific, and are not increased by
immigration. The race is rapidly loosing its
preponderance, till there are but few of the
southern States in which they can claim ma
Iority, while the greater influx. of white people,
wen into those States must shortly absorb
md destroy their political force. And this all
he sooner, from the natural antipathies Of the
wo races, and with accelerated velocity in pro-
portion as these antipathies are excited to ami
mostly, eliminating in conflicts between the two
aces and destroying all disposition towards
.indness between them. These conflicts must
necessarily sooner or later dissipate the intlu-
ink to minorities, and these become too in
significant even for influence as a balance of
bower in State and Federal elections
Such are the waning Tenderness of the
,ower of the negroes as voters, and already
he Republican party are beginning to dis
over the fact, and to attach less importanc.
% his political significance in future elections
The negro vote is only useful as fotsam or
ets,.m to the Republican party which mus,
eel that it has fully accomplished its mission
in setting the negroes free; and, as conserva-
i've Republicans, North as well as South |
.hink, has gone so far beyond its duty to the |
negro in making them the favored "ward> |
# the nation to the persecution Of the
White people of the South, as to
eriously endanger the ascendancy OF
hat party by the reaction which is likely to
axe place. if it has not already begun in the
minds OF the great mass Of the white people |
If the North, whose sympathies cannot al
Ways be on the side of the negro, when it
.oMcs to tie great question Of ''social equal
dy, and the right Of tie people to determine
heir rights for themselves
The mission of the Republican party then.
50 far is the negro is concerned, is accom-
,iished, and more than accomplished in Sc
iuring his freedom and political rights, and
When that party attempts to 60 further and by
legislation create and enforce new Civil Rights,
nat is, rights for the negro to the prejudice Of
he rights of the white people, as embodied in
he late proposed Civil Rights bill, it will merit
md receive the condemnation Of the conserva-
i've white people of all parties throughout the
Whole country. For this reason the Civil
Rights bill has not passed and will never pass
They have discovered that the bill as popu-
ar message, has been failure, and that
IS passage would injure the party
With the white people North as well as the
'onth beyond the power Of the negro vote to
ave it. The next Congress will be composed 1
o largely of Democrats and Conservative or
Independent Republicans as to prevent such
contingency, if for no other reason than that
ne negro vote will no longer be such d power J
) is necessary to he coulted or the success of
ny part.
1t is fast playing out and even the R.
ublican party, if it continues to pin its faith G
such waning influence as that OF the negro, v
ill play out Politicians who have ridden G
ito Office on the negroes shoulders, and rely '
n them again. will play out And so will all t
no attempt to maintain ian immovable I
eutrality' in such great issues as are involved !
the political and soc ial relations of the people Il
affected by the legislation Of the country. u
he Republican party must originate new $
sues, as Grant has attempted to do already U
his plea for hard money, or die like the 7
Thig party in sticking too persistently to old b
I'd exploded ones, such as this social y
quality question, which has become stencil
the nostrils of the Conservative people of
lie whole country. 3