The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-17
BAD TIME FOR 4 COLOR EVE
An Unfortunate Plan for the Nomination OF
straightomt Colored Tickets.

Ah unfortunate Plan for Tho Nomin alton OF
| straightout Colored Tickets.
WASHINGTON. July 16.-Three states in which
| the vote OF oolored electors Ia large enough TO
DC decisive In close election but In which the
| legal rights OF colored electors have not been
curtailed by constitutional provisions or by
| statute. are Alabama. Kentucky and Ohio In
Alabama the number Of colored citizens Of
voting age Is 100000. as against 1875 900 white
voters. In OHIO the number OF colored voters
IL $4,000. approximately, in q state fire.
quently carried by one or other OF the
parties by 10000 or less In Kentucky
there are $4,000 colored voters, as against
ooo'ooo white voters, number not large
enough to be formidable independently, but
very important to the Republican party in its
expectations OF success In that State The Cult
States generally. notably Louisiana and Mis-
slssippi. have adopted constitutional restric-
uons on suffrage which practically disfranchise
coiored voters. south Carolina has q like pro-
vision. and North Carolina la soon TO have one;
while in Texas and in Georgia the white pre-
ponderance is already go large as to dvest the
colored vote of great Importance as a separate
factor in elections
Some colored Republicans. believing that the
Republican party has not been sufficiently re-
gardful of their claims to recognition. have hit
upon the plan Of running ''straightout colored
tickets" as arebuke to the party organization
In the States whore they are strong The first
state to take up this project was Ohio. where.
at the election for Governor In 1897, there was
complete negro protective ticket" 90 called.
In the field for all Offices Yet the vote polled
by the negro protective organ iEation was In
significant and. instead OF the moveme ont prov
Ing rebuke to the white leaders OF the Repub-
lican party. IL added further to the eetrause-
ment between them and the colored leaders,
the Stata hainp pr,ia NV hn
cans by substantial majority.
In Alabama. In 1893. the colored Republi-
cans held a convention OF their own and nomi-
mated complete ticket. protesting against
what they declared to be the supneness OF the
white Republicans Of the State. This conven-
tton was held on June 10 at Birmingham
The platform Endorsed the Federal Admin
istration. declared against q Constitutional
Convention. demanded fair elections and
better schools. denounced the failure Of
the Republican State Convention at Mont
gomery to nominate ticket. and demanded a
reorganization Of the Republican party in Ala
bama The vote cast for the colored Republic
can ticketin Alabama was only $500 for Gov
ernor, and in only one county OF the
State. Lownes, where the preponderance
OF colored voters is overwhelming. did the
ticket poll 80 many as 800 votes The futility
OF Republican fight in State election In
Alabama under It's peculiar election laws and
existing methods Of counting was tablished;
aud since then the Republicans OF Alabama
have made no effort toward reorganization.
Some OF them. indeed. have become Indifferent
TO the claims OF the colored members OF the
party in that State. as 10 shown by the proposed
extra session of the Legislature to conform the
election laws Of Alabama to the restrictions es-
tablished In the neighhoring State OF Missis-
sippi in regard to the suffrage.
notwithstanding these unproptious results OF
experiments In tho way Of separate race tick
cts in Ohio and Alabama. a number OF colorsd
leaders In Kentucky. dissatisfied with the ac-
tion OF the recent Republican State Convention
at Lexington in the choice Of Attorney-Gen-
era Taylor for Governor. have determined to
make known their grievances by an address to
the voters Of the State and to issue call for a
convention Of colored Repu blicans to nominate
a State ticket composed exclusively Of colored
men. The objection to Mr.. Taylor ia that he IA
Vored the provision for establishing separate
railway conveyances for colored people on the
railroads OF Kentucky. and thus forfeited the
confidence OF the colored voters Of the State
generally. number OF whom. led particularly
by some coored clergymen. protested against
his selection to head the ticket this year.
1t is obvious that the nomination OF colored
puhlican ticket In Kentucky would work no
benefit to the colored voters Of that State. 1t
would be directly In the interest and immedi-
ately for the benefit Of the Democratic candi-
dates and might deprive the white Republic
cans OF the State OF the chance to resist sue
cessfully. in the Frankfort Legislature, the en-
actment OF laws intended to disfranehis COL
ored men In Kentucky in the future. The main
strength OF the Republican party in the border
States does not come from colored Republicans.
although the latter are very numerous in some
OF these States. but from the old Wing voters
and their descendants. numerous in the
mountain ranges Of the South Thus. in
Tennessee. Virginia, West Virginia. north
ern Alabama. North Carolina Kentucky |
and Maryland there is a considerabIe and stead. |
fast white Republican vote which can be divert |
ed from the Republicans only by the too close |
Identification OF the party with the interests OF
coIored Republicans and the projects for which |
they stand In 1898 the Repu blicans carried |
three OF the border States. Maryland West |
Virginia and Kentucky. on the Presidency, and |
likewise polled very large vote in Virginia |
and North Carolina: but this result was at |
tanned by disregarding the color line I'm the |
politics Of those States.
1t Is this color line which some colored Re-
pubicans are DESTROYS Of reviving in its most |
Objectionable form by tho nomination Of !
straightout colored Republican tickets wholly |
made UP OF candidates OF African descent and |
inevitably causing reprlsals by the white Re- |
pubcans. all the benefits going to the local |
Democrats. The Kentucky colored Republ. |
cans would do we'll to reconsider their deter
mnation to nominate a ticket
A PhysiCian IN no0a and Cnx.