National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-08-25

4fsO1"o 6AdNCAy oooCiIo tunt oOOEklh ID 6o
orderly as North Carolina and Virginia, and
that 1t has gained reputation for the Nex.
istence of q kindly feeling between the two
races. These statements are false, except
in 30 far as the Tribune has made that reputas
ton by grossly misu1sEeuting r conceal
ing the facts regarding the manner d which
the Democratic government Of Georgia has
treated its black citi1ens :
Exactly how far such q journal a. the
Tribune may proceed with this unremitting
policy of prevarication, and unblushing
neslect IF duty oits readers, It Is impossi.
bic 10 say. But there must be time in
the future when the punishment it has so
justly earned by Che commission Of these
crimes viii assuredIy be visited upon it.
/ The public will then rise up in condemna-
ton Of It's course, and the bad reputation Il
now enjoys among loyal men in the south
viii become general, and all pervading
| among loyal men In every section Of
the country. It certainly is not ig aorantly
criminal, for its ingenious DECLARE
tons regarding Southern questions dis
close familiarity with the truth, and a
determination to avoid its publication or
disfort its meaning Besides, ths resources
Of the most ordinary newspaper establish
ment embrace information that will give
the lie to its assertions regarding this Geor-
gia affair. 1t knows, for example. that the
Constitution of that State has always pro-
vided for the payment of poll tax as a
prerequisite to voting. This provision
came down to, and was incorporated in,
the reconstruction Constitution almost
from colonial days. 1t was virtually q
dead letter, however, and before the war,
as the New York Herald correspondent
explained 1t, cit was regarded as mira dig.
"to challenge a mans vote on account of
delinquent taxes" The vigorous appli-
cation of it after the war to the blacks had
the effect to disfranchise hundreds and
thousands of them, practically, because they
were either unable to pay the tax or neg
lectful of their duty to pay 1t. OF
course, from this explanation, the pro-
ceedings of the Democrats appears to be
based upon well established, though long
neglected law, and no legal complaint could
be made against them but we submit that
their enforcement ofthe law after its long ne
elect as dead letter, and that not until after
the enfranchisement of the blacks, betrays
a discriminating snimus, and conclusively
proves their deadly antipathy to the exercise
of the choicest right of citizenship by the
blacks.
But this clause of the constitution further
provides that no poll tax shall be levied e1-
cept for educational purposes, and such tax
shall not exceed 81 annually, on each poll,
and also that all the poll tax collected
throughout the State shall be sacred to the
educational or common school fund. The
management of the common school system
by the Democrats Of the State is VIGOROUSLY
characterized by. a lack of warmth, or. any
desire to promote the education of the
blacks. The latter have long appreciated
this, and have. therefore, believed that the
small sums of money collected from them
for this purpose were wasted by their poll
teal enemies. This belief may not have
had much weight in inducing them to neglect
paying the poll tax. but however that may
be, the manner in which they have seen the
school fund squandered has served to dis
courage them, and adds to the evidence
furnished by the enforcement of the poll
tax convincing proof of the animosity of the
whites against their colored fellow citizens.
A strict construction of the clause, how
ever, does not authorize the accumulation
Of delinquent poll 1t simply makes it
one of the qualifications of an elector that
he "shal have paid all taxes which may
'thave been required of him, and which he
"may have had an opportunity Of paying.
"agreeably to law, for the year next pre-
"ceding the election. In the face Of this,
however, the Democratic Legislature ca
acted law providing that back taxes
should be assessed against delinquent voters
with interest added. In 1871 the tax
was by this method increased to 81,
or IS of arrears and 81 for the
current year, while in 1875 it sggre-
gates 90, with interest. If this does not
prove the falsehood of the Tri6une's as
sertion that q kindly feeling exists between
the two races, we are sadly mistaken.
But there are other grievances of which
the blacks complain, and of which the
Tribune cannot be ignorant The two
races. according to the census, are about
equal in strength; but the whites are the
property holders, and are thereby enabled
to assert control over the blacks which
amounts to virtual tyranny. They protect
them, however, during the seasons when
they are at work planting and harvesting,
and occasionally colored man is able in
spite of the general opposition to his ad.
vsneemelt, to rise from the dregs of igno-
rance and poverty 10 condition of com.
parative comfort. So true it is that from
paying nothing in the way Of general taxes
because they owned no assessable property
at the close Of the wal, they now pay d.
rectly into the State treasury, about one
thlrtieth Of the total amount of general
taxes that are collected. In addition to
this they pay indirectly extravsgant sums
through the renting Of houses, lands, &c.
This assurance that they are acting the
noble part of good citizens by contributing
to the support of the State government is
gratifying to them, and naturally prompts
them to assert their rights to the enjoy
ments Of the privileges which that state
government is supposed to afford. They
know that slavery is abolished and that
they are no longer compelled to contribute
to the enjoyment Of others without being
entitled to participation themselves. They
know that in the eye of the supreme law
of the land they are the equals of their
former masters, and that as such equals
they are entitled to bear arms, and to do
everything In legitimate way that their
white fellow-citizens are in the habit of
doing. When they attempt this, however,
they are confronted with determined OPP
position. The same spirit which inspires
their Acknowledgement through the illegal
operation Of the poll-tax, shows itself in
demonstrations to intimidate them and pre-
vent them from holding public meetings.
They are Republicans from conviction.
They have but few white leaders,
to instruct them regarding their political
faith, and being ignorant of the customs
and forms Of political organizations they |
make awkward attempts to establish asso- |