Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-10-14

one hundred and fourteen thousand
votes were polled, of which the Repub-
lican candidate for Governor received
Al 900. Colored voters in great mum.
bers supported the Democratic ticket,
which was elected by majority Of
more than thirty thousand, while the
constitution was ratified by vote of
S5,555 against 2G,4S3. The constitution,
framed by Democratic body. was thus
supported by 1900 Republicans or
more. This fact alone is enough to
show that the election was peaceful
and orderly. ! never knew of an
election, here or anywhere, more en-.
tirely fair and quiet. There was no
violence at or near the polls there
were no threats Of violence made be.
fore, during or after the election; there
were no arms shown at the polls; no
laborers were discharged or threatened
with discharge for exercising their free
choice. Our system Of legislation is
thorough and fair. Our laws require
polls to be located for the greatest
convenience of voters. The votes of
colored men are solicited by the candi.
dates OF all parties, and they vote, as
do voters elsewhere, according to their
personal or political preference. Note
this Our Constitutional Convention
in 1879, over which | presided, was in
daily session from April 2l to July %,
or over ninety days. Two thirds of the
delegates were Democrats. In all that
time no measure, resolution or ordin.
ance was proposed or thought Of for
taking away, abridging or modifying
the right of suffrage of colored citizens.
Without dissenting vote the conven.
ton adopted an article No. 1881 declar.
ing that No qualification Of any kind for
suffrage or office, nor any restraint upon The
same, on account Of race, color or previous
condition, shall be made By iaw." That
declaration, made by democratic
body, was ratified 10y eighty-five thou.
sand voters, and it is now part of our
fundamental law.
Thrd-The charge is made that the
negroes are cheated out of their wages
and are made to work for the whites
without pay. There is as little of truth
as of common sense in this charge.
When labor is plenty and the demand
limited wages are low; but labor is in
demand throughout the more product.
i've regions of the South and fair wages
are regularly paid for it. Taking the
year through, colored laborers get more
than twice the average wages paid in
Europe and quite as much as are paid
in the Northern States. They are
adapted to the climate and familiar
with Southern crops. Being unrc.
strained in their action, they 90 where
they can get the best wages and where
they are most needed. If ill.treated
they do not return to the same employ.
er, but that seldom happens, because
few planters are so unwise as to drive
away the laborers on whom they de.
pend for making and securing crops
While perfectly at liberty to emigrate
to Kansas or elsewhere, not one in
every five hundred of them has gone.
Those who were cheated into the
exodus" movement are either coming
home or anxious to come. You know
that they have the same natural attach.
ment for the land of their birth rs
white people have. They are providing
themselves with home comforts, and
now that they are less misguided and
deceived by mischievOus political ad.
ventureTs and agitators, they are con.
tented, and steadily gaining ground.
In n word their white neighbors are
honest, and their relations with them
are universally amicable. They have
learned that they were greatly damaged
by the bad government and high taxes
of the carpetbag dynasty, and they are
fast finding out who their best friends
are.
Fourth-It is charged that the people
OF Louisiana are neglecting the educa.
ton of children-of white children to
great extent and OF colored children
altogether. We must admit that the
enormous looses resulting from the war
and the damages, equally as great, re.
sulting from the intrusive radical State
and local misrue and spoilation, have
left the people of Louisiana too poor to
compete with wealthy States in free
public education. But what are the
facts? Before carpetbRg State rule here
we had free school, seminary and
university fund of about million and
a half of dollars, represented by bonds
on which the State paid interest for the
support OF public schools and institu.
tions of learning. Under the carpet
baggers, the whole of this fund was EN-.
bezzled, squandered, diverted to bad
uses or frittered away. Yet our Con.
stitutional Convention of 1879, Demo.
cratic body. declared the original fund
to be debt due by the State and made
the State Treasury perpetually charge.
able with the payment of annual inter.
est thereon for the benefit of public
schools, the seminary and university.
The same convention appropriated the
State poll tax, never less than 81 per
capita, exclusively to public schools.
Our State tax is limited to six mills and
of this one mill is for educational pur.
poses. The interest on the proceeds Of
all public bonds granted by the United
States, and all future grants, bequests
and donations TO the State, and all
vacant estates falling to the State by
escheat, are devoted by the constitution
to the same purpose. In addition to
these sources OF support for schools