The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-07
HOW NEGROES RULE.
The White Pie eater is Their
Trump Card.
THEY GIVE HIM AN OFFICE
AND THROUGH HIM PROCEED
TO CAPTURE THE GOVERN
MENT.
THE REGISTRATION LAW BRoADENEG
And the Registration Itself Largely in The Hand
of Negroes and Fusousts Two Years
Ago. This Years condi-
lions the Same.
tons the Same.
{ Atlanta constitutional

the black belt there are not fifty white
Republicans to a county, with ossiblpy
three exceptions.
The black belt includes that part of the
State lying east of the Seaboard Air
Line railroad, which enters North Caro-
lima above Weldon passes through Raj
eigh and crosses into South Carolina be
low Monroe. That is more than one-third
the area of the whole State.
There are some white counties east OF
the line named. Sampson for instance.
and Wayne. Johnston and Onslow, but
there are fully twenty coutnies in which
when the whites divide as they did in
1894 and 1896, the negroes control.
Wake county, in which Raleigh, the cap
itaI of the State, is situated, is controlled
by the negroes. They are in the minority
as to numbers, but by giving offices to
a few white pie hunters Of the Hal Aver
stripe, they have been able to capture
the county government. Sampson coun
ty, which was mentioned as an eXcep-
ton, is the home of Senator Marion But
lerr. who was here to-day. He runs
Sampson county politics. He remarked
related to half the white people in the
county and his wife is related to the 9th
er half, hence his influence there is not
strange
] have stated that the negroes have
strengthened their position by legislation
They have done it in various ways, but
the most effectual of all was the adoption
of a new registration and election law
In Georgia, and / believe in most States
a tax defaulter cannot vote. He must
keep his taxes paid up or he loses his
ballot. The registration books are care
fully watched to prevent minors, non-res
idents and ex-convicts from getting OF
the lists of most States.
Here the registration law is very broad
The gates are thrown open and anyone
who will make oath that he Is Of l6ga
age and is qualified to vote, can register
The registration was largely in the hands
of the negroes and the fusionists two
years ago, and it win be again this year
in precincts where the Populist registrar
co-operates with the colored registrar
Hundreds of cases We're reported two
years ago where negro boys were regis
tered. Reputable white men might max
oath that they knew Of their own person
al knowledge that the boy was not more
than eighteen years old, but il he stated
that Uncle Nose had told him he was
born in 1875 he would be registered.
This year the registration frauds VIII
be reduced. In many counties the Popu-
lists will not lend their aid to the black
registration clerk and the voting list vii
be purged to some extent. Every Whit
~. ~. -.
tee to look after this matter and tt
challenge every one who is not entitled
to register. This ought to keep 10000
fraudulent ballots out of the boxes.
NO FEAR AS TO THE COUNT.
The Democrats are not afraid of a
fraudulent count. They will be repre-
scented at every ballot box, and if the
blacks and the fusionists attempt to
cheat in counting the ballots it VIII be
detected and there will be trouble.
The usual voting strength of the two
races is about this:
Democrats .............. 10000
PcpulIStS NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 3I.OUO
White Republicans ......s..... 10000
Black Republicans ............ 110,00e
y.
1otal o-l,Vo
This does not include the 10000 fraud
ulent negro votes which it is hoped viii
be eliminated this year.
The Democrats will poll their full vote
and the negroes will poll all theirs. The
Democrats viii get some white Republi
can votes, but what proportion no one
can yet tell. / would figure on $4,000
white Republicans voting with the ne.
groes, which would carry their vote ur
to 10000. So far the Democrats have
a big lead, but there is the Populist vote
to be considered.
Cy Thompson, Hal Aver and that gang
have made a deal with the negroes Just
as Millikin did in the eleventh Congress
sional district of Georgia. Thompson.
Aver and Harry skinner are the fusion
leaders on the Populist side and they
have control Of the machinery of the
peoples party They are trying to throw
the Populist vote to the negroes. But
they have opposition in their own ranks.
Senator Marion Butler is calling to the
Peoples party to stay in the middle OF
the road.
Major Guthrie, the Populist candidate
for governor two years ago, is denounc-
ing fusion. He has not advised his
friends, so far as knownf to vote with
the Democrats, but he is begging them
to keep away from Skinner, Aver,
Thompson and the other fusion ringsters
who sold him out in 1896. / saw Major
Guthrie and Senator Butler in conference
this afternoon and judging from the
wig-wagging of their heads and the ges-
ticTiafi0nS Of both II 1vac n RIGHT lively
interview. Neither would talk about
their conference after they concluded.
but my opinion is that they arc not going
to fall out with each other. Both Of
them want to punish the traitors Skin
ner, Thompson and Aver. who sold out
Guthrie, and are now attempting TO de-