Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1879-01-25
THE SENTINEL.
THERADIC.lL THEORY OFTRE COL
DEED TOTE.

quest, has furnished the Teller
Committee with an official state
mcnt of the number of registered
voters in this State, classified ac>
coIding to color. The totals show
- ,34l white voters, 1873 color
ed votcrS, and an aggregate oe
l55, 203. This is a much smallc.
number than the list con tanned two
years ago; but the relative standing
of the Two classes Of voters remains
about the same. We suppose that
Mr.. Teller AMI his Republican COL
leagues have called for this docu.
ment in orccr to fortify, by official
confession, the position that Lou
isiana is necessarily a Republican
State. Republican politicians have
20 other method than this of com.
putting the chances Of an election
in the South, o: Of estimating the
politics Of q Southern community.
Their process is short, easy ard
simple. Given the nu nber of COL
ored voters and you have the nun.
bur Of Republican ballots that
ought to appear in the boxes, nil
nus per centage Of votes cast by
white people, which, with or with
ont authority. they assume to be
from ten to fifty per cent, accord
ing to the necessity oftno occasion.
The ingenious gentlemen complain
bitterly of the alleged disposition
of the white people in the South to
draw color line in politics, colIec-
ting the whites on one side and
driving the blacks to the other.
Yet they begin all their investisa-
lions with the assumption that the
colored man must necessarily vote
the Republican ticket, and if this
is found not to be true. they declare
the fact to be conclusive proof of
fraud, violence and intimidation.
Colored men are shown 10 have
voted the Democratic ticket in
large numbers ia many parts of the
Southern States. So much the
worse for the Democratic party
tho negroes must have been lntim
idatcd into voting for candidates to
whom they were opposed. A plant
witness comes before the committee
and swears that if 4 negro votes
Cor the Democratic candidate he
mast be either a fool or a hypo-
critic, and the genial Mr.. Kirkwood
plunges into an ecstacy.of delighted
appreciation, and turns red in tie
face with enthusiasm. Another
witness swcars that many negroes
freely voted the Democratic ticket,
and the skeptical Mr.. Teller sim
ply clevates his official eyebrows,
and turns up his official nose in an
act Of contune!ous doubt. Every
thing that is sworn to ty ignorant
negroes and degraded whites is
welcomed as the revelation of ins
spired truth. Everything that is
sworn to by white men Of intelli-
gcnce and good rcpute is consigned
to the limbo impossible fact. and {
assertion. This is the
manner in which the Teller Com. (
mittee, and all other Republican
committees that have visited the
South, conduct their supposititious
inquiries. {
Let us admit, however, that they
are right. Let us admit that their
premises are true, and the inferen-
ces correct. Let as admit that in
all the troubles that have afflicted '
certain parts of the South the Re- !
publicars have been always right, i
and the Democrats always wrong.
Let us admit the negroes always !:
toll the truth, and that white men S
always lie. What does it all @
Simply that the Republi- t
can party have inflicted on the l.
a lorro c1occ IF voforc pbo | q