Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1889-07-04
THURSDAY, JULY 4, 1889.
The ,egro In Politics.

tho negro rs q political factor, and
much more will be said in the fu-
turc, for like Hanquo's ghost, he will
not down. 1t has been said that
President Harrison is dcsirous of
getting rid of the negro in politics,
and is striving to give republican,
: ism in the South q show of dcccncy
and responsibility by appointing
mainly capable and respectable white
men to fill the Federal offices.
Granting that such is his honest
desire and intention, yet when we
consider that President Harrison,
though to-day the chief, is still but
one man of that political party,
whose supremacy depends on the
negro vote, we need not expect from
him any practical help in the solu-
ton OF the old problem Of ncgroiSm
at the South. The Republican par
ty knows that it cannot stand before
the white vote Of the country, and
that it depends on the negro vote
for its popular strength. ''hc cleo
ton returns ever since 1876 show
Enthusiastically how dependent the
Republican party is on the negro
vote. In 1876 Tildcn carried the
country by a majority of 25O,955,
including the negro vote, and cx-
Guiding this vote by some 100000
white majority. In 1880 IIancock's
white majority was over 100000,
and he wanted only some 1000 of
having as large a popular vote as
Garfield, out Of nearly 100000
votes cast, including Il colorcd vote
of l,l73,000 In 1891, Clcvclands
vote was 4,9ll,0l7 to Blainc's vote
of I,S4S,334, or G2,GS3 majority.
But exclusive Of the colorcd vote he
carried the country again by over a
100000 votes. And in the recent
election Clcvcland's white majority
was still over million. These are
potent facts, and it is therefore plain
to see that the Republican party
cannot stand without the colorcd
vote. They must overcome this
tremendous white majority by the
colorcd vote or he hurled from the
throne of power, never again to rise.
Therefore they care not whether the
negro is lit for the solemn trusts of
free government, SO long us they cal,
hold the rcignS by virtue OF his vote.
Hence the Republican party stands
ready to ruin the South, if need be,
in order to hold this cOlorcd vote.
The chosen mission of w. w. Dud-
ley, OF Massachusetts, who recently
visited various parts of the South,
was TO gain certain information rcla-
tive to drafting a proposed bill 10 be
passed by Congress, taking the
whole business of elections to the
National House of Representatives
from the States and vcsting it in the
Federal Governments The proposed
bill is said to contain the following
provision:
"That Congress shall divide the
different States into Congressional
Districts. Where State districtinu
is satisfactory Congress- will adopt it
without change; where not Satisfac-
tory Congress will rc-district the
State. The bill will further pro-
vide that all elections for Federal
Offices shall be- under the control of
the Federal Courts and shall be i'm
charge OF the United States Mar
shall in whose district the election
shall hc held"
1t is not at all improbable that
some such schemes rs this are hatch
ing in the minds Of certain Rcpub-
lican leaders, whereby they hope to
capture, by means Of the colorcl
vote, several seats in the House of
Representatives that are now held
by Southern Democrats. But il is
also improbable that any such wick
cdly devised scheme will ever sue
cccd.
In the first place we holl tha, il is
unconstitutional. Reliance for au-
thority to do this is placed on Sec
tion I, Article |, Of the Consttu-
ton OF the United States. That
article reads:
"Thc time, places and manner Of
holding elections for Senators and
Representatives shall be prescribed
in each State by the Legislature
thereof; but the Congress may at
any time by law make or alter such
regulations, except as to the place Of
choosing Senator's
Now the subject matter Of this
provision was plainly the times and
the manner Of holding the elections