The daily gazette., 1876-11-23
From the n. Y. Herald of to-day.
The Negroes as Voters.

1t is commonly assumed by prominent
republican leaders and journal that States
like South Carolina or Louisiana must
necessarily be republican because the
blacks there are in the majority; that Is TO
say they assume that the cOlored voter is
unmoved by reason AMI necessarily sup
ports the republican ticket. Now, if this
were true, il would be a public calamity,
and would show that the colored man was
unfit To be a voter; for he has now had
| nearly ten yearstraining in political duties
and ought to be n more or less reasonable
being; ought at least to be affected by ap-
peals to his own interests.
But the facts are all against the rcpubli-
| can assumption; many causes have con-
spired to ALLEVIATE the respectable and in
telligent colored men in the South from
their usually corrupt and selfish white re-
publican leaders. We will enumerate
only n few. The failure ofthe Freedmans
Bank, infiicting distressing losses on
great many industrious blacks, has led
many to leave the republican party. The
| high taxes imposed by republican rule in
| such States asLouisian9 and South Carroll
ma have induced n great many colored
property owners to go over to the demo-
| cratic ranks. The constant turbulence of
| these States, compared with the orderly
cooditionof Arkanas andI Alabama, has led
| many colored men TO seed similar quiet
1 " SifihS thS iotstt W thb
democrats. They have discoverered that
negroes have all their rights in the demo-
| cratic States and are more prosperous
than in the republican States. Again,
disappointment at not receiving from
General Grant, after many years of wait
ing, the celebrated forty acres and a
mule" which republican politicians n the
South so freely promised has embittered
many Ignorant plantatio IN negroes against
the republican party. The fact that en-
ployers of labor, Impoverished by pub
lie robbery, could not afford wages to la
hor has had its just influence; for in some
parts of Louisiana dozens of costly sugar
: plantations are not worked because their
owners cannot afford to run the risks of q
crop with the prevailing high taxes.
Il 1t must be remembered that all these
pleas against the republican party were
necessarily and properly urged upon the
colored voters during the past canvass,
not only by the whites but by men OF
their own race. Thirty colored speakers,
prominent and influential men. canvas
sed Louisiana On the democratic side,
while on the republican side such influen-
, tial colored leaders rs Pinchback were
silent and absent from the State. Nor
is this all. We are not to forget that in
the course of years the relations between
, the races have become more kindly and
confidential, and thus the natural and
Just influence of intelligence and property
was brought 10 bear upon the colored
| voter.
Whether the three disputed States
} have east maiorities for Tilden or Hayes
remains To .e ascertained. But If they
or any OF them have gone democratic il
would be absurd and mischievous tc
claim that this would be prime tocie evi
dence of fraud or intimidation. On tht
a contrary, it ought to be expected as thu
: result of natural and proper causes sc
numerous and strong that except for the
S federal interference during the canvass
s we should have confidently expected sucf
a change, and even now the presumption
} lies, it seems TO us, in favor OF the demo
y Gratis rather than the republicans.