The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-11-14
|THE NEGRO IN ELECTIONS
Description of a Political Contest in
Which They All Took
Par.
They Sometimes Opposed the Men
Who Were Their Best
Friends.
Old Masters During tho Days OF
the Reconstruction.

Old Servants Who Voted Against Their
Old Masters During tho Days OF
the Reconstruction.
TrfO WRITE OF THE NEGRO ON
NJ election day and not have the paper
CIV political Ia almost impossible, for
the negro ia nothing If not political, and
election day. of all days in the year. is that
on which his politics become concentrated.
All the rest of the time he bears or may bear
a different relation to the body polite and
social. He may be u citizen. a laborer, a
servant, a friend, but 40 election day APP
proaches be begins to shed these characte,s
somewhat as a locust does his shell jacket.
and ON election day he emergss-a full
dedged politician.
This ia the chief cause of the trouble
which existed in the south between him
and the white. and however deplorable 1T
may be, until q different disposition intei-
venes on his part, it is apt to continue a
oause of trouble. This is not intended to be
political-for the fact that the negro is re-
publican is an accident. He might be dem
ocratic and the same thing would ex-
ist. He began republican natur-
ally-as naturally as the white of the
south began his post bellum career demo
cratic. He has remained republican be-
cause the white has remained democratic
and were the whites to suddenly wheel
around and become republican the negro
would as suddenly become the opposite.
This is the key to much that has gone mis-
understood and, when it shall be so recog'
- = -l~fI ~ s~A- ErSs n k0 hnrir Nr
rectify mistakes and to solve the great
problem.
MY first recollection of an election was
the frst at which the negroes voted. re-
member the poll was q few miles from mJ
old home, at Beaver Dam Depot, in the
long, low, brick depot building, which had
been built to stand even fire after Stone
man and Sheridan in their raids had twice
burnt the wooden building. Once they de-
stroyed along with it three days ration'
stored there for Gen. Lees army, which
seemed rather n waste of the raw materla
to US bows who had not had a taste of COFFEE
or sugar in two years. The ballot box, o.
perhaps there were two, l cannot recollect
was on q bench in the wide door at the end
INT l think we were taken over to see thu
spectacle of the negroes voting. L remem'
Der I was struck with the smallness of thu
box, about which I had heard so much talk
/ had expected to find it as large as a woot
box at least, if not of the big white boxe
in which the servants winter clothes
used to come from Richmond. 1t was no
bigger than a tea cheat; and, in fact,
have never got over a feeling that it i
somehow not quite commensurate in dig
nifty with its function. Ii is big enough
however. bigger than it looks.
remember the strange men sitting Rlun
and important in their chairs behind tn
h~v o~1 khn nrnn 0f nnnrnaa TrQQgInO n
n handing in their slips of paper, SOM
with diffidence, some with amusement, som
with a pompous p%retense of knowledge. bu
all with a certain nervousness born OF thel
desire. to perform without error their neN
and strange function. They took their or
after another handed in their ballots
while q group of negro women on on
side watched curiously and a group O
disfranchised white men on the othe
watched surlily the unwonted spectacle
1t was an ominous beginning. do not re
member what the vote was for. l do nc
know that l ever knew, and | doubt if tn
voters did either. | remember Archie Ty
Ter, a sort of preacher and leader. year
utter Gen. Grants presidency. t%estifyin
TINT he voted flor ole Mr.. Grant" l onl
remembered that somehow | felt that
was O hostile act and was angry with til
Two men who were behind the box. thong
not as | recollect with the negroes then
selves, a number of whom had belonge
to US.
The first representative from my countr
that ] remember was Burwell Ioler, an oil
negro, who was elected to the state CONVEX
ton over William L. Wickham, the wealth
lest man in the county. and the father {
General Wickham. The Wickhams hn
been whips and union men before the wa
as had been my own people, voting again
secession until the state went out. when n
of proper age had promptly entered I'll
army. where they stayed until after App
mattox. And after the war they nccepte
the situation and deemed it best for IL
south to unite with the republican
and try to guide their policy in the sout
They thus voted with the republicans
first; though eventually, in face of recol
struction, they fell into line with the gre
body of the southern people. Thus 1t W
that on occasion of the first election it W
hoped that Mr.. Wickham might be electe
and for the first time in his life he col
scented to run for office. He was defeate
however, and never again offered, contentil
himself with voting md having his vo
neutralized by that of his old driver. Olive
Burwell Toler's brother. .
This is related because it lends up to t
fact that Gen. Wickham, who had bee
through all the period of reconstruct
the best friend that the negro had in vi
pinia, and VINO incurred by his untiinchil
course that hostility which only those q
appreciate who know how strongly t
southron can feel in political matters, gu
seauently ran for the state senate ns
debt paying republican,, and because t
bulk of whites in the district, democrats
we'll as republicans, advocated him. was q
posed by the negroes with extraordina
unanimity. This contest illustrates APT
the tendency Of the negro to align hlms'
against the white.
The candidate who came out agaiI
Gen. Wickbam was n man who moved
the county for the purpose of contesti
the district. His past was according
all reason, as we'll calculated to excite I
negroes hostility as Gen. Wickham's "
to enlist their gratitude and friendsh
He had before the war been one of I
leading spirits in organizing the "bl
lodges of Kansas. After the war,
member of the legislature of New Jers
he had either moved or seconded a reso
tion rejecting she fourteenth amendme
These facts were established by record Q
dence during the canvass, yet with the
ception of certain of Gen. Wickham's o
servants the negroes who voted for G
Wiokham were hardly worth taking il
account. The negro, however, neitl
bears malice nor gratitude long. He is,
the most part, a kindly creature, who 81
ply follows his impulses and ia more cas-
dnned than q cEifd, One of the most q