Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-04-13
" THE EFFECTS OF NEGRO
SUFFRAGE"


written and readable paper upon 9Th
Effect of Negro Suffrage" Thirteer
years have elapsed since by act of Con
gress negro suffrage was established il
ten States of the Union, and ten year
ago, by an amendment of the Fedora
Constitution, it was made universa
throughout the Nation. The enfran
ehisement Of so large a mass of new
electors was never before in the histo
ry of the world wrought at singl,
stroke. Whatever were the notions o
those who inaugurated the scheme, il
was tremendous political experiment
Coming SO closely upon the disruption
of the Southern industrial system ac
eomplished in emancipation, ITS risk:
were all the greater. That the evils
actually resulting from this hazardous
venture have been no worse appears
hardly less than providential The
most superficial effect of the sudden
admission Of the blacks to the rights
OF the ballot'box has been to give them
the balance OF power in all our recent
political struggles. Not only in the
late slave States but in the broad field
ofthe Union. There has been no Pres.
idential election since the suffrage was
conferred upon the negroes in which
the result would have been different If
their votes had been eliminated from
the contest. This is unquestionably
true Of the last two elections. But for
the negro vote Mr.. Tilden's majority
would have been enormous before the
people and quite overwhelming in the
Electoral College, He would have
carried every Southern State and a
considerable number of Northern ones
which the ballots of the blacks gave
to Mr.. Hayes The subtraction of the
negro vote in 1880 would have given
Ohio and Indiana to the Democrats
both in October and November, and
in the latter month Hancock would
have carried New York, Pennsylvania
and Connecticut Thus have the cur.
rents of American destiny been chang.
ed, and the white race, who have made
America what il is, have been twice.
If not thrice, denied the rulers of their
choice.
Judge Chalmers regards these, how.
ever, as only the temporary and acci.
dental consequences of negro enfran.
chisement. It's deeper and more last.
ing effects he finds in that demoraliza.
ton OF our politics which has sprung
from the debasement of the elective
franchise. The value OF this franchise
has greatly fallen in the popular esti.
nation, and the reverence for the bal.
lot-box as the supreme arbter of our
disputes has been seriously impaired.
AT the South bad men engage in prac.
tices which would not have been toler.
ated in other days, and good meu look
upon them with complacent if not ap.
proving silence, At the North i'm.
mense corruption funds are openly
raised, and are, in fact, deemed essen.
tial to the prosecution Of an important
canvass. The new devices of force
and fraud which shame our recent
politics are some of them the immedi
ate, and all TO some extent the remote,
results of universal negro suffrage.
1t is in the Southern States that the
effects Of negro suffrage are
most apparent. The ballot was neces. |
'ary TO assure TO the ireemen the civil
and legal rights which could not Justly
Or safely be withheld from so large an
element Of population hut the price
paid for 1t by the South and the whole
country has been a fearful one. I'll
virtually established negro domination
n those States, and initiated a reign
II incompetence, prohigacy and pillage
uch as never before disgraced the an.
'als of any English.speaking people.
That the evil consequences of this con.
Iition of affairs have reacted power.
ully upon the North hardly needs to
'e maintained.
In the coming disintegration alike
f the white and OF the black solid
outh Judge Chalmers pecelvos a new
anger iii the venality which will be
kelly to govern the negro masses in
he disposal Of their votes. Hitherto
IS devotion to the Republican party
as very generally preserved the col.
red voter from putting bis ballot at
lle' When this devotion ceases, the
normous negro vote will afford q field
'r the demagogue and the briber such
the world has never witnessed. 1t |
as certain as any proposition in po. I
tical ethics can be that Southern poll.
cs will come to this complexion when G
le races cease to be divided by the {
'lor line. How, then, are Republi. t
IN institutions to be preserved under Il
discouraging circumstances Two q
III generations would be required for Z
zen the most liberal system of popu- b
r education TO make itself apprecia. a
" felt as a remedy for these evils. I
ihite immigration would give ulti. a
ate relief if 1t could be induced. but :
tizenship and capital alike shrink s
ON contact with negro association b
I'D from the peril of negro rule. This
abundantly proved by the fact that
eorgia attracts more capital and Il
oxas more immigration than any ;,
her Southern States, and yet no. !,
here are the whites more solid or the :.
emocratic majoritics SO large. 4
Beyond suggesting in tho hositating q
ID halfhearted way the adoption of =
andards of education and property I l
a possible solution of the Southern :, :
oblem, Judge Chalmers has nothing ;,
ecifio to propose. He believes white :,