Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-12-20
THE NEGRO IN POLITICS.


Discussion as to the best method of
solving what is known as the Southern
problem" is taking a wide range, and
is attracting quite as much attention in
the South as elsewhere. The proposition
to disfranchise the blacks altogether and
thus take them out of politics as vot-
ing factor is not well received by the
Bourbon leaders. 1t might be very
agreeable to the superior race" to have
this privilege withdrawn from their sin
feriors," but there are very serious diff
culties in the way, among them the Sc
we're loss of political power in the House
of Representatives that would follow the
relegation of the blacks to the non-yot-
ing class. Ex-Gov. Watts, of Alabama,
who was Attorney-G General of the Con-
federate States, expresses the sentiment
of his party on this qustion when he
saySH ''Such scheme is impracticable,
even if it were desirable. The increased
political power which the South has ac-
quired by the freedom of negroes ought
never to be relinquiShed. No; there is
no policy of the South which necessi-
tates it or makes it desirable. So long
as intelligence is superior to ignorance,
brain power superior to mere muscle in
the policy of a State, the South has
nothing to fear from the presence of the
negro with equal right to vote"
This is equivalent to saying: "The
Democrats of the South would be very
foolish to give up the twenty-seven seats
in Congress which they hold on the bas
is of the black population so long as the
colored voters can be deprived of the
suffrage through fraud and violence"
1t is but repetition of the insolent and
diScreditable boast: "We have the Bour-
bon heel on the neck of the enfranchised
freedman and intend to keep it there
and what are you going to do about it?''
But there is another side to the ques-
ton. Democrats are beginning to real
iZe that "honeSty is the best policy"
even in politics. 1t has been discovered
that s'the negro vote has been used to
count a South Acknowledgements in and
the North Alabama Democrat out" The
outrages perpetrated upon the blacks
are now being practiced as against the
superior" race, and they are beginning
to cry out against the decentralization.
Says Mayor Skaggs, of Talladega, Ala,
an advocate of the doctrine that 1.-The
Democratic party is the white mans |
party" and who asserts that any meas
ure was justifiable which was necessary
to prevent the domination of Republi-
cans who held sway Immediately follow
ing the reconstruction period:
But we cannot goon forever stealing |
the negroes ballot. There must be awiS- |
er and more honorable solution of the |
question. We have gone too far in our
election frauds, and soon we shall learn |
that success founded on fraud cannot be |
permanent In the black belt, where the |
negroes are in the greater majority, the |
tactics by which the negro has been de- |
Drived of his vote have also served the |
purpose of depTiying the white men of |
fair representation. The negro vote has |
been used to count the South Alabama |
Democrat in and the North Alabama |
Democrat out.
There are signs of returning reason
here. What the BOurbOns of the South |
need to learn is that success founded |
on fraud cannot be permanent" When ,
they shall be fully imbued with that
idea the Southern problem will be near
its solution.