New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-14
THE MISSISSIPPI PLAN.
AN IMPORTANT CONSTITUTIONAL CoNvEN-
TON.
THE FITNESS OF THE NEGRO TO VOTE AND TO
HOLD OFFICE FULLY ADMITTED BY TIE
WHITE DEMOCRATS WHO oP'
WHITE DEMOCRATS
PRESS AND ROB HIM.

f,vov An occ.e,ox,r CORRESPONDENT OF THE -RIBuSEl
Jackson, Miss, Aug 6.-Tho SVaue vi "io''PP
Is on the eve OF an important action cohso.tu'io"ai
convention with delegates from every county, wiz
assemble at Jackson next Tuesday for the purpose OF
determining the best method OF settling tile queSNoh
OF negro suffrage and of embodying it in proposed
amendment TO the State Constitution At present
there voting qualifications lmposeu III .llssrS'pp
except such as required by the tedeIai .onSu."
ton OF citizens Of tho United states vi all te oiiio
systems that will he suggested In the convention as
calculated to reduce successfully the negro voe-ior
SUCH really the object in vew-an educauohai sVA'u
ard with sundry attachments is almost sure 10 DC
chosen.
It is certainly commendable. IL the white population
Of Mississippi are at length willing to abandoh 'icT
present political policy, under the unenvaDie fcpu.%
ton 1t has brought them, and realizing WHAT al III
surmounable obstacle it has been In tho way Oh ier
material advancement. Evil the present system IS
singular that it IS hopelessly Illegal
and therefore much less subtly vicious t'ah Vne
systems Of several other Southern states that nave
been corrupty established by laws and CONSTITUTIONAL
PROVISIONS and which it is quite In the power oi INC
Mississippi Convention even to adopt or INITIATE
This fact may render the action Of the convention
very influential in determining the future atttuue Vi
the other Southern States toward tho negro question:
In the State Of Mississippi the Republican party
Is reliably estimated to outnumber the Democratic by
between 10000 and 10000 votes, the negro VOTERS
who constitute the buIh Of It. outnumberng the entire
white Of the State by at least $1,000 votes. ANA
yet since 1873 only three or four counties in the
whole state have returned Republican matorities
In National elections. Since that time also, WIN
but one exception, no Republican has ever been re-
turned elected to Congress from district IN MIS-
sissppi Of the four counties In the STATE
there are twenty nine with Republican maortes rang
ing from 500 70 5000 to county thirty one with
Democratic malores ranging from 100 10 1000, ana
tho remaining fourteen are doubtful. with chances
favorable to the Republicans. especially In National
elections OF the twenty nine counties with RepuDh
can malories only six have returned Republican
majorties since 1873 and In these the malOrltes
we're greatly reduced by fraudulent methods. ms
Of affairs Is made possible by the political poncy
Of the Democrats. One Of these three conditions
exists every county Of Mississippi; First the White
sufficiently outnumhers the black vote 10 retain
supremacy BY entirely fair means. second the
white vote is ounumbered by the black vote but re
tans supremacy by resortng to violence intimidation
aud fraud Third the white vote is outnumbered by
The black vote but by mutual consent the two races
share equally the state and local offices.
What is to be said OF these CondtOnsi The first
requires no explanation and provokeS regret. The
second has nothing in political ends or human oecehoy
10 defend it, 1t a rule Of force, breeding murder
and fraud among the OppressOrs and revenge among
the oppres,ed Shot gm persuasion and stolen cleo
tlons have been 50 IN Mississippi since 1919
that the Mississippi plan' has become proVerhai
There are few counties in the st2tc where II Is ho'
practised i'm some degree. Even the men VINO nave
benefited most largely by it have sckened at us rot
tenness and arc eager for a change. All agree tr"t
If has undermined the political virtue OF the state
and is an alarming menace TO public morals lho
.oonsr II Is rooted out the better for Mississippi
The third cond ton, with little or no VARIATION OK
,sts in Just six counties viz Adams, Bolivar Sharhes'
I,,aqueua Coahoma and Quman us mere uc'i''
lion d,cioscs that 1t IS an improvement over the se
ond named condition. The compromise or fusion
ul,n a, il /, called. adopted IN the aooVemeh-
toned counties Of Mississippi Immediately upon uo
f, Of the carpet bag power IN 1870 when the "hi'e
element In other portions Of the state was assuming
forcibe control Of the government In theSe couteS
il WAS wisely rca soned that plan when would sa'is
fctory to blacks and whites. eliminate the causes oi
noltic,l dissenslon and strife would serve 10 centre
fine attention and energies Of the neeioes-so recently
mir own masters-upon their home interests. ana
uouId give them sense OF security In their nome
government In order to accomplish TINS an e'iud
division of the state and local olh'es 10
tween the blacks and whiicS-ostenslDN INC NO
uubl,cau and Democratic parties was ehec'eu' r'"
n,rtv agreed 10 nominate candidates for certain suPu
lated Offices these candidates 70 be approved III !o
conference If the leaders VI boc sides. Thus the plan
Ia. hocn I'm constant operation since 1870, ana Is
heartily approved by the leaders OF both races anu
bnth parties. For specific example OF ue oPeI"''o'
o. the compromise PLAN" any one OF the SIN 'ou''es
may be selected In Adams County, for instance
where it is perhaps. at its best the Democrats M uo
offices Of sheriff who is also tsNcolector e1-o'hco'
,,tv treasurer state senator, one member OF the
STATE LEGISLATURE and four members Of the Board Of
Supervisors TO the Republicans are assigned inc
Offices Of chanccry and probate clerk clerk oil the UT
emit Court county assessor one member or tle Legs
lature one member Of the Board OF SUPERVISORS cor
oucr and Justices of the peace The names OF the can
Quad taf he pleC
whites and blacks the fIlson' tickete with the
,hvous result of no defeated candidates. Whatever
cicctioneering Is done comes at the nominating oou
Inc chief indication OF the Of this plan lie.
in tie unanimy with which The political csHe ,Se 0i
A. acceptable to at least nvesiAths ot the wMte
population, aud 10 fully nine tenths oil tle COZ
NJ each race The cOOred officials elected on
the fusion" ticket, have, according 10 the Wiling
testimony of leading democrats IN The coHn
Democratic spaper says cditoual Ihc 'olorci
men ia ONCE arc competent and are hllhe no
Offices crcditaby.7 and since tho Introduction OF the
fusion plan there have been no marked case oil
woTreG %nnterrGptcdIy Tor more than decade iur
Their proof OF It's value What stronger argument OF me
to obtain white boud,men not Of their own party
The testimony Of colord Office holders Is that ""mte
Democrats of influence and wealth are arrays It'nl'
IN fusion counties to give securities for the proper per-
formance Of duties by co0rcd officials while leading
Democrats realize that the negros tenure ot once Ie
ponds upon their cicmcucy. for they themselves TESTIFY
that II the ncgvcs depended upon their own race Tor
their own bondSnen they could not hold ofhcc me
effect Of the compromiSe' plan upon the general
politics Of the six counties has been 10 modify the
Mississippi plan 10 such degree that al occasional
Republican majority has been returned IN Nat9hti
elections from these and other counties The enect
upou the material interests Of the people of the
counties is marked by rapidly increasing Intelligence
and wealth among the negroes. and widespread Pros
perity among the members Of both races An eIl'ora'
In The Natchez Democrat aptB sums up 'ne v
TEN, saying: III, i,
an a word, tho adherence to the plan results IN
perfect political harmony In onr county anmrs M I
state Of friendly confidence and reliance which could
tercsts as identical The beneficial effects are ap
parent the total absence Of race antagonism envy
aud rivalry which calculated % arouse dSsenSlon
and hatred Another result Is tho total absence OF all
d sorder and phenomenal obedience 70 law ana au
thorty condition which both whites and Dlacks
have The intelligence to appreciate. and would very
reluctantly abandon, il has been productive OF
naugh but good government ana happlnSSss' ro ont