Richland beacon., 1876-09-16
The COlOred Man as a Politician.

A new era seems to be dawning
upon the colorcd people of this coun-
try. Many of them are beginning to
think and act for themselves in the
exercise of the franchise, the result of
which is that large numbers of them
are beginning to discover that the
principles of The Democraiic-C Onser-
vative party are in accord with their
political opinions; and the more they
think upon these matters the more
they become convinced of the absurd
ity Of the assumption that al! coored
people must Of necessity lie Radical
Republicans in politics, just as if they
had not the same right to differ in
their opinions of State polity and
political Jurisprudence as the White
people.
Those who read and think are
beginning to discover that it is just
as natural and Legitimate that colored
men should differ in these matters as
white men, and that the arraying Of
themselves all on one side of the polit
ical line is really what. constitutes the
color line, for any one who has any
sense at all knows that if the colored
people were divided politically there
could be no color line, for there would
be DO place to draw that line upon.
1t requires hut little intelligence TO
comprehend this fact, and the only
wonder is that the colored people have
been SO long about making the dis
covery. and that so few even We; COM
prehcnd a matter so plain and simple.
II was very natural that they should
have allied themselves with the Repub-
licans Immediately after they were set
at liberty and made citizens, for that
was the party which had advocated
the abolition Of slavery and, by The
help of the Northern Dem ocrats, set
them al liberty; and their ideas of
politics, in their uniformed condition,
were narrowed down to this : one
feature of politics, the question of free
dom and slavery. 1t is not surprising
that they so readily believed that the
object OF the Democratic party was to
re-cns!ave them, nor that so many
still give credence to this falsehood,
for it is natural for them to believe
everything told them by those WHO
they believed had done so much for
them, as it must be borne in mind that
the great mass of them are still litter
ate and, not being able TO read, are
dependent for political information
entirely upon what they hear from
politicians; but those who have learned
TO read are becoming convinced that
the question of slavery has passed
entirely out of The politics of this
country and that it has no advocates
in the United States; that there are
other and entirely different questions
at issue, upon which the political par
ties are divided and that the position
of the Democratic party on these
questions suits their views.
They are also beginning to discover
that the only means of breaking down
the color line is for colored people to
differ in politics as well as white peo-
pie, aud that it is to their interest to
do SO.
1t is our purpose to publish next
week very able aud candid letter
from Rev. John w. Dunjce, colored
minister of Richmond, Va, to one of
bis Northern brethren in reply to one
in which his said brother undertook
to give him political lecture of the
most intensely bitter partisan charac-
ter, which we would like to have
read to every colored voter in the
Parish. as it shows so plainly that
il is 10 the interest Of the race to be
divided politically.