The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1888-12-07
TIE KIMBALL GRAPHIC.
official Paper Of the CItj and County.
c. z. TlMAM.
TIA man speaks angdt but his honssl
pray, wAere is his honestly.
On the local page of to.day's GpApu

On the local page of to.day's GRAPHIC
will be found some interesting reading
under the head of the Southern Cues
tion." in which Capt. w. v. Lucas, of
this county, and G. N. Walker, Of Ken
lucky. discuss "the future of the negro"
The subject, though not a new one, is
none the less interesting. Both the
gentleman are partly right and partly
wrong 1t could hardly be otherwise in
a discussion carried on by two such sx-
tremists. Mr.. Walker, in denying the
right of suffrage to tile negro, practically
admits that he does not enjoy that right.
After being SO repeatedly told by south
ern editors that a fair and free ballot
prevails throughout the South, his can
dor is quite refreshing. Capt. Lucas be-
lieves that the negro of the South should
be allowed to vote and have that vote
counted. While not claiming a con
.trsry belief it Is fair to say that the Cap.
tain, in common with thousands of other
well meaning citizens of the North, does
motor will Northumberland the condi-
ton which would ovsr.ake The South
should his ideas be carried into im1medi-
ate effect. Imagine. if you can, an In
dian population in Dakota In excess of
the whites three to one and the right of
suffrage granted the Indian. This
would mean the utmost supremacy of
the Indians in our local government. 1t
would mean an Indian legislature, Indian
governor, Indian judges. Indian sherifs.
Indian justices, aud SO on through all the
lesser Offices, municipalities, etc. Ii the
right of suffrage was granted the Indians
under a Democratic administration natur.
ally they would all be Democrats, Us the
negro OF the South ia naturally a Repub-
lican for similar reasons. In contemplate
ing these things for q moment, the exact
condition of many OF the southern states
is readily realized. 1t must be borne
in mind that the negro of the South is
no more to be compared in intelligence
with he negro of the North than dark
ness with daylight, and is not one whit
more cabable of casting an intelligent
ballot than the Sioux Indian, There
are exceptions of course. but it only
only makes matters worse. Vein Da-
kota have seen how this works by wit
Messing the ease with which the redskin,
Sitting Bull, manipulates his less lntelli-
gent followers. At its best the southern
question is a perplexing one; for, laying
aside all party prejudice. it is only tair
to say: First, that SO far as the colored
population is concerned, there is no
no such thing as a fair vote and an hon
est count in the majority of the South
ern states. Secondly. that u fair vote and
an honest count would mean the abso-
lutte supremacy of the colored race in the
political affairs Of these states. II these
conditions are agreed to, all candid
MeE must acknowledge that the situa.
ton IN the South is one involving prob
lens of the very gravest character. The
southern negro is by laws of the nation
q legal voter. To deny him the right to
vote, or to make Dugatory that vote,
when polled, by fraud or trickery, are
abstractly considered crimes that call
for condign punishment. On the other
hand. the testimony from the most reli-
able sources seems to warrant the con
eiuslon that the colored people of the
South are at this time, as ID the past, to-
tally disqualified to carry on the public
affairs of that section. In other words,
that Negro supremacy there means ca
lamity even to the negroes themselves.
1t is an awful state of society in which
home. property and progress depend On
a chronic poll Y Of fraud and violence.
Yet such appears to be the present case
IN the South. SO far as local politics of
the South are concerned, the people of
the North are happily spared the duty
OF assisting i'll any solution of problems,
pertaining thereto. They could not le-
gally do 80 if they would, and they
would probably harm more than they
helped If they could and tried. But
when it comes TO representation IN con
SiSes "H' StSt'iht Nti4SEs tbo SlttG-
ton is different. Is is upon these,
through congress, that she people OF dis
North may rpeak and act. Does it stand
to reason that a condition can long be
submitted TO under which the vote of one
MIN in South Carolina counts for as
much in congress and the electoral col
lege as the vote Of seven men in Illinois?
This is q practical denial of suffrage to
the North, and il will not be endured
much longer. for there is a legal way to
amend the wrong and the power to carry
the amendment into practice. Other
wrongs there are as great perhaps as the
one under consideration that congress
should set right, but the people do not
yet see them so plainly and, as a conse-
quence, are not SO resolute about undo
ing them. Just now the public mind is
SET upon justice IN the matter of the
suffrage 80 far as congress can lawfully
act. There will be no peace till equity
he had.
There is more than one way to skin q
cat, so 1t is written. 1t must be true