The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-08-18
How the COlOred Vote has been
NisuSed In North Carolina.

The same story everywhere. The col
ored vote in North Carolina, in the coun-
ties where it predominates, has been
welded by the hand Of corruption for the
plumber and oppression of the taxpayers
and for the injury and oppression Of both
races. This fact is stated in a recent
letter of Mr.. Charles Nordhof, an able
Republican journalist, to the New York
Herald He had visited North Carolina
to investigate her affairs, and to publish
the result in that widely circulated jour
nal; and here is the way he relates it ::
RALEIGH, N. c., July %, 1875.
North Carolina has but few Counties
perhaps a dozen in all-in which the ne
gro vote largely predominates; in most
of these there has been more or less serious
disagreement and corruption. 1t is
freely acknowledged by the Democrats
that the negroes are in the main quiet,
peaceable, and a useful labOring force !;
but they add that wherethey have the
majority of votes in a city or county they
are almost invariably the tools of design
ing and INSCRIPTIONS white men, who
mass the negro vote and rule by its means,
and the truth Of this IS aoldenidble. OF
course this is a serious matter. 1t is not
to be expected that the property owners
in city or county will sit cOntentedly
down and suffer themselves to be heavily
taxed aud run in debt by aUhite or black
rogues in spite of their votes and protests
and by the help of non-taxpaying voters,
If you remember that these landless
voters were, ten years ago, the slaves of
those whom they now tax at the bidding
Of INSCRIPTIONS politicians, you will
perhaps, realize that the provocation to
resistance is the greater, and give the
white men who submit to robbery more
credit for patience than they often get.
Nor is n property owner made more con-
tent by the knowledge that those counties
where the whites rule are, | believe, with
out exception, economically managed.
There has been no general or widespread
decentralization and corruption in North
Carolina. The local finances, except in
healthy condition.
HOW THE NEGRO VOTE rs MIsUsED.
In the black counties, as they are
called, it struck me as odd that the
sheriffs and clerks of courts are common
ly white, while the justices of the peace
and the members of the Legislatures are
usually black men. But the explanation
is easy. The sherifs' and clerks offices
are highly lucrative. Hence the corrupt
whites takes these and give the less prof
liable places to the negroes. The County
Commissioners are often black, too, and
are then easily misused by the white
rogues. Thus the Sheriff of Wayne
county was until last year a white Re-
publican, an Irishman from Boston,
believe. He is defaulter for $50, 900,
and he ruled by the help of the colored
vote Fifteen thousand dollars of the
sixty was school fund, and the loss of this |
is felt keenly by the negroes, who liked |
to send their children to school. Anoth- |
err white Republican was sheriff of New
Hanover, also black county, and has
gone off "short" between $40, 900 and
$50, 600. Meantime New Hanover reg
llary sends three negroes to the Legisla-
ture, which is democratic, and they have
little influence and no pickings.
CHARLES NoRDHoFF.