The Opelousas courier., 1896-03-07
WHAT Is THE ISSUE

Iberia Enterprise.
AS the political campaign progresses we
are brought nearer and nearer to the para
mount issue which is rapidly coming to be the
sole question as to who shall control the affairs
of our State and parishes.
Let lis look at the situation. We find on the
one hand the Pharr combine composed of the
Radical Republicans, the Sugar-Teats, the Pop
ulists and all other disgruntled elements. the
odds and ends of everything gathered into one
by the political drug-xet with which those who
are lusting for office have raked the bottom OF
the political cesspoOl. On the other hand we
find the Democratic party pure and simple,
with its platform of principles clearly set forth
and its record to back it.
The combine composed of these various ele-
ments have not and cannot have, any princi.
control of the offices of the State and parishes
that they may feed on public pap, and the only
thing that holds them together is the cohesive
power of plumber" On principle; if they have
any. theytare as far apart as the two poles.
They have found but one plank of the Demo-
cratic platform furnishing them the means of
appealing to the passions and prsjudices Of the
voter. That plank is the suffrage amend
ment.' And as this is a new question upon
which the masses of our people are not well
informed, it affords them the opportunity of
dcccivins the people by all sorts of misrepRau
sentations. We can readily understand why
the l%lliterate and vicious negro vote should be
against the amendment and it follows log
ically that if the amendment eliminates that
vote, the republican party of this State Is pow
erless for evil. Therefore it is that we see
Kellogg and the negro leaders, such as Tom
Cage. Demas, Guichard, Wilson and others Of
lesser note OF that race taking the stump
to excite the negroes and urging them to Or
ganiZe, form clubs and take an active part in
the coming election. They know full well that
if the amendment is adopted there is no possible
way for them to ever get control of the State or
any of the parishes. 1t would be the death knell
of Republicanism Of the Kellogg and Cage
stripe.
mo .sDarn yc+n,, nf tbjo Gtata iS rattjnp tn no
quite an important factor in our elections.
This vote results principally from that pro-
vision of our present Constitution allowing a
foreigner to vote upon a simple ''declaI alton Of
intention" The dagoes come to our country
by shiploads and are immediately seized upon
by those who make a business of this kind of
work, made to declare their intention and then
taken to the registrars office, and by merely
having their names inscribed upon the regis
tration books, they become fun fledged voters,
without the remotest idea of why or wherefore.
This vote Is peculiarly the property of the
ward boss, political heeler and professional
ballot-boX suffer. They are just as clannish,
more ignorant and vicious than the negro, and,
therefore, more easily and economically hand
led.
The trouble is that those two elements or
classes, being without any sOrtOf principle, are
pufrhosabtc. 1t is ignorant and vicious. and
its passions and preiudices are easily excited.
intelligence on the part of the voter is not at
all necessary. A few leaders control the mass,
and a little money judiciously invested secures
the desired result.
KNOWN all this, We tiud men of our own
race, of whom We have a right to expect bet
ter things, getting down into the filth of this
cesspO0l and bidding for their vote.
Men who forgetting their State. parish. fami-
ly and people will pander to this vote, and in
order to get 1t, resort to means which in times
not long since would bring the blush of shame
to the cheek of any honoi able, self-respectlng
man.
The Republican combine wishes to retain
this vote. and the Democratic party wishes to
get rid of it.
And how to do it is the question to be deter
mined at the coming election:
All Democratic meetings and conventions are
OutspOkeD in favor of white supremacy. They
recognize tins to be sound Democratic doctrine.
But none. not one has said hoqo that supreme
cy is to he attained and perpetnated. How
State in hand No one will have the hardihood
to say that it has been done legally, fairly and
s1uarely.. Admittedly, it has been done with
the machine, and that machine we inherited
from Warmoth and kellogg and their sweet
legislatures who built it for the purpose of per
petuating themselves and their friends in
power.
Mr.. Nichols simply captured their guns and
turned them on our enemies.
Unfortunately after the common enemy had
been routed, We commenced using the weapons
on each other, and then, and from that time to
the present. began this scramble for office
which has so demolalized our people.
The natural and logical consequence is that
being SO bitterly divided among ourselves, the
common enemy has taken heart to again min
gle in the conflict. and we now find Kellogg
and the negro again in arms, and another
triple alliance has been organized against
the Democracy and war is in the air. Fraud,
violence and possibly boodshed will inevitably
follow, aud this is to be the condition of things
at every election until we get rid of the cause.
How are we to do ita A
Is there no way to maintain white suprema4
cy except by fraud, violence and blOOdshed n
Must we everlastingly go to the polls armed to
the teeth to keep the negro andasAagO from
voting
This cannot go on forever. The Zine will
come, and sooner perhaps than mostNeople ex-
pect, when the Federal Government Will step in
andlS-l our polling places in the hands of its
oETOtficers to prevent this violent denial of
Che negroes right to vote.
The Force Dill is not dead! 1t is simply dor
mant, and with a Republican Congress and a
Republican administration, which we are
likely to have, it may be revived and put into
execution.
Then why not take time by the forelock, and
do legally while We can, that which we nave
done and propose to do by fraud and violence Z
White supremacy, dependent on shotgun and
revolver, cannot last forever. But make it a
part OF our Constitution, and there is no power
on earth to change it except with the will
of the people.
The suffrage amendment will give lis white
supremacy legally, and then, and then only
will we have honest elections, fair counts and a
peaceful and prosperous condition of things in
our State.