Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-09-08
NUMBER 10.


to 100 per cent. in twenty years, ami
in few the rate is much greater. o
the 100000 persons of African de
scent in the whole country, 739, ,556. o.
about 10 per cent, are in the Northern
States. There are nearly a quarter o
million in New York, New Jerse,
and Pennsylvania alone. It is vital t.
the success of the Republican party te
retain the bulk of these voters.
These negro voters in the Northern
States are held to their Republican al
legiance largely by stories OF the out
RACES inflicted On their race in the
South. They are told, among Other
things, that negro has no chance o.
justice in the South; that the courts,
controlled by white men, are ever
| ready to convict the negro when any
charge is brought against him. The
best possible use is made of the number
of negro convicts in Southern peniten-
| tiaries.
Mr.. Patterson, of Tennessee, in re-
| cent address, in the house, paid some
| attention to this matter, treating it in
| the light of information furnished by
recent census bulletins. No one, OF
course, can suspect the Census Bureau
of any desire to supply Democratic
campaign arguments. The census re-
ports show that in the penitentiaries of
the fifteen Southern States and the Dis
trict of Columbia. there were, in 1890,
1910 inmates, of which 1908 were
colored and 5,727 white. Now the
white population of these States is 49,
493,323, and the colored 6,743,915.
The ratio of convicts, therefore, to ev-
cry 100000 of population is thirty
seven white and 173 celored. The Re-
publican newspapers will use these fg-
ures, as they have used similar figures
before, to show that the colored man is
prosecuted in the South. But take the
state of the case in other States, which
had in 1890 a population of SO, ,444, ,456
whites and 739,556 colored. OF the
27, 1876 inmates of penitentiaries in these
States in 1890, 24,324 were white and
2,812 colored. This means that for
every hundred thousand of population
there were sixty-one white and $50
colored convicts. In proportion to
there are more than twice
as many negroes sent to the peniten-
tiary in the Northern as in the
Southern States.
These figures carry their own lesson.
They may be interpreted in different
ways. bns fa oAway is to the disTedit
Of the SNUG hypocrites who are so fond
of confessing other peoples sins. II
there is no more crime among colored
people North than there is South, then |
The Northern people are more severe in !
heir dealings with the negro than the |
Southern people. On the other hand,
f crime is twice as prevalent among |
he negroes in the Northern as in the
Southern States, what a commentary
loes this furnish upon the civilizing,
and Christianizing influ-
,nce which contact with his self-styled
best friends" has upon the Northern
legro! The Northern Republicans are
to either horn of the dilemma.
There are some 5000 colored voters
n Massachusetts, enough to turn the
cale in years where the vote is close.
The same may be said of the 1900 in
Rhode Island, the $500 in Connecticut,
he 10000 in New York, the 10000 in
Jew Jersey, the %, 900 in Pennsylvan-
a, $4,000 in Indiana and 12,5OO in Il
inois. There is no reason why these
oters should give their solid support
o the Republican party. They are the
ictims of the same ruinous economic
ystem which afflicts the white people,
nd the Republican pretense to be their
riends is wholly hollow and insincere.
Louisville Courier Journal.