The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-05-02
The Colorea Man at the . sIlot Box.

A good deal is said from time 10 time
about the colored mau as a voter, in which
capacity he seems TO be regarded, particu'
larly by thinkers Of a certain political bias,
as q problem almost beyond solution
Democrats find him particularly yexatious
to deal with. They reason that by this
time he ought to have forgotten, as they
are willing to do, emancipation and en-.
franchissment and the fundamentally by
which these reforms were brought about;
that be has had the ballot long enough to
begin now TO use 1t as white men do, not
all on one side. In short they would have
him divide and be conquered.
The statement OF fact would be incom.
plete were 1t not admitted that there are
Republicans who belieyet that Tor their own
welfare the colored voters Of the South
ought to divide themselves between the
two parties, hoping that race prejudice
would be removed by the utilization Of a
large body Of colored men with the Demo-
cratic party. An intelligent Republican
from 4 Southern State recently advanced
this idea to the writer, adding that in no
other way would the majority be permitted
to rule in the South-that the native white
majority was so strongly intrenched and
no determined that It could and would
maintain itself in power by fraud and in.
timidation.
It is desirable that the blacks and the
whites Of this country shall be on good
terms, live together as good neighbors, and
work together as good citizens for the wei
fare Of their common country. The colored
man now has a country, to which he is as
firmly fixed as his white brother. He docs
not take to any Of the sshemes TO COLOMBO
him in foreign lands. He is here, he in.
tends to stay here, and he is not dying out.
In the mass he is under the very great dis
advantage OF Ignorance, but that is the
fault Of the communities in which
he Liver; and how much Of his ignor-
ance would he lose by becoming a
Democratic votes? How much would he
better his prospect Of mental improvement
IL he were to Join the party which kept
him in ignorance while 1t kept him in sla.
very and which, since his emancipation
and Acknowledgement, has done its best to
hold in him in the some thralldom? The
free school is not plankinthe Democratic
platform, but the denial Of free school
privileges to the colored race is.
This Is not all. Where it has the power
the Democratic party either keeps the
colored voter from the polls or robs him
Of his vote after he has polled it. He may
speak into the ballot box but not through
Il. His voice is Of no effect In his effort
to earn q livelihood he has not a fair
chance. Advantage is taken Of his iguor-
ance. Hei Is made TO feel that the laws en-.
acted for his benefit can be silenced by
local prejudice.
There ought to be no class distinctions in
this Republican country. As a broad prop
ositon, voters ought not 10 90 this way or
that because they are black or white, Eng.
lish, Irish, French or German. But the
Democratic party, particularly in the
South, has made and still makes a marked
distinction between the colored man and the
white,in politics andin business,an the col
ored mans human instinct binds him to his
friends and sets his heart against his enc
mics. White men would be advised in
vain to rush into a hostile camp in the
hope Of being accorded as grateful fayors
those essential things which had been de-
MED them as constitutional rights. The
colored man shows no disposition to be
less careful Of his welfare.
II the Democratic party inthe South shall
nerve itself to "accept the results OF the
war; 30 fully as to include in them the
colored voter II 1t shall consent tkat his
children shall have reasonable school adj
yantages, not less than white children
have; and il thereafter it shall appear that
the Republican party is not worthy OF the
support Of good citizens, then the colored
man may see that his advantage lies in
deserving his old friends and joining his
traditional enemies. The conditions must
begreatly altered before this "era Of good
feeling can be reached.