The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-06-09
THE NEGRO VOTE.

There are indications, and many oil
them, that The negroes are not going to
continue the slaves and tools OF the Re-
publicans who have assumed that be-
cause they were abolitionsts the darkIes
must forever do their bidding without
reward. As the blacks gain intelligence
they are learning that the Republican
affection for them is vain profession,
and consists only of desire to use
the colored people for the pur-
poses OF white politicians. The
negro, as he gets intelligence,
sees how be rewards others but derives
no benefits for himself. He places his
white master in Office. but gets no Office
himself. He is not ungrateful. but he
begins to think that gratitude should be
mutual, and not all on one side.
At the late election in Louisian a
thousands of colored men openly voted
the Democratic ticket, astonishing the
Republicans who thought they had
rings in the noses of all the negroes
At Petersburg, Va. the other day,
which has been under the control of the
Republicans ever since the war, owing
to the number of negro citizens, the
blacks voted the Democratic ticket and
elected it, greatly to the establishment
and chagrin of the radical bosses. And
so it is going, all through the south, the
negroes showing that they have learned
of the deception practiced upon them.
Now comes the New York Age, lead
ing organ OF the colored people. with
this praise and endorsement of Presi-
dent Cleveland, who is coming to
be regarded as the black mans
friend, not that he is peculiarly
an admirer of the race, but
he is stickler for equal rights before
the law, and equal advantages for all.
The Age says:
There is not colored citizen in the coun-
try VINO does not look with satisfaction
upon the assurance that President Cleve-
land will be the candidate of his party
again; not because they look with any de-
gree of favor upon the present or past poll
cy of the democratic party; not because they
will in an considerable numbers support
the candidates that party will place in nom,
nation; but because they have an undiVid-
ed confidence in the honesty, the wisdom,
and demonstrated regard and disintsresled
interest of President cleveland in them and
their welfare as coequal fellow-citizens.
We know of no other democrat in the coun-
try in whom colored voters of all shades of
opinion have more confidence, and for
whom larger number OF them will cast
their ballots.
The Jacksonville (Fla.) Leader is the
principal coIored newspaper of the
south. It is ably edited and is free and
outspoken. In recent issue it speaks
in high praise of President Cleveland,
and tells the Republican press and pol
iticians to call halt on the question of
the sectional issues, saying frankly that
the colored people were never in more
healthy and prosperous condition than
under the present Democratic admins
tration. Mr.. Thomas Fortune, perhaps |
the ablest of the colored editors in the |
has issued en- address to the |
voters of his race In which he states !
the situation clearly and intelligently,
and let's the Repu blicsns know what the |
negroes are thinking about He closes |
his address in the following significant
language:
81 am convinced that a respectable num-
Der of intelligent colored men can effect |
more good inside the Democratic than has |
been effected by millions of them inside the |
Republican party since 1876, pulling chest |
nuts out of the fire for politicians who sim |
ulate an interest they do not feel. and 1 am |
going to put the matter to the test. l am |
not alone in the position I now take. There |
are plenty of Us who are gratified at the pat
riotic policy of President Cleveland and the |
Democrats in Congress since 1884 in matters |
affec ing colored citizens, and who will do |
Ill we can to elect the nominee of the St. |
Louis convention; whoever they be-"
The negroes are not going to be en-
ilaved again. and they begin to find it
,ut and as they learn the truth they
ire asserting their independence of their
alse friends who have treated them as
f they had a mortgage on all black
Toters.