Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-08-28
observation-disclosures IS, 1886.
The Negro in the North.

The Prohibitionists in Pennsylvania
have nominated . negro, j. NJ. PAIL
MEX, for cougrcssmsn-at-largs. The
fact that q negro was permitted to
carry off this honor is conclusive evil
depce that the honor thus turned over
to the colored brother will consist en-
,irsly in the candidacy. lie will be de-
feated. II the Prohibitionists Of Penn
sylysnis had been strong enough to
elect their candidate, they would have
nominated q white man.
There are about $4,000 negroes in
Pennsylvania, Of whom one fifth, or
about II, 900, sre voters. Those seven
teen thousand voters might possibly be
able to turn the scale as between the
Democrats and the Republicans ; but
their number is entirely too small to
enable them to elect the candidate Of
third party. Nevertheless. the Prohi-
bjlionists have shown that they con-
slider the negro vote large enough to be
worth bidding for.
The negro in the North has always
voted the Republican ticket, though he
has received next to no recognition at the
hands Of that party. In several north
ern States they are numerous enough
10 turn the scale against that party, but
they have never deemed it good policy
20 do so. In Ohio, where few thou
sand votes held by balance-of-power
party could, at almost any election held
during the last ten years, have con-
trolled the result, the negroes, though
having about 10000 votes, have never
been able to command any recognition
commensurate with their strength. The
Republican leaders there assume that
the negroes are all in duty bound to
support the Republican nominees. And
the negroes seem to acquiesce in that
assumption. The negroes are the same
sort of politicians here in Virginia. In
the Petersburg district, where they are
strong enough to elect congressman
without asking the aid Of their white
iesders-indeed, without white VOTE
they have nevertheless always elected
whomsoever the party bosses ordered
TO be chosen, ard have never been rep
resented by a man Of their own race.
The northern people have insisted
upon it that the southern people ought
to elect negroes to Congress, to the
State Legislatures, and to lucrative
offices; but they seldom or never do
themselves what they ask us to do.
SYDNEY SMITH il was, we believe,
who said that A never heard charity
sermon without being convinced that b
ought to contribute to C's necessities.
So the northern Republicans never hear
q speech about the rights and wrongs oil
the negro without being convinced that
the southern people ought to give him
any Office be desires.
We count it fortunate for the coun-
try that the negro is so poor a politi-
clan. The negroes can never do much
harm SO long as they band themselves
together in solid mass and vote the
Republican ticket "without rhyme or
reason" But should they ever be-
come balance-ol-power party there is
no telling what harmful results might
follow. The northern negroes ought TO
be the first to resort to that sort Of
strategy, as it is to be presumed that
they are more intelligent than the
southern negroes. Whenever, if ever,
tie northern people find thsmSelve,
confronted with that problem, they
will declare in their indignation that
negro suffrage has caused all their
troubles.