The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-12-01


their own hands, the Republican 49,
GERS could illegally register enough
negro votes to carry the State, ant
this without the power of the whit,
man to challenge. BY the presen,
law all names must be challenged be
fore the day of election, on specific
days set apart for this purpose. Tn,
voter not being present, how can any
one know from a name whether he i.
entitled to vote or not? There is nc
challenge allowed on election day
Thousands of negroes had been lille
gally registered and this is why the
white men-not alone white Demo-
crats-gave it out as they did give ii
oat, they would challenge this lille
gal vote with a rifle or shot gun on
the day of election.
The feeling in the Eastern part of
the State, as learned from a thor
ongh study of it just before the cleo
ton, was not against the negro as a
negro. The most intense feeling was
against the white "fusionist,n and
the white Republican who had organ
lied the negroes for the sole purpose
of forwarding his own political ends.
The fight was really against the de-
bauched office holder and his minions
The negro was secondary consider
alton. If he came between the up
per and the neither milestone he would
be crushed; but aside from that he
would be perfectly safe. There was
settled determination that the abom-
Unable conditions existing should
come to an end, and they did to a
great extent. The day of negro dom
ination Of the Eastern part of North
Carolina has come to an end; the
danger of negro domination in other
sections of the State has come to an
end; the day of the negro as politi-
cal weight to elevate unfit persons
to Office in the South has come to an
end. With the negro vote entirely
eliminated, the South could be split
by the Republican party on legiti-
mate issues. So long as Republica H.
ism means negroism in the South, SO
long will the Anglo-SaXon race vote
as uni FOR men who are white and
represent white men.
The Press says there was no negro
domination. Perhaps not; but,
where, as in New Hanover county,
where Wilmington is located, as well
as other counties, out of forty mag
istrates thirty six were negroes-w where
the deputy sheriffs, coroners, police
men, and all similar executive and
judicial officers were negroes. while
the whites paid 95 per cent. of the
bills-if this is not negro domination
l do not know what it means.
l wish to repeat that the whites
have nothing against the negro as a
negro. The whites Of the South will
do more for the negro than will the
whites of the North. Any inferior
race attempting to usurp the reins of
power, and dominate and domineer
over the Anglo-Saxon, has made a
mistake. The negro has made this
mistake, but he has made it, not of
his own volition, but at the sugges-
ton of white men, who have used him
to carry their own ends, but the dam,
once broken, the originators of the
break cannot control the stream.
The sooner the Republican party
recognizes the fact that ignorance
and color cannot rule-and-ruin-
the education and the AngloSaxon of
the South, then and only then can it
hope to break the solid South" for
Northern men, Northern Republicans
coming down here to live, only make
it that much more solid; that much
harder to break. l am not now
resident of either of the Carolinas,
but / wanted to say this much, in
justification of the firm and deter
mined stand the people of North
Carolina have taken. They respect
the negro who respects himself; they
will care for him when sick and edu-
cate him; they will do much for him:
but let him put by his vote. incom-
petence and dishonesty in office, they
will not, nor should they.
JOHN p. COFFIN.
Danville, Va, November y, 1898.