The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-11-25
THE FUTUREPOLITICs THE SOUTH

The special correspondent Of the Balti-
more Sun writes his paper from Washing
ton that polite al thought there assigns to
the Third party movement in the South
the very important consequence of having
made an end OF old political parties there
and Of the lines upon which parties In the
South have heretofore divided. 1t is
thought then that the Republican man.
ayers have lost their grip on the negroes,
and that henceforward they will divide
under agreement or such other influences
as may be applied to them, part going
to one political party and part to another.
Detestable as the political situation IN
the South has been ever since the war,
it is an open question whether such
state of things as this correspondent pre-
diets will be an improvement upon II.
But little can be said In behalf OF the
negro as q factor in politics, but this, at
least can be said of him; that while he
was under the control OF carpet-baggers
and Republicans, through the influence
Of his preachers and the leading men of
his race his ignorance and prejudice were
so played upon as to put him beyond the
control Of the corrupting influences or
money. His rule was then social and the
rule of race. 1t was far more tyrannical
and iron bourd than any bond of slavery
could ever have been, and though those
who controlled him and cast his vote zen
bloc" threw it contrary to the neGros
own interest, and in degradation and de-
structfon of all social order. they at least
preserved over it the despotic sway OF a
tyrant that was able to exclude the cor
rupting purchaser of votes as rigidly as
he excluded the instructor who might
teach.
But If the present forecast is verified,
no man can predict what sort of poll
teal state will exist in the South. Cut
loose from his racial mornings. and al
lowed TO shift for himself the negro Will
be no longer under any moral restraint
whatever and he will exist in society as
a voting machine. pure and simple, ready
to exercise his function at the behest Of
whatever person makes it most for his
immediate profit and advantage.
What sort of politics will exist when
one-half the voting population is for sale
to the highest bidder-or to the lowest
either for that matter, for a ten cent
pocket knife will secure a vote as eff
fectually as ten dollar gold piece when
no gold piece is offered-we can only con-
lecture. But We all know what would be
the state and condition Of the negro vote
If the social and racial influences that
have heretofore controlled him were re-
moved, and he were turned loose each one
TO cast his vote in each election as he
saw fit to cast it.
Nothing said here is meant as a re-
proach to the negro. He was forcibly
taken from his state of servitude and
transformed in an instant into that Of
citizenship without training or prepare
ton for it. 1t is not at all surprising that
he should have no qualification for ciu-
zenshp, for he never had any sort of
instruction in it. But surprising or not
surprising, it is the fact, and that fact
with the terrible social problem that it
forces always upon the Southern people,
places upon the heads of those who, to
further their own selfish ends, brought
II about, the most effective condemna-
ton that could rest on them short Of the
curse of God.