The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-31
HYPOCRISY IN POLITICS.

/
from the same paper on Hypocrisy
in Politics. which we commend to
the consideration of any Southern
man who may be in doubt as to how
he should vote in the November elec-
ton. The Sun says:
"The Philadelphia Public Ledger
notes with approval the announce
ment from Boston that 1.-The validity
of the laws and constitutional amend
ments passed in certain Southern
States for the Acknowledgement OF the
negroes as a race is to be tested before
| the Federal courts under the auspices
of the National Council of the Constr
tutional Rights Association" If, adds
| the ledger, these 'unju devices for
the evasion of the Fifteenth amend
ment are permitted to stand, the VI
tally of the clauses providing for the
reduction of representation should
be tested
'In these pointed sentences the
Ledger outlines the attitude of the
Republican party toward the disfran-
chisement of southern negroes. The
party as a whole is opposed to laws
which enable the white people of the
South to remedy to some extent the
evils of unrestricted negro suffrage.
Having given the negro the suffrage
at a time when he was utterly untitled
to exercise it with intelligence or dis
elimination, the Republican party re-
sents any effort on the Part of the
South to protect itself against negro
ma iorities. The southern whites have
not yet, it would appear, been pun
ished sufficiently for their course dur
ing the Civil War. They must sub
nit to negro suffrage, and, if the
courts sustain their unjust devices
for the evasion of the Fifteenth
amendment a partisan majority in
Congress will be urged to cut down
their representation in the House of
Representatives and in the electoral
college.
1T is Significant however, that
while the Republican party displays
such a tender regard for the political
rights of the negro in the South, it has
no sympathy for the political aspira-
tons of the Porto Ricans, the Hawaii
ans, the Cubans and the Filipinos.
Having overthrow the Hawaiian
government by force and fraud, it es-
tablished an oligarchy in control of
the island, and later annexed the ter
ritory of the Hawaiians. In order to
maintain white supremacy" in the
Republic of Hawaii the oligarchy i'm
posed restrictions upon the suffrage
which disfranchised the majority of
| the natives. Thus a few thousand
white Americans were enabled to
dominate ten times as many Hawaii
ans. Yet the Republican press and
| politicians made no protest against
the Acknowledgement of the Hawaii
ans as a race.
"To punish the South for it's share in
the Civil War the Republican party
lost no time in making the negro a
citizen of the United States and plac-
ing the ballot in his hands. Yet when
Porto Rico was acquired from Spain
by conquest the Republican party, at
the first opportunity, enacted law
denying the Porto Ricans American
citizenship and made them subjects
of this Republic. There are several
hundred thousand white inhabitants
of the island, better equipped for suf-
frage than the negroes whom New
England slave-dealers sold to south
ern planters. But the Porto Rican
whites are given no voice in the gov
ernment of the United States, while
the Republican party insists that the
negro shall have all the rights and
privileges of citizenship.
'"Ihe Filipinos, according to the
testimony of American army officers,
had established local governments in
the archipelago before the United
States went to war with them to en-
force the purchase of free people
by this free RepuDic. The Republi-
can party is now committed to the
principle that yellow races can be
| bought with a price and held as sub
jects. If the imperial policy is APP
proved in the election this year it is
the intention of the Republican party
to hold the Philippines as conquered
| territory after the war of subiugation
ends, and to permit no exercise of the
right of suffrage by the Filipinos
which will interfere with the plans of
their conquerors. Unless the courts
decree otherwise the Filipinos will
never be citizens of the United States,
and, together with the Porto Ricans
and the Hawaiians, they will be gov
erned as subjects.
1T is the essence of hypocricy for
the Republican party, in view of its
present record, to condemn negro dis
reimbursement in the South as long as
it is riding roughshod over the polit-
zeal rights of the inhabitants of the
islands acquired from Spain. 1t over
threw the government of the Hawaii
ans and reduced the natives to a con-
dition of political servitude. 1t is
waging war upon the Filipinos for the
purpose of extinguishing their liber-
ties and preventing them from realiz-
ing their political aspirations. 1t
would, if it were not afraid of the eff
feet of such aggression on the Presi-
dental election, coerce the Cubans
into adopting constitution which
would place them at the mercy of this
government. 1t has withheld fronr
the white people of Porto Rico the cit
izenship which, with indecent haste,
it forced upon the southern negro.
1t has forfeited all right to pose as
the champion of political equality
without regard to race, color or pre-
vIouS condition of servitude, since it
adopted the plan of buying people by
the million from the European govern
ment which had long oppressed them.
In view of this record the Republican
party is estopped from criticism of