, 1875-05-01


blacks and making IN ignoble prejudice
Of race the guido Of political action. Our
arguments haSo met with a prompt and
hearty response from many Of the Southern
M wall aa from many Of tic Northern press.
In fact, THE TR1nuaEts position only needs to
be properly underatnoa to bo approved. Un-
til 1861, the Southern whites were divided
into Wigs ind Democrats. The former
favored the Union. Tho latter, except the
Douo1As wing. opposed it. In tho heat OF
the conflict Of 1860, despite all the influences
brought 10 bear in favor Of secession, tho
auti.Democratic majority in tho aggregate
Southern vote was $4,000. This shows that
tho division into two great parties maintained
itself oven ut that trying time. This d.
vision, moreover, Is natural and practically
inevitable. All free political communities
separate into progressive md stationary, lib
eral aud conservative, wings. Tho reasous
for this 1io deep in human nature. Soma
strong passion, like that excited by war,
race-prejudice, or religion, may temporarily
unto men Of the two casts Of character,
but tho fusion is IN unnatural ono, and can-
not endure long. As fast as tho prejudice Of
raeo dies away ut the South, TINT ia. az soon
rs the negroes feol Sure Of fair treatment and
civil rights, and are not kept together by tho
force Of fear, humnn nature will assert itself,
and the Southern whites, as well os blacks,
will separate into tho two partios Progressive
and Conservative. into which they belong,
The letters written from New Orleans by
Mr. CuAnLEs NonpuorF to the New York
Herald show TINT tho oolor-lino is fading out
Of Louisiana politics, and that its disappear
auce Is producing preoisely the result which
We have predicted.
The CENSUS Of 1870 showed popula-
tion in Louisiana Of 5000 whitc and
8G,0l3 black males over Fl year7 of
age. As the census WINS taken in the
summer, when large number Of whites arc
always absent, mud WINS inefllciently taken on
| the Pima hills which lie back Of the bottom
1ands, it hns alwaya been claimed that the
! white vote WIS much underrated. On the
other hand, the number Of unnatura]ized
| foreigners in the State, especially at New
Orleans; the large black immigration into tho
State since 1870; and tho facs TINT every black
voter votes while many wiitos stay away
from the polls,-these causes perhaps main.
tain substantial equality In tho number Of
yotes actually cast by the two races. Under
such circumstances, when each zaca forms q
separate party, the temptations to swell \
doubtful majority by fraud have been very
great, and tho opportunities for doing so have
unfortunately been equally great on both
sides. Few persons appreciate how completely
racc.prejudics has done It's bad work in
Louisiana Marshal PAcKAnp told Mr. NoRp-
noFE that he thought about 5000 whites
voted the Republican ticket in 1874, and
about m equal number Of blacks voted tho
other way. And MI. NonnnoZr adds, "It H.,
think, a fair statement that, with the exeep-
tion Of tho of1lco-holdors, stats and Federal,
and their relntious, there were no white Re-
publicana In tho State in 1874, or, At the fur
shcBt, but an inappreciable number y
This may BE- an s1aggeration, but the fact
underlying 1t is bad enough. 4 bureaucracy
baokcd by mnss OF ignorant colored voters
naturally drove the whits race Of Louisiana
into white mans party." That party
now has q majority Of tho House, and its first
act thero showed the existence within 1t Of
the two old factions, now held together only
by tho pressure OF tho color-liuo outside.
When the House was organized under
tho WHEELER compromise, the "white pnrty'
had IS out Of 108 ,nombors. It presented
two candidates for Speaker. Tho Demo.
cratic candilato was Wn.rz. Tho non.
Democratic candidate was Esr11arrE. Ths
latter wns elected with tho nil OF the Repub.
licans. W11Tz received only 81 votes. One
Of his strongest opponents was that very
LEONARD, who, a8 editor Of the Shrevoror
1nn<s, wrote the extreme editorials in bshal
OF tho White League which were 50 uniyer
sally and deservedly condemned last fall
Tho foot that man who, ont OF power, il
such an extremist should oppose tho extrem
lists, as soon rs he gets power, showa how in
} egitable the division Of the white yots is.
The dominant party in Louisiana now i
, not called Democratic. It il "Conserva
, two" The former title was dropped, say
, Mr. Nonpuorr, "becauRa there ara In Louigi
. anA largo number Of good citizens VIII
| are so strongly opposed to the Demo
| cratic party that they will not actively,
at all, work with men bearing sha
, na1no." Ono Of these mon recently sait
| to Mr. NonpHoFy that secession was "blun
I dering Democratic stateamanship." II Wilt
! had heen elected Speaker, 1t would lay
bscn Sign that the Democrats la.
captured tha "whits party" and would hero
after control 1t, for come time b least. Th
3 election of EaruEg7z shows that tue Demo
y cratic attempt TO capture tho party failed
J aud that 1t ia on the yery verge OF diaruption
, "Thess IL not shadow Of doubt" write
Q this Trustworthy correspondent, "that when
), ever Federal interference In ths State def
nitely csases, aud honest men have been pu
I into power. the 'Conseryative' party-th
y white mans party-will inconunantly spill
t into two nearly equal halves, and each wi
= Try, with ths help OF the negroes, to beat th
/ other"
. The continued existence Of the oo!or-lin
! depends largely upon the whites. Thsi
selecting EsE71kT11 va q M9n that ths