Evening journal., 1889-12-03
WHO IS REspONslBLEY

The Wilmington EVENING JOURNAL
says this paper 'laments the poll
laws Of Delaware without lamenting the
presence of mass of ignorant aud venal
black voters which makes the laws nee
essary TO preserve the ballot" Who is
responsible for this state of aifairs7 Who
is responsible for the ignorance Of these
few thousand negroes, twenty six years
after the issuance of the emancipation
proclamation And who is responsible
for their alleged venality2 What party
is so overwhelmingly in power in Della
ware, and how does 1t main
tain that powerG II our es
teemed contemporary will Just look
into this matter closely II will be apt to
turn its face TO the wall, for very shame.
There may be some excuse for a mass Of
ignorant black voters still existing in
Mississippi and Louisiana, for instance,
but their existence in such circHm-
scribed locality as the playhouse Com
monwealth TO the side Of us is a standing
and monstrous disgrace to the people Of
that state; and especially to the party in
power, which has stood between these
people and their elevation to the position
Of responsible and intelligent citizenship.
Let the JOURNAL put these ugly facts
into its old black pipe and mediate
thereon for a season Philadelphia Tele-
graph.
The question Of who is responsible for
the presence Of slaves here is matter Of
history. It may be decided according to
a mans knowledge and candor. The
people of Massachusetts, were the last to
give up the slave trade as matter of
fact
The modern responsibilities are easily
settled without indulging in the insane
chickering's and the white-heated exple-
tives Of partisan controversy.
The Telegraph, il it chooses to be candid
and fair, knows that the Democratic
party does not claim the discredit of an
franchising lot OF ignorant slaves, who
whether rightfully or wrongfully it doel
not matter, were unprepared for the
simplest duties Of suffrage. They could
not read or write and the bulk of them
being past the pupil age already, could
not have and have not had, chance Il
learn to read and write since The greater
number Of negro voters were slaves an,
only small minority OF them has hat
even a chance 70 become educated.
The Republican party which was il
control Of this city and Of Delaware 70
many years after the war has done moth
ing to change the condition Of the negro
Heretofore, and now, the efforts Of tn
managers Of the Republican party are de
voted to bribing him at the polls and t.
his general political debauchery
The Democrats are willing to bea
their portion OF the blame attached I,
the wealth and intelligence Of a commu
nifty in which there are Ignorance
squalor and crime, but the blind super
, stition Of the negro and the shrewd an
unscrupulous management Of Republica
leaders makes it matter of imposs
d bility for good men to have any inhuenc
D over them.
Q Only a small minority Of the negr
+ voters of Delaware is intelligent. Sine
n the negroes have had the opportunity I
e go to school many of them have nc
3 reached majority, so that the two classe
r those who are too old to be iterate, an
those who are too young to vote, con
pose the bulk Of the negro population.
IN 1t is a fact, and dreadful fact, that v
ID have mass Of ignorant and ven
lY negroes who have the right to vote wit
es out the ability or the virtue to take al
ii interest in voting honestly or intel
ps gently.
t, The Republicans plead that the Dem
D. Gratis are responsible for this situatio
lg and then offer to pay the negro's tax If
e. will vote for their candidate
lit Who is responsible then for the cruel
nd to the negro and the crime against su
ar frage of equipping the ignorant eli
Ia of men with the duties Of suffrage |
ed fore they had the intelligence or I
ire virtue to exercise such dutiesl
to Charles A. Dana, who mas been roa
l. ing through SPAN during the last (
- weeks, expects to try the experiment
Is returning home by way Of the Ital