Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-06-20

meat that the people can bebought up,
in an open fight, would be to believe
them unworthy of free institutions
and incapable of their perpetuation.
ALABAMA'S FUTURE.
Charles NOrdhoff, in his second letter
from Alabama to the Nel0 York Herald,
predicts that the negro vote in the
next election Will fall off heavily, mot
through intimidation, but partly be-
cause the baser white men who have
lived off the negro vote are discouraged,
and will not take so much pains to 'or.
ganize' the black voters and stimulate
them by inhammatory addresses and
the exhibition of United States troops;
partly because in many counties the
blacks have been for some time dis
gusted with their Republican leaders,
who have promised many things-such
as the famous forty acres and mule,
which have not come to pass; and
partly also because the new law which
requires a voter to vote in the precinct
in which he lives, and no longer allows
him to vote everywhere in the county,
makes the election day comparatively
tame affair. Formerly all the negroes
of the county used to march into the
county town to vote, where they saw
each other and made grand holiday.
No doubt, too, the Democrats will do
their best to persuade those negroes
who would vote the Republican ticket
to abstain from the polls, and there
are legitimate ways to do this. In
Louisiana colored laborers on the rail-
roads, who lose a days pay if they 60
of to vote, oftenest in 1874 did notvote
at all"
He argues further that the check
which all this viii set to the negroes
ambition to hold Office viii be an IN
doubted advantage to him and to the
community. In the last Legislature
there were three colored members who
could neither read nor write. In some
counties the majority Of the super
visors are iliterate blacks. Matters
are not nearly so bad in this respect In
sAlabama as in Mississippi; but, of
course, a lawmaker or a tax levyer who
Is ilHterate is not fit for his RESPONSE
bilities. Some CT the Republicans
complained TO him of a law adopted by
the last Legislature obliging Office
holders TO procure the proper bonds.
men in the counties in which they
serve; and it was said that in Dallas
county, for instance, there are not
more than a dozen Republicans who
own property and can become Bonds
men.
In the whole South Mr.. Nordhof did
did not find the negro vote more wick
edly or thoroughly manipulated than
it was IN Alabama. 1t was systematic
ally compacted. i "bolter" was not
merely denounced, but held to be no
better than a criminal. In the black
counties there were colored dema-
gogues who had a clientage Of voters
who they cont. oiled, and such fellows
would 90 about in the beginning of a
canvass and coax a man to run for
Office, in order that they might sell |
him the vote they cou'd carry.
As to the future, the prospects are
bright. While the State has lost a
portion Of It's negro popu- !
lation by emigration, now that its
politics are settled further depletion |
need not be feared, and the tide may |
turn. Its immensely rich mineral re-
in coal and iron are as yet al
most untouched; but it is a singular |
fact that iron is already sent, not only |
to Ohio, Missouri, Kentucky and other |
Western States, but even to England,
where the tenacious, scft iron Of Ala
bama begins to be used in the manu-
facture Of car wheels. If high protec-
tive duties had not caused the estab-
lishment Of too great a number of iron
works and an over supply of iron, the
Alabama iron region would be rapidly
developed. If the tariff on pig iron
should be considerably lowered in the
next few years, furnaces would be set
up in great numbers in this State; for
ron of the finest quality can be pro-
7uced at 50 cheap price that it re-
luires no duty to protect it against
foreign competition. Mr. Nordhoff con-
,ludes by statiug that the people of
Alabama accept the results Of the war
IN perfect good faith, and that it is alb
5urd to assert the contrary. His words
ire Alabama is to-day at peace, and
Northern men and negroes are as safe