The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-07-24

9
{ ignorant negro vote. asked him why II he ana
others OF his saw this. they did not go 70
Washington and demonstrate with the republican
leaders In Congress and explain 10 them the mis-
| chief they were doing. He replied, ''Some OF US
| did speak our minds privately TO senator Morton
| and others, but it was OF no useF' But sald'
| you should not have worked privately; why
! did you not get up a public remonstrancer
| "Ah," he replied, "We did not dare
do that. 1t would have been said at once
among our people that we had sole out TO the
democrats; that we were boilers, and all our in
nuencs would have been gone from that moment
The dirnculty with people is that they do not
read. The moment one OF us tries TO oppose the
working or the bad whites or corrupt black
leaders these send out runners all over a county
or district to tell the people that we have.sold
out, and then they Will have nothing more TO do
with us and we are gone"
That is to say, the mass Is ignorant that It is
controlled very easily by a few designing knaves
whose personal interest In controlling it Is 80
great that they can anord to take extraordinary
pains. This Is OF the main dif1-
cultles with the whole republican party
in North Carolina. Its honest members
have means OF ermIng public opinion on the
party, which would enable them to reform abuses,
to turn adrtft corrupt and incompetent leaders,
and to make the party useful and strong. The
ticket but little less lterate than the blacks.
It Is believed that not more than $4,000 news
papers are taken in the whole State; but OF this
small number seven-eighths are taken by demo-
Gratis. Some republicans To whom submitted
this estimate, made by republican for me, re-
marked that in their opinion the republicans did
not take even so many. The party has no daily
newspaper in the State, and only Six seven
weeklies, all small and edited wish little intell-
gence. They tell story here in Raleigh, OF the
owner Of olcia organ the party, two or three
years ago, prominent republican. VINO deter
mined to wind up the paper, and being asked to
continue its publication remarked, "Do you think
| Pm q damned fool to print a paper for a, party
| that can't read2n A political party composed so
entirely OF mass OF ignorance Is OF course easily
| deceived ana nisused by designing men, audit can
scarcely look for the respect the confidence and
cooperation OF the Intelligent and propertyhold-
ing class; especially where, as is fully acknowl-
edged by the honest men in the republican party,
they and themselves with too little influence TO
guide or control tie mass. and are, for the most
part, subordinated to corrupt ana incapable
leaders.
PARTY STRENGTH.
In spite OF all this the State is by no means GER
| tainly democratic. 1t would be, l am persuaded,
! II the democrats had not among their politicians
| a number OF men OF little brains who make TOOL
ish speeches in the Legislature and appeal TO ola
| prejudices among the people. The plumbers OF
such men ALLEVIATE a good many sensible whites
from the democratic party. For Instance, in the
last Legislature they carried through usury
law, with the result, now seen and generally
MADE known to the planters and farmers, OF forc-
ing the banks and other owners OF money to send
It out OF the State into other States where no
usury law exists. North Carolina needs more
capital for the State is rich in mineral ana other
natural resources, ana, being at peace, there Is
reason why its natural wealth should not
begin to be developed. But money is worth
from one to one ana half per cent a
month in nelghboring States, and capital
lists naturally prefer to send 1t there rather
tnan accept seven per cent at home. or course
the democratic party is held responsible for this
blunder. Again the last Legislature forced upon
the people, after long caucuslng and against the
better judgment or the wisest democrats, q con-
stitutional convention. 1t Is generally ackuowl-
edged by both parties that the constitution re-
qures change IN one or two matters, especially
in the article relating to county courts, which in
| q laundering manner fixes the number OF these
courts in such q way that in The weather. and
Dusier parts OF the State they are entirely taken
up with criminal business to the exclusion Of civil
| cases, whereby justice Is seriously impeded- But
| the opponents OF q constitutional convention
urge that the required amendments could easily
have been submitted by the Legislature to the
| people; that this would have saved the expense
OF an election and a convention TO State which
already does not pay the interest on Its debt and
! which is not prosperous; and, further that IL Is
impossible to tell what constitutional conven-
ton will do or attempt 1t Is by no means GER
tain that the democrats will carry the Conven-
ton, and, with q Presidential election to come
next year. they have put themselves into the d.
| lemma Of either being beaten at the Convention
election In August or, If they successful, or
having the responsibility OF convention in
which 1t is pretty certain that ignorant mon
will bring forward some injudicious and per-
| haps alarming measures. Also, some OF the
| changes which they propose are not popular
and will arouse opposition. Such is q prop
osition to abolish the system OF townships, es-
tablished for the first time In 1868, under which
justices OF the peace are elected by the people,
and return to the old system, under which the
! Leglslatur appointed an unlimited number OF
men in every county justices Of the peace, or
! magistrates, Tor life or good behavior and gave
TO certain number Of these, selected by the
whole, the duty OF holding quarter sessions. or
| course the present just tees OF the peace, their
friends and all VINO have come to favor the township
system, will oppose the change, and this includes
| a number of democrats. The OBJECT is to relieve
! the "black" counties Of colored justices OF the
| peace, which seems reasonable enough,
! for some OF these same negro Dog5eIrys
are amazingly ignorant. and they are
unfortunately always likely to be corrupt. The
error OF the democrats lies, 1t seems to me, in
deavorlng to adapt the constitution to transit
tory Of political affairs; Tor 1t quite GER
tain that the political color line viii presently be
broken; and when that happens, when the body
OF intelligence and wealth In the State is pretty
equally divided into two political parties and the
| negro vote Is also split, the colored men will no
longer be put into ofces for which, by lack OF In
telligence and character, they are unnt.
Meantime the republicans acknowledge that II
they are defeated in August their party organiza-
ton win be pretty thoroughly destroyed, and the
election Is thus o test IN this respect 1 DO not
hesitate to say that any Northern republican,
deslrous that the State shall be prosperous
and that permanent political SETTLE