New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-01
PRICE THREE CENTS.
MR. CLARKsoN's PLAIN TALK
HONOR, DUTY AND LIFE ALL INVOLVED N
THE FATE OF THE ELECTION Bull.

BETWEEN PERFORMING ITS 0Fr-REPEArEn
PLEDGE OR LOSING FIVE IMPORTANT
NORTHERN STATES WHERE OIL
oRED VOTERS HOLD THE
BALANCE OF POWER.
J. S. Clarkson, of the Republican National
Committee, Is spending the holidays with his
family at the Fifth Avenue Hotel Ia converse
ton yesterday on political matters he was asked
IL he thought the Election bill would become o
law, and replied: -Yes, ! have faith that 10
will. and within the next two weeks. have this
faith, first, because the measure Is right In it
SELF and second. because believe firmly in the
Republicanism Of the Senate. The Republican
party has declared in every National platform
since 1872 in favor of sach a measure. and In
its last platform it made this its first and para
mount pledge Of honor. This Republican Con-
grcss has given it the first chance In eighteen
years to redeem the pledge. 1t has now, In the
sufficient trinity of Republican Senate, Re-
publican House and a Republican President, both
the power to keep and the renewed duty to fulhl
the covenant. Time has not lessencd, but, in
stead, increased, the need Of the law. The South
has sought, by enacting o force bill In almost
every Southern State, to nullify the universal
suffrage amendments to the National Constitu-
ton, and, even while a Republican Senate has
been hesitating TO approve the bill OF tN Repub-
lican House, the State Of Mississippi, through .
constitutional convention illegally convokec. has
boldly disfranclsed the colored voters among Its
citizens. The million Of voters in the South now
practically disfranchlsed are disfranchised not be-
cause they arc negroes but because they are Re-
publicans. For the Democratic party not only
allows them to vote in this later day when they
%,o in ficEet hut in North Carolina
and other States at the election last November
il paid corruptible negroes for voting its ticket
Only few days ago heard the successful Dcmo-
cratic candidate for Congress in the Ashevle Dis
trict Of North Carolina spend fifteen minutes in
speech at meeting in Ashevllle in glorifcaton OF
his election in thanking and eulogzing the negroes
who had voted for him and other Democratic
candidates at that election. ] have just spens
five weeks in that region, and on constant In
vestigation / found scarcely any negroes under
thirty years Of age who could not read. The cry
of ignorance, under which the opposition OF the
Democrats to negro suffrage WIS so long ana SO
successfully masked, was good as to the war
negroes, but it fails with the new generation OF
blacks.
coroRrn MEN HOLD THE BALANCE OF POWER
"Now. il all the negroes would vote the Demo-
they talk about so much, and all the horid nom
sense about the all-pervading and all conqnering
white race would suddenly end The new
situation draws sharp party Line. The Demo-
cratic plot is boldly to disfranchise million re-
nublican voters. The Republican duty, unoer INC
conscience of the party sealed by the blood OF nalt
q million men in war; is TO keep its co'ehah's
equally with the black man and the Nation' ano
nrotect as citizens the people 1t freed as sis'es-
II H. does not do it, that IL has tl'" fn' po"r
and onnortunity il will die, and will deserve TO
die from lack of courage and honor To hvey fof
this is not merely, nor even mainly, Souonein
ouestjon now. II has ceased 10 be that III u
now O. question, open before the world "he'nei
or not million of free citizens can be successiuhS
disfranchsed in a Republic. To the Repunhcah
marty il is question whether with supreme power
TO do and supreme duty TO do, it is too cowardiy 70
protect and insure in their legal right milon oi
it's own legal voters 1t may betray the negro
~. - IL does IT, will Detray itself still more.
For aside from its duty under conscience To inc
naoroes Of the South, the Republican party nnus
its mower now in almost all the large Republican
States of the North continued to IL Dy the
negroes help. If the black men Of the south arg
70 he abandoned every drop OF honest negro o.ooa
in tho land will resent it, Negro voters now noia
tho balance of power in New-fork, ONO, ILLINOIS,
Massachusetts, Iowa and other Northern oCaeS'
and they would naturally, and quickly ana sufeiS,
lot the uarty feel the shifting power OIL an ahge'eu
ord OUTRAGED race Therefore, 1t Is Nortnelh 10
,veIl nc n Southern question in practical pohucs'
and every Republican in the Unted oOa'es n"ha'o
v,bo owes an honorable mans allegiance W ns
marty and does not share in the modern ariosahoo
- ,binkinc that the power OF personal wealth. may
safely rive him independence oil party, "''i sonu
hr tIo rartvs life and honor on this fnomeh'ous
question.
TUE xEGRo CANNOT DE PUT DOWN.
aWhvn said Mr.. ClarlSson. with much an'imn'
,ior and emphasis, who is there that ~ hepi
I;oo, wbo does not see what the deteat Oh Uis o''
would do 10 the Republican party u "o"iu 20
\ Republican approval of the Souths oiisih"i "''A
..p,'.oa ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of the black race be-
s,.o =, ;ts Reoublica nsm, and would leave tle
os,.o 20 make his own terms with the Democrats
nor,v Ono Of two thing, would follow-the ne
oro II he followed only the animal instinct OF Se,r
n,escryation. would become Democrat III w
Sontb or, IL he should in nobier way ins's' 'a
his rights OF manhood under the hepupho "''
urder God. as have faith in him TO believe ''".
no would. he would at last secure the hgh'S W
bis race il black blood tad finally 70 ne sheo W Nv
:, 90 white blood was freely shed to secure the
- i rana its freedom. II there arc tiaiid AMI
nJterinc Republicans who would, for the saKe
80 nrcscnt peace and coward!y concord, bctray
tho blacl, race to permanent disfranchisement or
bctray it as shamblcd peasantry 10 the political
and menial use Of the Democratic party, they
have read history and studied human nature to
little ,urposc. and have not observed the sptris
and courage in which the American negro has rissss
from slavery and ignorance to freedom, citizenship
and intelligence This generation Of negroes who
have never felt the lash, and who have tnsted OF
freedom can never he ground into the earth again.
ever il the Republican party should dishonor the
memories of Lincoln and Grant and Tie union
Army by joining with the Democratic; party In
irving 10 grind tnem The Father Of Us all. black
ard white, has larger purpose for the blssm
man than this, and no power, whether it be 10
nuhIieon or Democfatic can interrupt or defta4