Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-12-21
Discartiing the Black.

Some Of the Republican papers are
Just making the discovery that before
tie wal oliv Il portion Of the slave
ponuls'inn were INCLUDED in the
-nu.ut..,,.,. i,r lel r.Sentatlon, but
LEV tLat ,ue LILAC ks are at par, the
South has about fifteen more votes Ill
Congress than 1t had in ante-bellum
times. 1t Is strange what changes
the lause of very sholt period
sometimes; bring about. The states
manship which placed the ballot III
TIE hands of 1000 ,G0G uneducated
blacks, WAS twenty years ago, ap-
plaudeI to the echo; 1t WAS, under
carpet-bag rule, to he a means of
perpetually retaining the party OF
"moral IDEAS in power; it was to
constitute rot only the means of i'm
mediate deiiverunce but permanent
plotec;ion. What Was the result?
1t was speedily made apparent that
the slaves regarded "Oie Massa as
q much better friend and altogether
safer counselor than Tue carpet-tag-
gers, sent down to control the negro
vote. Then followed the charge of
intimidation" at the polls. The
negroes did not vote right and must
be made 10 show their gratitude by
bayonet rule. Charges of kuk.ux
outrases were manufactured and
scattered broad cast, to Justify the
suhjugation of States which it had
cost SO much blood and treasure to
restore to the Union with their
rights and privileges unimpaired,"
excepting of course The right of SER
vitude which as an incident Of the
was had been obliterated. Election
after election dem onstrated tho fu-
tility of any attempt of she General
I Government to control this mass of
plastic material, which responded SO
readily to the touch of master-hand
acting upon the sympatnies of
lifetime. A solid South became the
terror of the party which, by its
short-sigh,ed policy. had placed a
club in the hands of their political
opponents. This made some other
means necessary necessary to over
ride the will of the people, and the
Electoral Commission infamy, and
kindred blots, disgrace the pages of
history, as legitimate results of this
mistake in Republican statesman
ship.
But it is amusing to note the
change of sentiment in the party of
"moral ideas" q. these facts become
impressed upon its leaders. The
negro is no longer regarded as
"man and brother" He has been
debarred from his exclusive privil-
leges under the Fourteenth Amend.
ment by which it was hoped to caress
him into voting the Republican
ticket, and that too by an intensely
partisan Supreme Court. He has
been denied the privilege of an
equality in the distribution of official
favors, although he has not been
backward in asking for them. And
now we find occasionally an express
sion in the leading journals which
Enthusiastically indicates the rancor
that exists from this cause. "The
very thought" admits one of these
partisan mouth-pieces, "of State
and nation governed by degraded
ignorance, is beyond forbearance.
Still they must forbear, for the best
Of reasons: they are incapable of re-
tracing their acts. The record they
have made will endure forever, and
they cannot hope to escape its con-
sequences. The lesson taught by it
is that party which rushes head
long into such important changes,
is not to be trusted. Conservatism
is the greatest safeguard of our
cherished institutions, and a vener-
alton for the old and tried means of
preserving their integrity constitutes
her most enduring basis of states
manship.