The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1884-05-22
"ScnucKing the Negro.

hcpuDllCS are uuSTdIelul, duu 81
are republicans. We could not posi-
bly, have stronger evidence of the
truth of the above aphorism, and its
modern addenda, than we have in the
late organization of the white repub-
lican party in Texas. But for the
negro, there would have been no re-
publicanism in the first instance, and
but for him alone, the party would
have died outright twenty years since.
But for him, hundreds of active, iv-
ing Influences in the republican party
OF the nation would now be complete
ly hidden in the otherwise impenetra-
BILE mysteries of their own
native obscurity. But for the
patient, steady voting quality
of the negro there had not been the
least semblance of republican organ
ization in many of the states. And
yet the white republican would
"shuck" his dark-browed brother now
when he has arrived at the addition,
division and silence" stage of his
political existence. "There isn't
enough to go round; that's what's
the matter, and there is where the
shoe piDches. The federal patronage
in Texas isn't enough in bulk to
satisfy the whites, and to be compel
led longer to share the good things
with the ignorant. odorous and
inkey black negro; why it is
just too awful, too Internally
hard, to do. A halt has been called
and ever since the move was inaugu-
rated silent but powerful disintegra-
tion has been going on The loosely
bound and discordant elements out of
which southern republicanism is cen
structed have been separating and
growing wider apart every day.
"Shucking" the negro has been and
will be an excellent thing for the
white place-holders, but it is and will
be a dreadfully bad thing for the 10
publican party, and it may, on a close
ll,exert a wonderful effect upon the
result, in the next presidential race.
But there is another face to it all,
another significance, and one which
may totally change the whole
attitude in the south, and
settle for many long years the politi-
cal complications of the national ad-
ministration and the policy of the
country. In the event that strong
unequivocal free trade platform is not
adopted at Chicago, there will be felt
and experienced all over the north a
most cordial detestation of the arrant
cowardice of the democratic leaders
in refusing. to force the tariff issue
upon the country. That failure will
wipe out completely any line of de-
narration which has hitherto ex-
listed in this section between
and democracy and
with the elimination of the negro
from southern republicanism it is be-
it is shrewdly construc-
ted theory, too-that very many men
now acting with the democracy will |
go with the republicans party. N Northern
resident here, who have
acted with the other side purely upon
polite grounds, and disguised demo-
Gratis who hate and desrise the weak
ness and trucking time-serving sub
serviency of their leadership, will 90
over en- mass. This, it is thought, will
change the face of things
n many of the closer southern states.
md very seriously complicate matters
ven in Texas, with the one-hun-
rcd thousand democratic majority.
;killfully organized, such movement
would at once become formidable.
Ind if the organization went TO the
xtent of wedding out some of the
7hite thieves and corruptionists by
fhich the republican party south is
infested, the old time antipathy to it
Tould be lost. or perhaps converted 9
ito an active working force for it. $
Vhatis there to prevent? With the I
riff issue abandoned by the demo- j
rats the difference between the two, c
Iould exist only in name, and the t
'orst difficulty in the pathway of a
,mplete coalescence viii be swept {
way when the negro association is t
lnished. e
Here is the situation presented to a
% democracy, and it remains to be s,
en- what policy will be adopted to d
eetit. To our mind there is but one N
ay in which itcan be done. Failing is
make the attempt to neutralize h
Q bad effects of congressional d.