The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-06-29
THE "FORCE" BILL.

The zone, supreme, all-absorbing
ISSUE Of the campaign, according to the
New York Sun. is "shall the white peo-
pie Of the Southern States be subjected
through Force law, to the horror and
humiliation Of negro ruler Beside this
question, it says, ''the tariff is a trifle,
the silver question farce. the qualifica-
tions of the candidates a mere meaning
less fgment."
The strong language Of the Sun is ac-
counted for in part by the necessity It is
under of finding some cloak to cover its
abject crawl to the knee of the " stuffed
prophet" in abuse of whom it has for
years exhausted the resources of an ex-
tensive and elastic vocabulary.
Aside from immediate political exi-
gencies, Mysteries over the Force" bill
come with peculiar weight of logic
from Tammany's champion, the lauda-
tor of corruption, the glorifier of politi-
cal thieves and blacklegs, the instigator
and praiser of election frauds and the
scorner of any rights but those of thugs
and club carriers. Unless Tammany is
promptly strangled as monster unfit
for life an honest election will shortly
become thing of the past in the proud
Empire State, whose fair fame it has
dragged in the mire, until at Chicago
her representatives found themselves
Kissed and hooted at by men of their
own party from all sections. Tammany
has become stencil in the nostrils of
Democrats as well as Republicans.
No wonder the mouthpiece of this or
ganized wickedness finds the prevention
of free ballot and fair count "peril-
Gus issue" that ''towers above all other
issues, actual or even possible, as the
highest Andes tower above the sea beach
below their base, or the poison Of the
rattlesnake surpasses in deadly menace
the infection of the Itch" 1t is not alone
the South that might be affected; Tam
many's own hideous domination is in
danger.
The Sun is not a competent witness.
No sane being will deny the difficulties
under which the South is -iaboring.
Negro rule presents dangers, not be-
cause of the color of the negro's skin
the Sma should be scourged out of civili-
zation for its use Of the word humilia-
tion'-but because the average of edu-
cation and of political intelligence
among the blacks of the South is as yet
necessarily low. 1t is inevitable that
there should be rebellion against rule
of ignorance with its untold attendant
dangers.
But the free exercise of the suffrage Is
guaranteed to the negro in the supreme
law of the land. He needs il for his
own protection. and he must have it.
This is the basal fact. and other condi-
tions must build upon it and harmonic
themselves with it. Given willing
obedience to the Constitution ON the
part of the white population of the
South and the gravest of the real dan
gers of the negro vote would be mini
mized. Remove the irritation between
black and white and there would be no
question of negro rule or white rule, for
both forces could be made TO work to-
gether for the development of the sec
ton.
The fact that can't he lodged is that
the negro is citizen. destined to remain
one. and he can learn the proper exercise
Of a citizens duties only by practicing
them. You can't become swimmer 10y
staying on dry land and the longer the
South cheats the black man the longer
it makes its own period of suffering by
ont the time Of his political ed
ucation. What must be learned had
best be taught quickly and with decent
zeal.
The free entry of the black man into