New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-18


,.o,, Va. Jan ,5.-Virgina is not only an
, state with tobacco. cotton and corn
.,os and with trucking trade that is
a. 80, ,ro6table but II Is also manufacturing
N'e. With the largest tobacco factories in the
800 NTH resources of cotton. iron and coal
s,,ah,e for great industries with -four mills.
,.,har factories chemical works and other i'm
ro,,ant manufactures. and with unrivalled ia
o,utcs for shipbuilding. There Is naturally a
s,rong feeling in favor OF the Protection policy
IN cities like Richmond. Petersburg and Norfolk
business men are in touch with Republican
o,inion in the North on all questions OF National
finance and no; in sympathy with the free silver
movement Of the South and the Far West Thou
sands Of Virginia Democrats year after year are
voting against their business interests and per-
sonal convictions on questions of National policy.
They are doing this deliberately partly from the
influence Of habit and old-time prejudice. but
mainly from intimidation caused by morbid APP
p~ehension Of negro domination.
II an as strong Protectonist as you are"
exclaimed a representative Democrat in the
course 81 conversation with me. IL am entirely
opposed to the ideas OF my party on this ques-
ton"
why don't YOU turn Republican and vote ac-
cording 10 your convictions and business in
,erests?'
Because the niger question is uppermost As
a matter Of self-preservation Southern men must
vote against negro domination"
But after voting steadily for a generation on
what you call the Niger question. aren't you tired
Of Il? Wouldn't ii be something of a luxury for
you TO cas-; Protection ballot and to express
your honest convictions a least once on National
questions
Yes indeed But can't do 1t while the Niger
question is in politics.
That voice represents thousands of Protection
Democrats in this state who are conjuring with
their own fears and magnfying the dangers Of
negro suffrage.
II am Democrat" remarked another South
erner to me- but hope that We shall have
Republican President and Congress two years
hence. We business men have to admit that the
Republican party is the only one that can man
age the finances of the country successfully That
explains why so many OF want to your
party restored to power. Democracy has made
signal failure Of financial administration"
'Yet you remain a Democrat"
yes ! cannot be Republican until the
niger question is settled"
How long he to walt nobody knows
The negro is here and will remain Indefinitely.
belt 20 Africa. The white population Of the South
could not get on without him. AS a laborer in
town or country he is adapted physically to the
climate, lives on little nothing. is content with
low wages and long hours. and shows no DISPOSE
ton TO organize in defence Of his rights and in
tercsts. Southern employers do not hesitate to
cay that they are better off than their Northern
competitors because negro labor is managea bic
and does not band itself together In trades
unions They have fault to find with the
negro in the cotton field or In the factory. and
fully appreciate mis- value in future competition
with Northern industries; but dread OF his pOt-
zeal energies and activities ntimidates them.
They may be convinced-and many OF them say
they are-that Republican policies are best. safest
and most progressive. but they go to the polls
once a year and vote against negro domination.
Sacrifices Of principle and conviction are not
the worst features of the The niger
question" involves blackleg politics. In voting
against negro supremacy the conscientious
Democrat has no reason to doubt that systematic
swndling is practised on his side. After Ma
homes defeat for Governor the election laws
were altered so as 10 substitute political cleo
ton boards for election boards appointed by the
courts. and the registration laws were changed
90 as to enable Democratic officials to strike out
told me that 81 900 votes We're removed from the
lists on various pretexts and have never been
replaced. Whether this statement be an ex-
aggeration or not-and for my own part I be-
lieve II to be true-the whole system of elections
In Virginia is Wiley partisan. The Democratic
ring. which is machine Of the worst sort,
trolls the appointment Of all registry and cleo
tion officials. Nominally there may be a Re-
publican officer at polling-place. but In all
black counties he is ordinarily a negro stool
pigeon who is either ignorant venal. The
Australian system has been engrafted upon these
partisan election and registry laws. and It is
operated without disguise for purposes Of fraud.
The special constable who is empowered TO mark
ballots for the iiterate voter is invariably a
Democrat. no other party being allowed a mark
Colonel Lamb and Mr.. Borland have given
me detailed account of the monstrous frauds
in the Norfolk district the last election. but |
shall make no of this information. The text
OF the election laws sufices to establish the fact
that the system facilitates and promotes unmit-
gated rascaty. Well-informed Democrats do
not attempt to deny this. and they are heartily
ashamed Of 1t. They may raise the side issue
that ignorant voters are not bought up In
blocks A. Is done in Northern elections. or they
may contend that II is more merciful to cheat
than TO kill the negro. but they do not seek TO
break the force Of the charge that elections
shamefully carried by partisan trickery and
monstrous fraud.
So this is the final outcome OF 1.-The Niger
question" Not only are intelligent voters de-
barred from expressing their real convictions on
protection. finance and other National questions,
ana forced to cast their ballots year after year
against negro domination. which nobody in his
SOBER senses fears. but they countenancing
the most vicious methods Of machine politics
and condoning ballot-box stufing and election
fraud. This Is done. moreover, in communities
which arc conspicuously moral and religious.
In order TO counteract suspicion that this is a
partisan account OF Virginia elections | may
L. akaa L