San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-09-06

a condition of political barbarism.
No wonder, by reason of a solid south,
the democratic party saw its way to
restoration to power, and the republic
can party saw its lines drawn back
to the Potomac, and its negro cohorts,
although armed with the ballot,
standing idle and helpless. And
now after these long years, the re-
publican party proposes to count the
negro vote. / see no good to come of
it. 1t will A~fricaniZe the republican
party of the south and leave it in a
hopeless condition. Already there is
a dawning hope of the solid south
breaking up its political siege. AL
ready there is a hope of the republic
can party securing recruits from the
white population, especially is this
the case with u young men, and the
new population, if they can be en-
couraged to come to our side, a repub-
lican party be organized that will
do more to secure fair elections, to
give protection to the negro. to break
up the solid south, than any election
bill congress car pass. 1t is the only
hope of the republican party in the
south. The Lodge bill takes this
hope from US.
Do we know what the race prejudice
means in politics? 1 think we do. 1t
was once so violent in Texas that the
man who called himself a re publican
was assaulted as an exponent of social
equality, a miscegnatiOnist and Os-
tracised socially and in business. /
have borne it all and witnessed the
fact that in this community, by rea-
son of the presence of a large and in
telligent republican white element,
no cOlored man has ever been molest-
ed politically or ostracised. / was
particularly active in assisting the
work of educating the negro and Sc
curing his personal independence
by encouraging him I secure
a home, and L have been made to feel
his independence at the ballot box.
1 am glad of it. Only when they
vote the democratic ticket let them
do so as democrats, and not remain
a milestone about the necks of white
republicans.
With a white republican ~organiza-
ton we will have no use for the Fed
eral elections bill, but arouse
this race prejudice and all
our hopes are at an end. 1t
is the duty of our colored friends to
come to our assistance, and not set
themselves up as dictators of the re-
publican party, to which they owe
everything, and in whose success is
held all their hopes and future well
fare.
Preceding the seizure of the state
govern ments in the south, each state
was visited by a distinguished ennis.
sary of the democratic party, Gen. I
Gordon, of Georgia, came In the guise
of a school book agent.
He came to Texas and delivered in |
the capitol a lecture on education and
the school book question, but his
real business was to give the COM
mand to seize the state government, |
even If 1t was necessary to use armed
force, and to give the assurance that |
the Northern republicans and the
Northern people would not raise a
hand to prevent 1T, but that ace pre- |
JUDGES favOriDg the domination of the
Confederate democracy would fully |
sustain any act necessary to accom-
plish the result. Gordon's mission |
proved successful.
Following the political revulsion
ensued a character of ostracism to-
ward the white republicans in the
south, by the northern people, that
has nearly crushed out the life and
manhood of the party. A white re-
publican visiting a northern city, was
looked upon as a disreputable indi-
vidual, and plainly told that it
was understood that none tut the
disreputable carpet Dagger, the
man without character or social |
standing, alone remained a re-
publican in states where the South
the negro was cordially greeted as
the only man who could afford to call |
himself a republican in the South. In
short, repulicanism in the North was |
respectable, in the South it bore the
brand of social infamy.
If a Northern nan came South he |
sought the company and association OF !
democrats, and it became common to
hear them say, ''at the North 1 am a
republican, in the South my self res
pect would make me a democrat"
The Northern club rooms were
thrown wide open to confederate brig |
adiers, who boasted of their demOcra-
cy. Northern capitalists courted the |
democrat, and northern orators and
northern newspapers gushed over !
the white democrat from the South.
The eX-cOnfederate hero, who per-
chance from a sense of patriotism be-
came a republican, brought down up
on his devoted head the contempt of
gentlemen, north as we'll as south,
i