Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-10
WHITE kULE.

The white people rule the Southern States
because in the first place they have ma
jority of white voters; secondly, because
they have more education and talent, and
lastly, because they possess the wealth of the
South. These are certainly sufficient reasons
to explain the triumph of the whites oveI
the blacks. The laws of nature give more
momentum to a larger body than a smaller
one, and IL is just natural Tor the ms jority,
| the intelligence, the wealth and enterprise
| of the South TO control its politics and
its general destiny. The principle is
as old as the world that the superior race
| must and will rule the inferior race. The
white people OF the South by reason of their
high intelligence and ownership of almost
the entire property of the Southern States
and high educational advantages are entitled
to rule. The superior race will control
the inferior race by the influence
OF superior intelligence and the power which
money bestows. 1t is no hardship for the
majority-the educated and the property
owners who give employment to the poor
aud igaorant minority-to shape the general
policy of a whole section of country. 1t is
not strange, unnatural or wonderful
that the white people, with their ma
iority and superior advantages, should gov
ern the Southern States. A forcible illustra-
ton of the ability of the whites to rule the
blacks is to be found in the absolute rule of
the white oficeholders over the colored
voters. In every county in the South
foxv xubifa ofinahnldars do slo
of the negroes by using them for vile, selfish
purposes. The colored voters complain that
they are dominated over by the white Demo-
cratic majority, and then obey with abject
servility the mandates of few white Re-
pablicans. To demo nstrate how easy it is
for white men TO rule the black we have only
to refer to the Federal ring in Memphis,
composed of half dozen white ofhceholders.
Their power over the blacks has been abso-
lutte for the past fifteen years. The day has
been when the colored man dared not vote |
against the orders of these self-constnuted |
oVerseers. In Shelby county there are
about 1000 colored voters. Yet they |
have been ruled with an iron rod by half |
a dozen white ofhceholders. Before the |
cAcOtiOu OAACSuOldIuk urge |
the blacks to rush to the polls; they tell them |
that their liberties are imperiled, that the |
triumph of the Democrats means the return of |
slavery, cruel masters and the lash of the |
overseer. But 60 soon as the election is over
The ring monopolizs all the offices, casts the |
negro off and considers him as worthless as a
squeezed lemon, and have no further use for
him until the next election. 1t is natural,
right and proper for the white majority in
he South to exercise its power; but it is
unjust, humiliating and degrad-
ng for hslf a dozen oficeholders in
Shelby county to control the 1000
.olored voters. The white Repub-
leans of the South use the blacks as
hey do their Office spittooD. Yet the blacks
complain at the rule of the while educated
majority OF the South. But the day OF de-
iverance has come. The colored people of
ne South have learned the folly of banding
ogether and hurting themselves against the :
whites. They have no hope of overcoming
he white majority. But they can extricate
themselves from the shame and disgrace
which they have brought upon themselves
y becoming the abject slaves of the Federal
ings. They must strike for political freedom.
n Virginia the blacks have washed their
snds OF Mahoneism, the oficebolding bosses,
nd have get up for themselves by nominating
straightout Republican ticket. The same
pirit has manifested itself in all the South
I'm States. 1t certainly exhibited itself
a Shelby county week ago to-day, when
900 colored people marched up to the ballot
OK and proclaimed by their vote that they
ere no longer the slaves of the Federal
Jog, and in November next this independ-
nee will be emphasized in tones that cannot
. misunderstood.