New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-10-02
EGRO VOTE SUPPRESSED.
-SULTS OF THE MISSISSIPPI CON
STITUTIONAL SYSTEM
Nv GENERAL CATCHINGs REPRESENTS THE
"sHoEsTRING" OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES no
ELECTIONS IN HIS STATE.
rBY rELE 7RArH TO THE TRIBUNE


fBr rELr7RArm TO THE rRIBUNEl
Washington. Oct 1.-Possibly General Catchings
he Count Fosco of Mississippi politics. always
fable. yet crafty and deep, imagined that an
Their incident closed" when his letter or the
institutional suffrage restriction in his State APP
cared IN The Tribune OF Scpte.nber e. no orc
eed be surprised that General Catchings. Ignoring
he essential points should vouchsafe TO treat this
Constitutional question with such solemnlty. lie
would be an migrate. indeed did he not uphold the
modern Southern system pract'sed toward the Re
publican negroes. Catchlngs has been FOR long
time one Of the chief benehciaries of both the old
and new methods by which the Southern black
mans voice through the ballot box has been eectu-
hllv strangled. inquitous process by which
other States wherein the ballot is fI. free and IN
trammelled knowingly robbed Of their just
pr-ponderance in Congress and tho Electoral col
lege.
The moral as well as legal aspects Of the Mis-
sissippl system still remain open Notwithstanding
General Catchings's cool assumption that the lat
ter have been settled BY the court OF last resort
He IS mistaken. Not a constitutional LAWYER In the
country whose opinion IS valued who has exam
fred the decision cited by the Mississippi Congress
man admits that the questions raised in the case
presented really went TO the constitutional validity
OF the Mississippi system or that any question OF
real Importance vas settled by tho United states
Supreme Court
The letter Of General Catchings was more re-
rnarkable IN respect TO IT'S omissions than what II
actually reclied Not one word is veutured IN d'-
fence Of the Mississippi system. there is no eN-
PLANTATION Of IT'S purposes or the results ooiained
from Its practice Nothing At All except the bare
statement that certain decisions have been made
statement couched in dgnifed terms Il is true, yet
by omissions in such form as TO cunninciy leave
the inference that they affirm and sustain finally
fully and definitely the monstrous instrument N.Y.
der the cloak Of which the black race Is politically
dsfranchised. That Is General Catchings all over.
haT dos q
Tribune the Mississippi election system He doubt
~ Is we'll qualified by ability and experience 10
ehed light on that dark subject. but none Of the
Southern statesmen care 10 waste any time for
such a purpose. They have got what they want
and purpose keeping Il.
WHAT CATCHINGs ILLUSTRATES.
General Catchlngs. in his habitat and political
career completely illustrates the most vicious
features Of the Unconstitutional system of dis
franchisement which prevails in several Of the
Southern Democratic commonwealth. and is pres
emily TO be fastened on North Carolina. on the
surface this Mississippi Constitution. as quoted
by General Catchngs. appears 10 he not Unfair yet
somehow it dcpryes the negro Of his vote. II per
haps also deorives some white men Of their votes
but not many. 1t is only in the application ont
by white men that the poor negro suffers. The new
plan was hailed with JOY throughout the South.
and was soon put in operation in other states In
his Congress- success Catchincs diagrams, 50 TO
speak. the sole purpose OF TIE oOut"cl" "'NN
constitutions and their remarkable achievements
General Catchngs represents what is or rather
was popularity known the black belt or shoe-
string district OF Mississippi 1t is perfectly sale
10 say that he could never have represented that
district in Congress II the negro vote had not been
suppressed I'm a timely manner by the MISSISSIPPI
Constitution or the hudozing methods when pre-
coded IT, II IS unnecessary to enter upon any de-
tailed sketch Of the "shoestring district In the
DAYS OF Congress Investigations into the terrorism
ut first resortod 20 TO keep the blacks away from
the polls II was celebrated political as well as
geographical baiiiwick
In shape II IS a nondescript. being in me main
only single county i'm breadth. while not less than
two hundred miles long In a direct lire and prob
ably five hundred following the sinuosities OF
the Mississippi River. which forms its western
boundary along which IL travers"s three tourths
the length of the long State. Il Is composed OF
the counties Of Bolivar. Coahoma. lssaquena, Lee
fore Ouitman sharkcy. Sundower Tunica. War
rem and Washington. It's chief town IS Ncksburg,
tr Warren County. az is southern extremity. and
il is IN this city that Thomas Clcndinin Catchnss
lives Hence this remarkable district stretches
away 10 the north until is elongation IN mercy Is
stopped by the Tennessee line This "shoestring'
otherwise BLACK Belt" otherwise the lid Con-
gress District Of Mississippi has returned General
Catchings to the House OF Representatives for
fourteen consecutive years ana last fall reelected
him for another TWO years
PROPORTION OF COLORED VOTERS
According to the census Of 1870 there were 4s S97
males Of voting age in this Congress District
classified as "a color follows