Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-11-14
VOTE OF THE NEGRO
The Place He Occupies in
Southern Politics.
ALWAYS AGAINST The WHITES
Scenes OF the FIRST Election Aftsr the
Close Of the WH-R=collections
Of Al Old Time Southefnsf.


nd nos Aave the paper political y al
nnost iz1lpossihle, fo< the negro Is moth
ing II not political. and election day, Of
al days In the year. - that on which
his ODDITIES become concentrated All
the rssEs Of tha time he bears or may
bear a different relathOn "a the body,
politic and social de may be citizen,
: laborrr, . servant. friend. but a.
elscfio1 day approsshos he begins 10
she'd these ehAracsers somewhat a.
locust does hls shell Jacket, and on
ehsctiol dag he ealsrges--s fuu-nedsed
politician
Tlis II the chief cause Of the trouble
which has existed Ia tho south between
him and the whites, and, however de-
plor-.bhB Il may Dc. until different dis
Dosfrion irstrrvenes on his part. 1t - apt
20 eontfna- a cause Of trouble This Is
not iutsnded "a t.D political, for the fact
Chat the negro Is publican n an seci-
d=nk tie might be democratic and tho
saxne thing would exist he began re-
publican natua1iy-ss naturally as the
white Of the south began his post-bel-
hum career denocrats- He has remained
srpublican because the white has re-
mained democratic; and were the
whites To suddenly wheel around and
become republican the negro would a.
suddenly become the opposite This 10
She key % much that has gone misun-
derxtood. and when IL shall be recog-
nized we shall DO In fair way 20 begin
20 recttfy mistakes and TO solve the
great problem
MY first recollection Of an election
wss the first st which the negroes
voted remember the poll was .
tow miles from my Old home at Beaver
Dam depot. In the long. low. brick de-
pot bailding. which had been built 10
stand even fro after Stonenan and
Sheridan Tn their raids had twice burnt
che wooden building. Once they de-
struvs,d along with IL three days rar
lions stored there for Cen Lees army,
which seemed rather . waste OF the
raw material 20 ~ boys who bad not
had tzsoe Of coffee or sugar IN two
yesrA The ballot box, or perhaps
there were two> / cannot recollect. was
on bench IN The wide door at the end,
and think ve wero taken over 70 sec
The spectacle Of the negroes voting.
remember was struck with the small
meas OF tho box. about which 1 bad
heard 50 much talk had expected 70
lni II a. large as wood box at least,
II noe OF the big white boxes In which
the servaurss' -winesr clothes" used "a
come from Richmond 10 was not big
ger than a tz,a chest, and. In facA / have
never got over . feeling that II b some
how noe quito commemorate In dignity
with its function Is Is big enough.
however. bigger than h looks
remember The strange man sitting
gium and Important IN their chs-irs tus'
behind the box and tho group of negroes
pressing up and handing IN their slips
OF paper, sosne with difidence, some
with arnus.rnen4 some with q pompous
prcornse Of kDos~ledgc, but all with Q
certain ne-vuusuees born OF THAR desire
70 perform without error their new and
strange function They took their or
dcrs from one Of the strange men and
one after another handed In their bal
lots. while a group of negro women or
one side wssched crrionsly and a grouE
of disfranchtsed white men on the oebe1
watched suriify the uDwoneed spectacle
II was an ouninous beginning. do MOI
r~rneflhsr what the vote was for.
edo not know thss 1 ever knew, and
doubt IL the voters did either. l re-
member Archie ryler, q sort OF preacher
and leader. yesws aftcr Gen Grants
presidency. sestifying that he voted