Saint Mary's beacon., 1896-01-16
[CoxMuSIcATED.l
The Battle Of 1895 |

y
that led up to our latest defeat, but
the ceaseless worry and press oil
business matters lily prepares one
for extended or connected thought,
and consequently | have deferred
until the present what might have
been more timely If not more clear
ly expressed Still it may be bet
ter thus, as sufficient time has now
elapsed since the late conflict fer
the dispassionate observer to CLEAN
a tolerabIy correct status of the
two principal conteHding parties.
For the third time since 1892,
the Democratic party has met its
natural antagonist, the Republican
party, with disastrous results, this
time cyclonic in it's effects. For
every effect there must be a cause,
or it may be there are causes, aud
from what | know of my own coun
" and State, | am satisfied this un-
fortunate result is due to several
causes.
Now, we will take our own little
county-the merest speck upon the
map of our country-to begin with.
Here, the Democratic party, at the
very beginning of the canvas, is
confronted with solid phalanx of
cplored vote, as general thing,
densely ignorant and prejudiced.
The same conditions that confront
the party here obtain in all the
counties that make up what is
known as the black belt of Mary
land. They are, if may use such
AN expression the sworn enemies of
he Democratic party. Every Ill
~. rn'aI"gmr OF crimes, r,ai -
'-..:urh. that has ever brru NisIt
,.d upon their race Is charged up To
aud against the Democratic party.
Their years of slavery, the old pa
irul times are treasured up in their
breasts, and repeated To their chill
drrn with degree of bitterness
that is amazing. And. it is all laid
at the feet of the Democratic party.
That party and that party alone is
responsible. No amount Of reason
ing or argument has any avail with
them.
1t seems to me, from my knowl-
edge Of the average colored man.
he is the most skeptical and at the
same time the most credulous NOR
tai on earth. What he wants tn
believe he swallows down without u
grimace and what he does not wan,
TO believe heaven and earth could
not make him believe. One of tn.
things he does not want to believe
Is that the Democratic party is in
any way his friend. and. per contra
one of the things he does want T..
believe, is that the Republican par
ty is his friend. II does no good
to tell him that the Democratic
party is no more responsible for tn.
crime of slavery than is any other
party, If as much. For his fore
fathers were brought to this coun-
try in Yankee ships, manned b,
Yankee crews. and the money fo,
his flesh and blood went into Yam
<ee pockets, and not until the traf-
fic in human flesh ceased to be safe
nd profitable, did his northern
'riend, the Yankee, wake mp to the
rhine of slavery. Still. this ali
goes for nothing. Ii such views
are not the direct teaching of their
white leaders, it is, at least. con-
nrvrd at, and behind this practical
~ solid barrier of ignorance and
prejndice, they formulate their
'Ians and ride into Office npon his
back. In such a county as ours
where the vote is nearly or equal,
divided. it only requires few white
votes in addition to the practically
solid colored vote to give the coun-
ty.to the Republicans every time.
The Democratic voter feels and
knows that under present condI-
tions ne has not fair show. and it
is exasperating. The Republican
office seeker will pirate about a free
ballot and a fair count but it is
only because he knows the average
colored man will vote for anybody
or anything. so it is on the Repub-
lican ticket; and this, without any
regard as to the competency Of the
individual, or che policy he esponses.
Indeed. the poor colored man, while
insisting that he 10 Republican,
cannot for the life of him tell von