The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-06-26
Rack seats for colored FoIks

Il
The President, il he was reported cor
rectly in our dispatches yesterday, is not
! going to give the colored brother a very
conspicuous place in his political family.
1 He is quoted as saying that he would not
/ like to have colored man for mayor or
postmaster Of the town in which he lived,
and that in making appointments in the
south, in cases in which colored men were
applicants for offices, be should take into
consideration the wishes Of the white
people.
He does not Of course mean to be under
stood that he will give no Offices TO colored
people. He proposes to give them offices,
but not offices that will bring them into
constant contact with white people. or re-
quire them to control affairs in which white
people are Interested
The Presidents course thus far seems to
indicate that this will be his policy in deal
ing with colored people in the south. He
has given encouragement to the movement
to establish a white Republican party in
the south, and has taken particular pains to
appoint white men to Office against the pro-
tests of colored politicians. He seems to
think that the southern white Republican
party movement will be a success, and ex-
poets great deal from it in the way OF
breaking up the solid south.
The colored people will have no reason to
complain if the President does virtually ig-
more them. They add very little strength
to the Republican party. Since the carpet
baggers left the south the Republican
party has had no strong organization in
any southern state, except perhaps Vir-
ginia and Tennessee. The colored people are
not capable of organizing party and con-
Quoting a political campaign. All they
have ever acc mplished in politics has
been under the leadership Of white men.
Now that they are virtually without
white leaders they have no party
organization. and cannot vote one
fourth of their voting strength. Of course
there are shrewd and intelligent colored
men in the south, but there are only few
of them and they haven't the qualifications
of party leaders, and if they had they could
not organize the colored people so as to
make them q power at the polls, because
capable men in every county are necessary
to do that, and such men are not to be had.
Before the colored people can play very
important part in politics they must reach
a much higher plane of intelligence than
they at present occupy. They must acquire
property, and become sufficiently well edu-
Gated to understand at least the public
questions which concern their counties and
states. They must improve to such an ex-
A..lr al ka ftu
which rests upon them as citizens, but also,
to inspire confidence in their ability to con-
troll pubic affairs.
It will be long time before the colored
people will be capable of taking leading
part in public affairs. They may never be.
Whether they will or not is an unanswered
question. In the meantime they Iced not
expect any of the highest places of honor
and profit They are not entitled to them,
and public sentiment will not second their
demand for them until they have proved
themselves worthy Of them.
The republican ne wspapers and politicians
continually assert that the colored vote is
suppressed They know that is not true,
or, at least. they ought to know it. The
colored voters don't seek the polls. They are
without leaders and without organization.
They feel very little, if any, interest in the
result Of elections. When there is money
offered for votes they are on hand. There
is no need of organization then to get them
to the voting places.
The President is reported to have said
that he understood what he called the
southern question better than some of those
who rendered him advice. There is some
reason for thinking that he does, because
the putting Of. colored men into Office will
never)beAeft the Republican party. but the
course which TIE President is pursuing
that Is, appointing southern white men to
off1ce-rnay help that party by furnishing
white leaders to organize the colored voters
and get them to the polls.