Daily globe., 1879-03-22
THE TWO PARTIES ON NEGRO SUE.
FRAGE.

THE TWO PARTIES ON NEGRO SUI
FRAGE.
Perhaps the most singular revolution that
historians will be called upon to record,
either in the past or the present of our coun-
try, is that prescribed by the two parties rsl-
ative to the question Of negro suffrage as it
has and now exists. 1t is within the recol.
lection of every adult newspaper reader, that
when the question tof enfranchising the
blacks was first proposed the Democratic
party, as represented by its leaders, was op-
posed to the experiment., while the Republi-
can party, by its leaders, pronounced most
decidedly in its favor. The latter tri-
umphed, the negro was enfranchised, and
the Democratic party accepted the situation,
but not without the most gloomy forebodings.
Both parties were guided in their course by
the same considerations, which were purely
partisan, and therefore neither is entitled to
particular credit over the other for the re-
suits accomplished. The Republicans
thought that, as they had given the negro his
liberty, he would forever cling to and remain
the absolute property Of that party-that he
would not think for himself, but would
blindly fd1low the lead Of whoever might be
chosen to champion tn6 cause Of the party,
The Democratic party thought the same
that the negro would be indissolubly unit
cd to the Republican party for that
reason opposed his enfranchisement: The
result has shown that both parties were mis-
taken in arguing that the negro would irrev-
tocably bind himself to any particular party (;
that he would be willing to step from slavery
to an individual into slavery to party-a
bondage as bad if not worse than that out of
which he had SO recently emerged. Both
underrated the intelligence of the race, and
both have been disappointed one grievous-
ly, the other agreeably. @s:2 s3s7-:= &ssa
For the first few years after the enfran-
chisement of the negroes, they were obe-
dent to their new masters. They voted tho
Republican ticket unanimously and without
hesitation as tho military and carpet-bae
rulers of the Southern States dictated. But
as the taxes began to increase, and labor was
deprived of its just reward through the NAL
administration Of official trusts, and as the
rudiments of education, coupled with some
vague idea of the science of government,
were disseminated, the negroes began to
think. They found that the adventurous to
whose beck they had given obedience were
not their best friends, and gradually they be-
gan to shake off the influences that had sur
rounded them, and to inquire if, after all,
the people of the South, their late masters,
were not their truest friends This declara
tion of Independence was surprise to the
Republicans, and at first they could not be.
lieve it. 1t was no less of q surprise to the
people of the South and to the Democrats of
the North. But it opsned new range of
possibilities to their vision, which they were
not slow to take advantage of. They culti-
waited the good will of the emancipated
bondsmen by every means in their power.
Each State in the South passed laws guar
anteei ipR the farm laborer an assured return
for his Services preferring his claims above
all others. They cultivated the friendship
of the negro, and sought to instil into his
mind the necessity of an intelligent COM
prehension of tho duties Of citizenship
show that he had a direct personal interest
in good government as we'll as the white.
The result has been that whereas few years
ago the negroes were unanimous slaves Of
the Republican party, they are to-day nea Sly
equally divided between the parties, and the
Southern whites, by their aid, have been able
to send an almost solid Democratic delepa-
tion to Congress. a.s4 r. :~fgo -5ga ~
In this fact-that from an unreasonine,
blind slave to the party that assumed all the
credit of iberating him, the negro has be-
come an intelligent watcher of public events,
interested in all measures that concern him
and capable of voting aooordingly-we find
the reason for the change Of front in the
two parties as to negro enfranchisement.
Both parties are actuated by selfish motives
in the reversal of - their position, yet
that reversal is none the less pro-
In a recent number Of
the North Anaerican Reoiew were published
a symposium of the opinions of more than
half score of our public men on this sub
ject, including Edmunds, Blaine, Garfield
and Phillips on the one side, and Lamar,
Hendricks, Stephens and Hampton on the
other. It was noticeable at the time that all
Of the Republicans were of the opinion that
the experiment. of negro suffrage had been
partial or a total failure, and Mr.. Blaine in
particular was emphatic in his declaration
that it could not be a success as long as the
negro voted with the Democratic party.
This is somewhat extraordinary language for
a man who insisted upon the right of suf-
frage for the negro as God-given and neces-
sary for the protection Of his rights as oiti-
zen, and is most fttingly characterized by
Mr.. Hendricks in rejoinder to be pub
isied in the Same periodical next month.
He says: ..ss....z E....z ,.S..-..-g
MIR. Blaine makes the argument (or rather
the claim that for emancipation, for, citizen
ship, for civil rights, and for political priv,
1eges, the negro is indebted to the Republican