The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1897-01-02

or sell q vote ought to be disfranehised,
and If all such were DISTINGUISHED Is
the south we would have a very respect
able constituency to elect any gentle
man to Office. But the negroes are not
the only people who sell their votes.
Thousands Of white men, I am told. in
sections both north and south, put
them up IN blocks oe i've, etc. In every
national as well as state code it ought
to be declared an ofense against the
government, the penalty Of which
ought to be permanent disfranchise-
ment to buy orisell q vote. There Is
not legislature in any southern state
to-day thatcould not settle this traffck-
ing in votes by salutary laws on that
subject. Every southern stale espe-
cially should have the Australian ball
lot. al solid democratic south got
along wen they thought under the pres
emit election laws, but the populist
party was organized and the white peo-
pie split. Now comes the tug of war.
which can only be settled BY whole
some election laws. Mississippi leads
of first with a constitutional law that
provides that no one is eligible to
vote unless he .canread any session Of
the constitution AT his state OF UNDER
stand it If it is readto him. They have
had less trouble in Mississippi since the
adoption OF the new constitution than
almost any Of the southern states. AS
long as there are INSCRIPTIONS politi-
clans and as long as the greed of Office
overlaps everything else the negro will
be a to the purity of the ballot
box of the south. Thousands Of our
best negroes don't go to the polls at
all. They have learned long since
that their vote does not cut much fig
ure one way or the other.
/ have always been an abiding friend
to the colored race. They are the best
servants we have ever had. Many Of
them make good neighbors, many of
them good citizens. I believe if the
people of the south had done as much
to elevate the negro as the politicians
and ward-heelers have done to debauch
him that they would have been a far
better race to-day than they are. Just
in proportion as the better element of
the south will do their duty towards
the colored race, justin that proportion
they will take the burden of their
children who win have to grapple with
the race problem in the future. We
must go at the brother in black, not
only with a spelling book in n hand
and a Bible in the other, but we must
go at him loving mercy, doing. justly
and treating him kindly.
Socially we are two distinct races.
1t is true the races mix, but they mix
at the bottom. The lowest down ne
groes and the lowest down white peo-
pie are the fathers and mothers of the
mulattoes of the south. And this will
be true wherever the races mix. The
best white people will stay on their side
Of the line; the best colored people
are content as they are. / believe in
educating the negro, but if that is al
we do for him we will find that we
have not done much for him. Brains
are not everything. Pandemonium
I couIdget up an ~aristocrscy on brains,
Aand the Bible tells us that the Lord
iR%NSCItGtA Liz GAAHA-a GASb a~SANSr
vStue, honesty, manhood, character
and then brains. Many times have ]
rreashed to tens Of thousands of col
ored people. They make attentive, re
spectfuI audiences. They love the
truth, aud would love it far better Il
their white neighbors would set them
better examples. just as the negroes
u the south multiply so ought we tc
zdultiply our efforts to elevate and en-
noble their race. Gods hand was in
their coming here. God win have t.
do with us by1and by when the CUES
ton of our gelationship and duty to
waEdEthe c~oIofeahan 1 come up 10.
settlement, Let us do the best we car
Tfor the brother in black. He is oul
neighbor and it is our problem.
SAN p. JONES.