Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-05-23
THE REVOLT AMONG THE COLORED
VOTERS

1t seems The colored voter has outlived his
usefulness in the Republican party. He has
begun to think for himself, and asks why he
is excluded from Office, not only in the South,
but in the Northern States overwhelmingly
Republican in politics. At the Republican
municipal convention held in San Francisco
few days since, the solitary colored dele
gate, who spoke for large constituency in
the Tenth ward, demanded a representation
OF his brethren on the ticket. 1t is hardly
necessary to say he did not gain his point,
but he did succeed in proving to his own
satisfaction and that of his constituency that
the convention regarded his Independence as
intolerable arrogance and offensive presump-
ton. 1t is this growing determination of the
colored voter to reap the benefit of constitu-
tional amendments that makes the Rtpubli-
can party SO ready to grant suffrage to the
Chinese, who want no Office and only desire
to crowd out the white iaborers of the coun-
try. Senator Edmunds expressed the feel
ings of the Republican party when he OPP
posed Senator Farley's amendment TO the
Chinese bill, prohibiting the naturalization
OF Chinese. Only two Republican senators
possessed the moral courage to oppose Sena-
tor Edmunds's views from unselfish motives.
But the great trouble with the colored voter
is his reluctance to vote with the whites
against the publican party. He fumes and
rants, threatens revolt, but on the day of
election his courage evaporates and he votes
the straight ticket. At the last election for
Congress in this district many colored voters
bolted the nomination of Moore and brought
out Thomas A. Hamilton as an Independent
candidate. They promised TO stand by him
at all hazards and to the last extremity. But
on the day of election Hamilton was igno-
minously abandoned. He received only 200
or 300 votes, and these were cast by white
Greenbackers, as the negroes marched up to
the ballot-box and deposited solid vote
against the AN they induced to become
candidate. Since the last presiden-
tial election the blacks have held
several conventions, and in flaming
resolutions and addresses have announced,
by everything sacred and profane, that they
would no longer vote the Republican ticket
unless the Republican administration gave
them their proportionate share of the offices.
But the Federal ring still monopolzes all
the offices. No colored man has been ap-
pointed, because the Federal ring assured
the President that these threats amounted to
nothing, as the blacks, after venting their
spite in a few harmless resolutions, would
cast solid vote for the party. The Shaw
delegates TO the recent Republican State
Convention were unquestionably entitled 10
their seats. They were selected by conven-
ton properly called and in perfect accord
with the usual methods and party law, but
were unceremoniously kicked out of the
convention because they proposed to scale
any amount Of the State debt by the very
men who have repudiated at one fell
sroop forty cents On the dollar Of the State
debt OF course Shaw and his party threat
scs dire Vengeance upon those who have
treated hiG aad his friends with such wrong
AID Injustice. Bot Democrats and the Fed
erzI ring cannot diyest themselves of the be-
Lief that the Hamilton farce will be repeated.
The caterEauling at night, instead of indi
eating the destruction of the feline race, is an
unerring sign OF Its increase, and when the
coIored voters commence threatening a re-
volt, by beating gongs and making great
cIatter, it is pretty good sign that they in
tend to cast solid vote for the Republican
candidates.