Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-28
TIRE OF RACE ISSUE
Conservative North Carolina Demo-
Gratis Would Gladly Shelve It.
CLAIM IT has BEEN SETTLED
Interest of Republicans at Present
to Keep It Up.
POLITICAL SITUATION THERE
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

CTdtlc party III lillS STATE Is lSstis
deavoring to retire the race question from
politics. 1t is almost impossible, however,
that this plan should succeed. owing to the
hope of the republicans that the disfran-
chised negroes at this their last presidential
election will vote soidly and numerously
against the democratic ticket. There is Sc
rious question to the democracy of North
Carolina upon national issues. This state
pansionists and free silver is a forgotten
shibboleth.
1t would appear on the surface. therefore,
that it would be to the advantage of the re-
publcans to let the race issue rest. In the
opinion of the republican leaders, however,
this is not so, for they fear that the large
negro vote, which is normally republican,
would alphabetically decline to go to the
polls unless aroused by some special plea
The only way in which this class of voters
can be reached is by appealing to their
prejudice against the men who disfran-
chised them, on the ground that a large re-
publican vote, or perhaps even a victory,
would in some way affect their political fu-
ture beneficially.
Claim of the Democrats.
The democrats assert that the race ques-
ton has been settled in North Carolina by
the adoption of the amendment to the con-
stitution and that all classes of people are
willing to adjust themselves to new condi-
tons without further disturbance. They
assume a paternal attitude toward the ne
groes, as 1t is characteristic of the south
erner, and take the position that while
they do not want the illiterate negro to
vote they are. after ALL his best friends and
the only white people who really understand
his needs and the measures necessary for
his happiness. These democrats and south
object n further abIlSp of the negro
from the stump. During the recent state
campaign much was said by the extremist
which not Endorsed or considered hon
est by a large majority of the old-line dem
ocrats They are willing to denounce the
black man politically and resort openly al
most to violence to prevent his political
ascendency. They are equally willing. how
ever, to see that justice is done him in every
other way and to defend him from the at
tacks of others upon his character.
This element of the democracy is deplor
ing the threatened renewal of the appeals
made to race prejudice and hatred which
filled the state. during the weeks preceding
the August election. With the race question
at issue, there were only two possible ways
for North CarOlinian to vote, one for the
ticket which represented white supremacy
and the other for the ticket which repre-
sented negro equality. When 1t came to
choice of this kind ii naturally resulted in
a tremendous majority of over @,O0O for
the democratic or the Acknowledgement par
~. w TN the race question tilIlllldttu, lDt
most sanguine democrat does not expect
ma jOrity of over ten or twelve thousand
for the Bryan democracy i'll this state in
November.
A strong point in favor of a probable dem
oCratic victory is the fact that under
new election law passed by democratic
Legislature ii is extremely difficult for those
who opposed the democrats to register and
sccure the right to vote. This is espe
cfally true of the ignorant blacks who vote
ba republpan ticket Under the law
the election machinery is absolutely under
the control of the democratic officials, and
open boasts are made that 1t is not pos
sibe under this circumstance for the re-
publicans to carry the state.
The United States Senato-shin.
Furnifold H. Simmons of Raleigh will
probably succeed Marion Butler as United
States senator. The Legislature is over
democratic, and In the endeavor
TO keep the senatorial question out of poll
tics a primary was ordered by the state
to relieve the Legislature Of the
of selecting a senator. This
will. be held on the same day as
the national election, and while Mr. Sim
mons election would be considered certain If
the legislature acted directly, it Is considered
almost equally certain that he will be the
choice at the primaries. Senator Butler. by
his campaign against the amendment to the
constitution, has killed himself politically
throughout the state, and 1t would be diff
ficult for him to address a democratic
meeting without creating a disturbance.
The vote recorded for and against the
constitutional amendment does not indi-
cate the exact status of public opinion, for
the reason that the democrats and anti
negro element were determined that the
amendment should carry. Some of TIE
where the population was over
half black and where majority against
the amendment would naturally be expect
cd large m iOritipS for il and
in some of the white counties majOrities
We're given against it. 1t Is known that
some of the ignorant white people voted
against the amendment on the peculiar
ground that they had no education them
selves, and that their children would have
no more, hence If the amendment went into
effect Their children would be disfranchis-
ed. few of the negroes voted in favor
of the amendment, but this was through
mistake, ignorance or intimidation.
The negroes themselves do not appear to
be very deeply concerned over their political
fate. They seem TO accept in philosophic
kind OF way the situation created for them.
There were very few disturbances during
the August campaign, and nearly all of
those We're caused by trouble between the
whites. were instigated by them. TWEEN
~ per cent of the negroes of North Caro-
Ina, mostly those resident in the cities, can
read and write, and are not affected by the
warfare against their race The iIiterate
blacks are nearly all residents of the rural
and are more concerned to
their daily eating and sleeping than they
are to national politics. The serious and
violent opposition TO the retirement of the
illiterate negro vote has come from the
republican leaders, both black and white,
who see their power swept from them with
the Acknowledgement of the bulk of their
support The negro enjoys casting his bal
lot 1t Is more an excitement or social
occasion with him than a principle how
ever, but they are so accustomed to being
dominated by the men who once owned
them and who now employ them that the
feeling of the more ignorant class of ne
groes seems to be that of child deprived
of toy, rather than that of a man de-
prived Of his citizenship.
The Sound Money Element.
There is a strong sound money element
among the democracy of North Carolina.
This is found especially marked among the
business n IN and property owners of the
state. Those men were not slow to ex--
press theii disapproval of Mr.. Bryan's
financial policy in 1896. Some voted for
him under protest. a few voted for Palmer
and quite number did not vote at ALL
Among these men there has been no
change of position on the money question
except that nearly all of them are ready