Middletown transcript., 1896-01-25
EVERY EVENING ANDTHE NEGRO


Of course every honest man knows
that the pretended ha red of the negro
by the Democratic politicians is but a
sham. 1t is not often, however, that
one of their papers here openly admits
that the Democrats seek the colored
mans vote. The Euery Evening of
Thursday said:
"The Democrats of Alabama are
hopelessly divided into two factions,
and each faction is making a deter
mined bid for the negro vote. The
State committee has gone to the extent
of opening the party primaries to all
negroes who will bind themselves to
support the successful nominees, and
the canvass for colored votes by both
factions will be vigorous and persistent.
The move of the State committee is
supposed to be in the interest of the
free silver coinage wing of the party,
but it may result in consequences far
reaching and important. 1t may cause
the negro voters of the State to becoms
independent and to divide upon political
lines, as white voters divide, instead
Of solidly and isnorantly allying them
selves with the Republican party, as
has been the case ever since the eman-
cipation. The solidity Of the negro
vote, the fact that it almost invariably
is cast in body for one party, regard
less of the issues involved in the cam
paign, is What makes it a dangerous
element in politics. There is no rea-
son why colUled voters should not have
decided views upon finance, tariff and
other public questions AS we'll as white
men. and vote their sentiments instead
of blndly voting the Republican ticket
simply because they are c0lored men,"
Comment is not necessary further
than to say that there has never been a
time when the Democratic politicians
of this State have not used the negro
vote so far as they could. Their cry of
White Mans Party was miserable
hypocrisy. The TRANSCRIPT well
comes the day when the negro shall
decide his vote inlelligently, but the
more intelligent lie becomes the less
are The chances of his becoming a part
of the successors to the White Mans
Party.
But the Erery Erening in the same
issue has another grievance against
some colored men. One Joseph Brink
ley, colored, was employed in Whining
ton by Charley Kittenger, white, to
pay the taxes of colored men in the in
terest of J. Edward >Addicks, though |
KitteEger swore that the money used
was net Mi. Mfr 4AAddieks, Aadieks and |
Kittinger would not pay Brinkley for |
his services and he brought suit and got |
judgment. Of course the EVERY |
Evening"is not pleased that its friends,
Kittinger aud Addicks, should lose, |
but its complaint is that in the bill |
presented in court by Brinkley there |
were charges for dummies" 1t goes
on to explain that "dummies'' means
fraudulent votes. If they are fraudu-
lent how did their names get on The
assessment lists? Did the Democratic
in Wilmington put them on
at 50 much name to cheat and de-
fraud the countyp Does the ssEyery
mean that2 1t must be re
that in the districts where
the colored voters live in Wilmington
there are Democratic assessors. What
sill the every Evening''do with this
lllemmap II there are '.dummies''
hey ara created by the Democrats, and
Il is possible that some Of Addicks'
friends have put him on