Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-11
LEGITIMATE BUT EXPENSIVE.

The organs of the straight Democratic
stamp are worked up over the discovery of
what they regard as Republican con-
spiracy, in which Quay, Dudley, Huston
and others are engaged. The project under
contemplation is to aid the colored people
in the South, to move to the close North
ern States, such as West Virginia, Ohio
and Indiana, and to find them employment
there. The plan was made public by one OF
the political agents working i: up in West
Virginia going on most variegated spree,
and permitting the documents to get into
the hands of Democrats, and the Democrats
are virtuously indignant over it.
Perhaps when they take a second thought
over it, the Democrats may discover that
their outcry is somewhat misplaced. The
scheme, as stated, is to secure the removal
of the negroes next year into the
States where their votes are wanted,
SO that they will be legally
entitled to citizenship in 1892. That
necessitates finding steady employment for
them. In all this there is not only no in
fraction OF law; but there is nothing which
is not within the right o: any man. In
deed. If pursued purely for that motive, it
would take rank as practical philanthrophy
to aid colored labor to leave the States
where it is overabundant and therefore
underpaid, ior States where it is wanted,
and can therefore get better wages.
OF course it is not necessary to credit
Messrs. Quay, Dudley, Huston and their
associates with being actuated BY any such
impractical motives as the sole consideration
of the benefit of the colored people. The
fact that their purpose is to move the
colored men into doubtful States, and not
the States where their labor is most wanted,
proves that their purpose is political-per-
haps even selfish. The great danger of such
a project under such management is
that the colored people when taken
into the new States will be left un-
cared for and without work. But if
that were done, the plan would defeat itself.
The negroes would become floating element
without any settled citizenship, and when
the Republican managers wished to vote
their imported citizens, they could not find
them. The plan being one, therefore, which
to secure success must give the emigrating
negroes steady and remunerative work, the
selfshness of Che motive cannot outweigh
the beneficial character of the results. If
no one in this country every takes worse
method to secure votes there will be slight
cause for complaint.
A very curions feature of the affair is the
oF TO
tives of the South are denouncing the plan
as "a crime The South has been telling
the North for years that the presence of the
negroes there is a curse; but whenever any
plan, either philanthropic or rpolitical, is put
in operation to remove any portion of the
negroes from the South, thatsection rises in
arms against it. 1t is hard to har-
monize the Southern expressions concerning
the negro and the race question with the de-
nunciation in the South OF all efforts to re-
move any portion of the race to Northern
States, on any other hypothesis than the de-
to retain the cheap labor of the
region, and at the same time to forbid any
political or social amelioration for it.
The project of removing colored people
from the Southern States and converting
them to legal voters in close States in the
North, is an entirely permissible one. But |
it is not likely that it will be put into oper-
alton on any large scale. 1t will cost some |
thing like hundred dollars apiece to take |
each voter with his family from his South |
ern home and keep him until employ |
ment is found. The politicians credited |
with the project, will probably, after lit
tie experience, prefer the plan of getting
their votes at cheaper rate.