Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-05-16
THE C0lORED VOTE.
Bourbon Organs Should Remember That
Revolutions Never Go Backward.

Revolutions Never Go Backward.
1t is not long since the Southern
newspapers were all out in hue and
cry after President Harrison because
it was reported that he was going to
have Southern policy which con-
/ templated the more compact and ag-
gressi.e organization Of the colored
Republicans. AS time passed on and
no signs of it appeared they dismissed
their apprehensions. Now, however,
they are all ON the rampage again
over the discovery by some one of an
alleged scheme of the President to
divide tbs whole mass of Southern
voters On the issue of free trade vs.
protection. They are not quite clear
how he is going to do it or when he
Is going to try. or whether he is
going to make the attempt; but
with genuine Southern impulsive-
ness they are united in opposition
to it-whatever it is-as they would
be to any thing else which had
for its object the securing of colored
Republicans in their rights as citizens.
The Charleston News and Courier, for
instance, delicately expresses its de-
light that the President shows signs of
throwing overheard the old colored
Republican leaders and discarding the
colored vote as political factor. but
it doubts all the same whether the
President will really break up the Re-
publican colOred organization and
whether it will do any good if he does.
The Atlanta Constitution credits him
with the purpose of dividing the vote
and keeping the negro In the back
ground, but at the same time is salts
fed that it will have no effect so far as
the breaking g up of the solid South is
concerned, and that the Democratic
party lis resolutely determined to
meet any effort to divide it by tighten
ing the ties that bind the States of the
South in political union" The Nash
vile American says that ito expect
the whites to divide with the negroes
solid is expecting something which
will never happen, and there is no
need to waste words about it." The
Montgomery (Ala Adviser, which is
always one of the most refractory
papers in the South, says:
The cardinal idea of the President is that in
order TO divide the negro vote of the South it is
only necessary to divide the white vote. Here
is his great mistake. He has the cart before
the horse A division OF the negro vote will
not divide the white vote, and division of the
white vote can never be made while there is a
possibility of the negro vote getting solid or
even holding the balance of power. The white
vote will divide only when the negro vote is
completely eliminated. No temporiZ ng with
it VIII be satisfactory or remove the we'll
grounded terror Of negro rule.
Our implacable Montgomery con-
temporary devotes a whole page to
discussion of the Presidents alleged
policy, and after showing that no part
of it can be made to work urges him
to adopt the genuine Bourbon remedy
by declaring that enfranchisement
was wrong and that it must be cor
rected, which, of course. is impossible.
Revolutions never go backward. To
have the negro at the utter mercy of
the whites by officially disfranchising
him would only be a trife less cruel |
than returning him to slavery again.
These extracts, however. will serve to |
give the reader general idea of the |
Illustration of the Southern press over
their discovery. 1t may be that there
is nothing in the alleged scheme and |
that they are getting ready to cross a
bridge before they come to it.-Chi-
cago Tribune