Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-12-28
The Negro Question.

The negro question played very in
conspicuous part in the recent Congress
sional elections. This is the more re-
markable when we recall the habit of
the Republican press to make the most
of it in the midst of campaigns three or
four wears ago. No reports of intimi-
dation, no tales of massacres, nothing
about tissue ballots, no attempt to in
flame the Northern people with pathetic
narratives of how cO!ored citizens were
driven from the polls andteterred from
voting by the Still disloyal Southern
whites. A faint effort was made in
South Carolina to rouse the languid ne
groes into a, troublesome attitude and
bring them in collision with the whites;
but there were no carpet aggers to
Work the, plot and the Northern public
did not tax eikindIygto it, and the re-
suit, was . faihre. The elections in the
Southern tales We're quiet and peace
full, the Republicans made but a feeble
show OF strength and those States were
carried by the Democrats with the &C
custQmed maiorities.
Itimay be that the qdiet sthat marked
the.e,ections in the South was the quiet
| of negro submission and apathy, shat
the blacks allowed the whites to have
their own way out of sheer inability to
prevent it. The negro is a passive ami
NAL, lethargic, heavy, impervious to
the motives that bring white men to-
| gethef in coherent actionl and utterly
'aYerse to protraeted, organized effort.
and ftsmAS' be that. after violent and
exhaustive attempts to rule in certain
| States through the mere force OF if,lm-
bers, the colored race have abandoned
/ the struggle aud sunk into unreslstinS
submission to the rule of The whites.
StiH the factis interesting. The North
eIIil people are fired of the negro guess
| ton in the South. They have given
6, 100000 blacks the right to, vote and
they haye-come TO the, con elusion after
many foolish experiments in the shape
| of Congressional Election laws that if
/ the negroes do not exercise the right at
/ al proper times im their own way. it is
| .theif%own fault. 3 Northern people have
their hands full with their own affairs
! and it is too much to expect of them,
as the Republican party has expected
| OF them, that they shall neglect their
! own local business to assist the blacks
in Louisiana and South Carolina in per-
forming n theirs. "A Face 5000. 900
strong ought to be able to vote without
outside help; if it cannot, there is
no remedy for it. If this race must
| sink into meek submission unless per-
petualIy held up, then it will have to
sink, for Northern people cannot per-
petually hold it up. !,
What is to bee the political and social
future Of the negro is mot as clear Us
could be wished; but it may be taken
for granted that the negro question is
taken out of National politics for the
presents The negro, must paddle his
ow1rcaroe the best Ire can..~The North
ern people are tired of performing that
! homely an simple task for him, and IN
I the Democratic era that seems to have
set in, it is pretty certain that 1.-The Fed
eral Government will be restricted to
Federal duties and general legislation
and restrained from passing special
laws for the benefit Of the negro and
sending an invading force of Deputy
NIarshals and Supervisors into the
States to enforce them.g How the col
'oted rage will get along when left en-
tiSely tdthsir own unassisted efforts can
eisly be coaiectered.a ItisEto be hoped
both for their sake and that of the coun-
try they will prove equal to the duty OF
bssomipg Intelligent, patfiotic@ana use
tIi american s4 sitiAens u 0stss nep''0'