The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-10-31
HOAR'S GREAT ISSUE.

An Independent Newspapers Opinion OF
the Southern Negroes Right of Suffrage.
The burden of Senator Hoar's speech
in the Massachusetts, Republican Con-
venton and of the platform adopted by
that Convention was that in certain
Southern States where it is asserted that
the blacks are all Republicans and the
whites all Democrats the Republicans
are not permitted to Votc-or that if
they are their votes are suppressed in
the count. In this way it Is claimed
that the Democratic party has been
able to elect President. to keep a ma
jorty of the House Of Representatives
and to maintain an undue represon.
tation in the Senate.
If these allegations were literally true
the situation would be bad one. 1t is
deplorable enough in whatever light it
may be viewed. But the assumption of
Senator Hoar and OF Republican plat
form builders in general. while not
entirely false, is in many re-
spects unwarranted. The situation
at the South as regards the
franchise is entirely logical, and
it is easily explained. Similar conditions
would produce similar results in the
North or anywhere else. A race hardly
emerged from barbarism. suffering from
the degrading effects of three centuries
of bondage, was unwiSely made the po-
litical equal of race which had one
thousand years the start OF it in every
thing pertaining to the science of gov
eminent. Ignorant, superstitous, bru-
tai easily led and more easily duped,
these people were for time controlled
by adventurers from the North. whose
dominion in the South was the most
scandalous era ever known in modern
history. The negro voted, but he did
not rule. The plunderers who robbed
and impoverished the whites deprived
the negro also of the means of gaining
q livelihood, and were, in fact, his
worst enemies. A state of society which
paralyzed industry, intimidatcd capital,
filled millions Of semi-savage minds
with an idea that freedom meant license
and that toll was unnecessary, contis-
Gated property and saddled the State
with debts which could never be paid.
though grievous in its effects on the
whites, was even worse in its influence on
the blacks. In the disorders which pre-
ceded the overthrow of this vicious rule
all fair men saw the inevitable conse-
quences of misgovernment, and it can
be said to the credit of the party which
is now deplorng the absence of these
conditions that one OF its Presi-
dents, Mr. Hayes, was most instru-
mental in relieving the South from that
accused rule which no Northern State
would have tolerated for a month.
From the fall of the carpet-bag gov
ernments two great facts have been
constantly in view. One of these is the
extraordinary progress of the Southern
people, both whites and blacks, in every
thing pertaining to material wealth and
prosperity. The other is that The ne
groes, abandoned by the self-seeking
adventures from the North, have been
left entirely to their own resources by
the great Northern party which claims
their allegiance. 1t has never sent an
orator to address them. a "barrer to
organize them or political literature
for them to read. For ten years they
have had no knowledge of the existeAeC
of Republican party, savo where an
occasional Chalmers might seek to gain
their votes by appealing to their fear;
or their prejuGces. They have become
docile, industrious, progressive anC
prosperous. They are gradually OBJ
tanning clearer insight into the re.
sponsibility of citizenship. They vii
not all vote the Republican ticket, bui
they will vote more and more numer
ously, if undsturbed, until at no ver1
distant day the ratio of stay-at- home.
will not be larger at the South than il
is at the North. The non-voting male.
of Rhode Island are proportlonatel,
more numerous to-day than they are il
any Southern State save one.
As to the claim that Mr.. CLEVELAND
: owes his election to the suppression O
the colored vote it may be said tina
there is no basis for the assertion what
ever In only two States do the negro
males of voting age outnumber tn,
whites; and, assuming that every blacl
vote had been thrown for Blaine an:
every white vote for Cleveland, thu
giving Blaine the electoral votes o
South Carolina and Mississippi, the re
; suit of the election would not have beer
T changed. The South is making rapic
l progress and the negroes are sharin!
in it fully. The question of suffrage /
solving itself Any step backwar,
e would be fatal not only to the Soutl
but 10 the North. CEica1O Herald