The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1895-08-30


whether elected or not We are determined if
you will treat us as foreigners, having no
rights which the white man is bound 10 re-
spect" to use all the power left us i'll prevent
ing either party from prOfting by our votes.
We are aware that once by the Republican par
~ We attained the right to vote, but we also
remember that by our betrayal by the RepuDn-
can party into tho hands of our open enemies,
the Democratic party, we have lost many OF
our rights, they looking on unconeerned While
many of our people are lynched contrary TO law
A SUBSCRIBER.
The foregoing communication,
which reached this office recently by
mail, certainly contains some most
surprising declarations. What prom
Uses has the Republican party of AL
len county made to the colOred voters
that it has not kept? In what way
has that party treated the colored
voters as foreigners? When and
how did that party betray the color
ed voters of this county into the
hands of theirenemies, the Democrat
ic party? What rights have the col
Ored voters of this county lost, and
when was any one of that race ever
lynched here, or in any other State
while un der Republican control? We
hope cur correspondent will answer
these questions, and make his charges
against the Republican party more
definite and certain.
The Republican party has strong
and peculiar claims to the support of
the colored people. First and great
est of all it gave them their freedom
and made them men and women.
And that great deed has been follow
ed by one statute after another con-
ferring upon the negro every civil
right that is granted to any citizen OF
the United States, and setting up
every safeguard to life, liberty and
happiness that could be devised. And
every law that stands on the statute
books of any State to broaden the
rights and make surer the security of
the cOlored race, was placed there by
Republican votes. There is not a
State in the Union to-day, controlled
by the Republican party, in which
the colored man has not every right
and privilege that the white man en-
joys.
Here in our own State what posi-.
BILE complaint can the Negro have
against the Republican party? That
party elected a member of that race
to one of the highest offices in the
State. 1t has elected various men,
bers of it to county office, and it has
been more than generous in filling
subordinate appointive offices with
colored men. Here in Allen county
no negro has ever appeared as can
didate except in one instance when
VIM. DrumgOole ran for constable.
He was beaten by a narrow margin;
but two or three white men were de-
feated at the same time. Mr.. Drum
goole was not defeated because he
was a negro any more than the other
candidates were defeated because
they were white men. Our public
schools, from the lowest grade to the
highest, have been open always on
equal terms to white and black, not
withstanding the fact that practical
ly all the tax has been paid by the
whites. We never heard of a cOlOred
man or woman being turned away
from the door of any white church in
this town, while their own church
buildings have been erected almost
wholly by contributions from white
people. What is there in this treat
ment to indicate that the white peO-
pl . regarded the Negroes as foreign
ers
Our corr spondent declares that the
colored voters are going to create a
party of their own. We are convin-
ced that little reflection will show
them that this is not a wise thing to
do. To do that means simply to re-
tire from politics altogether. They
might as well not vote at all, for by
cas- ting 80 or 60 votes for candidates
whom nobody else votes for, they
neither defeat or elect anybody. If
they are determined to leave the Re-
publican party, then let them come
out in a manly way and march across
the clear field into the camp of their
''Open enemy" the Democratic party,
or let them go a little further, into the
bitches of the Democratic party's
friend and ally, the Peoples party.
Let them not sneak to the rear I'M
der cover of an independent cloak,
and fire into their former friends
from behind.
But we cannot believe that, after
mature reflection the colored voters of
lola will do either of these things.
Thanks to Republican bayonets and
Republican ballots the colOred voters
have good American right to vote
for any candidate or for any party
they please. But their natural home
is the Republican party, and we be-
lieve that when November comes they
will be found in their old places in its
ranks, fighting after their old solid
! fas hiOn the world. the flesh and their