The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1888-09-25
The COlOred Voters and the Repub.
lican Party.


| fishes letter from A Republican Who has
| Voted the Democratic State Ticket Since 76,'
complaing that the colored people have not been
recognized and encouraged" in that county
and in the State by the Democratic party since
| it has been in power as " their great advance in
morals, in education and in the acquisition of
property" warrant, in that they have not been
| permitted to fill public positions. The Reporter
makes very apt and conclusive reply TO its
correspondent from which we extract the fol-
lowing applicable to many other localities
besides Orange county:
| Is there any good reason why black Repubi-
cans are entitled to more consideration from
| Democrats than white ones? And how much
more is the Democratic party OF Orange county
| TO be censured for not placing black men on its
tickets than is the Republican party, of which
the cOlorcd votes form the major part? Win
our friend point out the instance in which the
| Republicans of Orange county nominated col
ored man to an office? Have not the white men
Of that party regularly required their coored co
| workers to do the voting which would put the
said white men in office in case of party success?
| The Republicans have recognized the cOored
man as valuable just in proportion to the num-
Der of votes it would give their party, and have
| regularly "encouraged them to vote straight
| Republican ticket, and ask questions The
| Democrats have recognized them as political
| opponents therefore entitled to Just as much
encouragement" as white Republicans, and no
| more
| 1t seems that the Republicans Of Orange left
out the cOloreC men (who constitute the major
ty of their party entirely in nominating their
county officers. This Republican is unreas-
enable enough to expect the Democrats to do
more for his followers than his own party is
willing to do But this failure on the part Of
the Republicans TO recognize and encourage
the coored is not confined to Orange
county. 1t exists almost everywhere The
Reporter could have gone further and shown
that the same measure which was melted out to
the coored men!of Orange was doled out to them
al Ocala, when the Republican State Convention
had the whole State to select from. Everybody
knows that the cOlored vote comprises at least
eighty per cent of the Republican party of
Florida, and that without it that party would
have no existence in the State; and yet of the
seven Administrative Offices and three Supreme
| Court Judges nominated at Ocala, and the two
members OF Congress on their ticket, the colorcd
man was permitted to occupy but place; and
the "color" of that candidate is reported to be
at the hands of their white leaders in COW .ntion
assembled notwithstanding their great ad-
vance in morals, in education, and in the ac-
| QUESTION of property" and Notwithstanding
we will add, that they have colored men in the
Slate equally as competent for any OF the ad-
ministrative offices as the they have nom-
mated. The indignation of Republican should
boil over at this great outrage
Can any one tell why this discrimination
against race and color was made by the White
Republican Bosses? We think IRE can; The
| prejudice against the negro in the Republican
ranks North is so great that they dare not put
them up for prominent places. They dare not do
them the justice which their strength in
numbers rightfully en,ilc them to as Repub-
cans They are good enough as voters but when
ii comes to choice official pap it is not for them
Let us see how it IS in this county. There are
| six county officers to be elected this fall and
here were a number OF colorcd Republican lead
ers, who had occupied high positions in their
| party, and some of them seats in the Legislature
They had led their party to victory in many
| campaigns in this county. There was Stewart,
| Harmon, Thompson Mitchell, Carr, Proctor, and
| OtnerS, VINO ndu Carmel, anu were tlllrStIng Tor
some substantial recognition and encourage
ment" from their party but when it came to
dealing out the profitable offices they were made
to stand aside. Boss Shipman and Boss Goss
appeared on the scene to advise and direct them
1t would not be seemly in the eyes of the north.
| ern brethren of the <. O. p. to have the Capital
| county of the State Differed by negroes. Being
| scarce of white material in their own ranks,
| they looked about for some soft Democrats who
| loved the emoluments of office more than party
principle and they found them. There was no
place Tor the colored men among the profitable
offices, and they paid them off with few Legis-
lative crumbs, of very unsubstdnttal character.
The advance in morals, education and &C
QUESTION of property" counted for nothing in
this county, as il did in Orange and at Ocala. If
the white Republican leaders suppose that the
colored men who have worked for their party
for years and have kept it alive will submit to
this treatment, they will awake to their mistake
in November. We know how they feel in Leon,
and how they intend to resent it.