The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-11-05

should be neither Aliens ~, respects
and who. whIle equal IN '1l n'n,te nrign-
before the law with theh 49,, n.ts.Lrled
DoiS. 49, IN me COY ernment,
,ol,rse m, grave oDJectiopS " '',',y IN
viii. political pO" or tiI-s NJ 40, >x,.r, much
Grated slaves VINO inteiieSsu.S., OF Their
nearer 10 the domestic ain'i.a, ,,',srers.
a., ,,,ontattnns tnan to their Lac -. -
wen. recogniZcd Dy every DOuS. - NON
ont.ctlous aIncred only III ue7',ts, Years
tnose which had been urseu S,s ,1t,ers.I
h.fora against the theofy u " , 49,.
s,,ttr,y. ifself The doctrine VI 80
Isif.rson school OF politicians, tna' -, % r,'n
whole IL was better LOT eIc 20 nann.
the risk OF temporary INJURY ~ ~ tr-,n 70
OF ignorant ana foolish 'ole.S sii,,,,,.S
Ganv tnem tie educating and clViii]lps
RESPONSIBILITY OF the ballot, Han De.n
accepted as the law OI the Isep,,,,',;,.a az
arguments seemed to De as con'ln1.' "a
go N WAS plain mat the negro No.
y Io,, ANA palnlul journey before il.
could overtaSc even the rear eutlu y.
the. Caucasian race. But IL WIS lcls -
he would accomplish the ascent i.V H
RAPIDLY and with better iesui'1 -.
concerned, II he were made luH cill@sn
from the start That lower motives were
left entirely out of view, ana tndt 'hS
managers of the then dominant isaulO'i
wing of the Republican party dl1 Io1
count upon the immense gam 70 ~,
side which this creation OF nearly n"it
n million new voters would involve, hecu
@ot ~. nretended. But the great ma
iority OF Americans were s"ayed py lnS
larger considerations OF sehllih'ht an
logic. They were very hopeful as 10 inc
black mans future in those days. IL scei"-
ed Incredible that a person Tor whom S.'t'
extraordinary sacrlilces OF ploou an.
treasure had been made should not ha7',"
10 prove himself worthy OF tie outlay
The experience OF a generation s.p1-
rates Us from those sanguine ahtcilar
tons The nteryeuing record Il one %
practically unmitsdted uisappolle'ii ~
The negro has hardly proSfesseu az
all In some districts, nOtlceably III
Georgia, he has done something,
much. but still something Tor hiht9Sit'
In quite as many cases. elseWhere; nc ne
r.trosraded rather than improved. ~
vast body Of negroes remains e LII The
it was. socially, mentally. moraliy ~
ex-slayes are now a small mlhOlity "
the whole. and as they disappear ma.
of the pleasauter qualities WhIch uS.t -. =.
soften and color our cohcepSe.,S -, rne
race are seen 10 vanish with theh, ne
Younger people are a little DrlsHlel,
great deal harder and vainer, but no WIN
nearer to the goal or ntness lor .ie IL,
hood An increasing proportion OF 'Ic 80
can read and write altef ld9utol' 80
in has not been discovered tlat TINS par
ticularly improves them lheW feia,
lions with the whites about them arc Sun
strictly dependent upon personal coHsluS
rations ii they are good nlggers,
they are treated with a kind OF amused
amiabnty. If they are pad nlsseIs;
they live as social outlaws, Kept harsiiiy
at arm's-length by the white community
so long as they remain quiet anu iu'n
lessly punished or stamped out ""'H Ivy
Politically they have proved from the
beginning gross failure. during 'lt
ten years following their acquisition OF
the suffrage they We're made the 'cols
of the most remarkable conspiracy or
scOundrelism IN government when any
civilized country has ever seen \ sdnN
OF white adventures. mostly lIohi ~,
North seized. through their votes, ul'
control OF the eleven states Wnlcn .an
been crushed by the fall Of the Cohieuel
acv. and looted them 10 their hearts con-
tent Tha debts Of these Common.
wcalths amounted 10 lr0yVp po4IluS9 a.
the close of the war when negro dolilllia-
ton began. When the "carpet-oaSse
who utilized the negro vote 10 plg''u ~
these states were finally driven Oh, ~ -
total Of their debts was close upon 49,;
co mounds In the closing years OF 80
ecaIdoious period the white population
of the South were only preFehleu us
the presence Of Federal troops from IN
ing the law into their own hahus a. ~,
freeing themselves by violence i IL, tbe
curse of black rule. W hen ar lds'' ~,
tfcops We're withdrawn, inc g..lii,',,,.s'5
eoveruments crumbled and disapp -aict
al by magic. and the negro s""''i ~ -,
ain interest I'm politics. for the Sulleisrt
he would otherwise be shot OF i'' -
tveutv years now the negroes OF wy
South while nOminally voters nav 80,
ticallv been disfranchised. Al the vu,,
they made some rude sho" OF -, -, 1t
hero and there TO the unWrllteh cvu'
which condemned them 20 keep away lIO il
the polls. and were roughly hahuleu III
CONSEQUENCE. For time tne 'ic e-.,,
dav riots excited deep feeling M the Nolt,
ard were effectively used m polluCA
campaigns by the Republicans. 1rdhu-
allv. however, as the passions OF thc W. va.
time cooled down. and new Seiei dtioli
Of voters arose who cdrcN moro Hlo--
tho existing tariff and currency ques, iohS
tban thev did about the dead problem
of slavery, Northern common senss
perceived that Il was best 10 let the SOutll
settle its negro question IN us O"lt ~
The Southern whites were ld-lu5 80
free hand TO suppress the H,7.V,hat ~
no only imnlfed stipulation pelus 'ldt ~
sbould he done without noise OF Eioit"e
II ia lipon this quiet undeIs ldi'"."7 -
tween the intelligent people OF pom
sections that the South as q tna
| rrecorved itself from the eNn5 vi - -
| 10 -bao-'' era since 1870. But th'ic
must always be a sense or lnsecut,l ~ ~, -
| long as the latent power ior iil i-@,',s
| lies IN these black mass - OF lebdi
| In t,s-o states the negroes nave 'i'"i
II III ~, of adult males Mississippi
| has $4,000 blacks Of the Young az,
| o,sainst lg000 whites and under the olu
| conditions il was always possible that
| eor,o spasn OF PARTISAN excitement III
| the North might bring this prepOn9erdnce
| of colored citizens into activity ana uyllli
nation. Accordingly, In 1870. MlsSlsS.pP'
| adOpted an afnendmeu ut TO It's state on-
stitutiOn by which the ilght OF sun 80
was restricted 10 those who could pass
| a certain educational examination ne
auendmcnt which came into operatloll
on January LIST. 1892. had the eiect or
| DISTINGUISHING over 10000 negroes. South
| Carolina is the other state I'm which the
I blacks out-numbered the whites. the totals
| OF voters being 1900 as against lo2Vo
Here too. a Constitutional Convention
| IS now in session. avOwedly gathered TOT
| the PURPOSE Of adopting the Mississippi
plan and striking off the register N'"yl
| OF the black adult males by stroke OF
| the pen.
Nothing could be more significant than
! the fact that no step has been taken 10
| Supreme Court upon the point whether n
state has the constitutional right 10 thus
abridge the privileges Of citizenship.
| Nearly three years nave elapsed since
Mississippi put the experiment into ope-
ration but no one has put its legality 10
tho test This brings US inevitably 10
the conclusion that public opinion
throughout the United States has crysta,-
tied on the subject. and that unversal
suffrage for negroes. at least IS recog-
nized TO be n mistake. Tho fifteenth
amendment remains a part Of the Con-
stitution and It's abrogatiOn Will never be
presence Is a standing monument TO the
spirit which broke down secession and
re-established the Union. But an an
parenfly practicable way Of making the