The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-07-17
TaE RADICALS AND TUE negro.

Howa) es:stinel, an intensely Republican
paper, written under the head of "Tne
Niger" will be profitable food for The
reflection of onr colofed people, for it
shows to them what their professed Re-
publican friends think of them, aud
what they wish to do in relation to their
right of suffrage:
While the amiab.e idiocy that pre-
vailed in Congress during the reconstruc-
ton days was at its height, the Niger
was ,eniranchised. He was invested With
the ballot on tho pretty theory that he
was man and brother, with an lnfu.
sion of sand in his make 40. Il was
given him on the school girl notion that
affection for The party that gave him bin
freedom would make him it. perpetual
instrument. But. the Niger is less SER
viceable to the Republican party as a
voter than he was as q slave. He needs
too much coddling-too much protection.
He can only vote the Republican ticket
when surrounded by ccfSof, of RApub
lican bayonets. Thcie is no grit in him.
There is more voting energy and party
| strenGth in dozen raw Irishmen than
in thousand we'll fed niggers. There
ls not an ounce of "stalwartsm" to a
ton OF Niger The more Niger the
less strength. Asa slave, the pict, -esque
misery of the Niger was an rafailfng
armory of party weapons--as freeman
| there is no romance ir him-cowardice
is not romantic. All over the South he
is throwing his ballot for rebels and
traitors, when he votes at all. He is too
cowardIy to vote hit convictions, or too
stupid to have convictions. When the
'stalwarts" get into power in 1880, he
| must either be !.sfranchised or compelled
to vote right. The free Niger is fraud.
We are driven to the admission, after
reading the above article, that Il ia pos
aible for Republican editor to stumble
on to expressing his candid convictions
once In lifetime. We have never be-
fore seen the true feeling of the Repub.
lican party rs to the negro so clearly
defined in words. The most important
admission for the country to consider is,
that this party, without sny sympathy
for the negro, has been using him as a
theme for stirring up strife and perpetual
ting It's own mean life by the lies it
could induce the honest and unslspect-
ing masses of voters to believe about the
wrongs and expressions of this race. It
is With them simply question of ser.
vice, and tho Sentinel evidently bemoans
the fact that the negro is free man,
because it says that he ais less servicca-
bic ee the Republican party rs q voter
than he was as slave" This lament
finds further expression In the sentence
in which the editor declares-''a as a slave,
the picturesque misery of the niggcr was
an unfailing armory of party weapons !;
as freeman there is no romance in him."
This sentiment fairly represent; the III
famous means by which the Republican
party obtained and has retained power
in this government. It was by false.
hoods and ISLANDERS of our people that it
first drew the sectional lines which
goaded the South to desperation and
secession, and filed our common country
With mourning and blood. After the
war was over this same party kept alive
the feelings of strife, when the patriots
of all sections were trying to bury the
dead past and forget its sorrows, in order
that tho Union might be restored, not
only In name, but In the hearts and
affections of all our people. Their
efforts have been successful everywhere
except In the ranks of the Republican
party, which has never been willing, and
is not now willing, to SEQ the elements
OF discord removed from our land. 1t is
time, when Republican papers admit
this purpose as clearly as is done in the
ahHse article, f0F the people vino love
the Union to unite in O common effort
to dtive from power the political pirates
who are willing to sacrifice the dearest
interests of our land in order to retain
power within their own grasp.
To the colored people, however, there
are two or three reflections which we de-
sire to impress from this article. It be-
gins with the assertion that it was idiotic
In Congress to have given the h"",t to
the colored man. 1t admits that the
right to vote was given to the color
ed man, not from any desire to help
him as o freeman, but simply to mako
use of him for party purposes, and hence
the Ssntine! owns up that the Republican
party gave him the ballot because it was
thought he would be q perpetual instru-
n,s,at for that party. The Sentinel after
this Is Inconsistent in asserting that the
negro "is too cowardly to vote his con-
victions, or too stupid to have convic-
tions," for the Republican party by Its
own admission did not want him to have
convictions. It wanted him to be o
machine. The fact that the negro Is be-
ginning to get convictions that the
Southern Democrats are his best friends,
and is having the courage to vote accord
ing to those convictions, is exactly where
the Radical disgust and disappointment
comes +. 1t Isl very marked example
Of he manner ;s =~h;ck nion sometimes
confer benefit upon those they seek to
ipjure. The ballot was given to the ne
gro for the purpose of crushing the South,
and instead of doing this it will, before
we are through with the fight, crush the
Republican party. The Sentinel concludes
by announcing ti'at when the Repuhli-
cans ret into power in 1890 The negro