New-York tribune., 1900-08-10
NORTH CAROLINA WRoNGING NEw-roRK

Il don't blame the Southern States a bit for
disfranchising the nggers,'" was the com
ment Of an intelligent looking citizen upon
the result Of the North Carolina Red Shirt"
campaign 1t was remark that is often
heard or that can often be elected by reference
TO the subject Perhaps the sentiment thus ex-
pressed IS stronger and more general in New
York than elsewhere in the North because in
this city the evils of an illiterate and mercenary
vote ara more directly and oppressively felt
than elsewhere. No rational man relishes see
ing political control of the community intrusted
TO those who are too ignorant to use it Alright
or who, through the possession or the lack Of
certain qualities ara likely to become the tools
Of corrupt bosses. And New Workers know that
in some Of the Southern States ignorance led by
corruption has reached depths of misgovern-
ment almost as bad those long sounded by
this metropolis
The question is not, however, merely one of
disfranchsing ignorant negroes In the South.
That is a serious part of the question, but it is
one which is TO be dealt with by the Southern
States themselves. The part Of it which is still
more serious and which strongly concerns the
rest Of the country is that Of the disfranchise.
ment Of intelligent white men in the North and
West For that. as certainly as the other, is in
volved in the general proposition. So long as
the apportionmcnt OF Representatives In Con
Eress remains as it is the disfranchisement of
q negro in the South means the disfranchise-
ment Of a citizen. white or black, in the North.
The latter may still cast a vote. But it is not
a full vote. II is only half vote, or a quarter
vote, perhaps only tenth of a vote That
Is TO say. suppression Of votes in one part of
the country, no matter how II may be effected,
reduces the value and the potency of all votes
cast elsewhere in the country: so that today it
takes two or three. or seven or eight, votes In
one State TO equal vote cast in another
State.
For example to cite the figures given in The
Tribunes Washington correspondence of recent
date in New York aud the rest Of the North and
the West IL takes on the average about 81 200
votes 10 elect one Representative in Congress-
while in Mississippi and other Southern States
it takes only 400 TO elect one So each voter
in the latter States wields with his ballot nearly
eight times As much political power as one in
the former. Or 10 state the snrne fact in diff
ferent form. each voter in the former States is
seven-eighths disfrnnchscd There are Con-
gress districts in thA North and West which
cast from $4,000 to C0.000 votes each for
their Representatives, while two Southern
States together poll in all only "a 900 votes and
yet have thirteen Representatives: so that the
Representative from Of the former districts
Is in comparison, not q whole Representative.
but only One-thirteenth Of one! Five Southern
States with only $4,000 votes elect thirty-seven
Representatives while the State Of New-Yorl,
with I,250.000 votes, elects only thirty-four. go
that each voter and each Representative of
New-York is degraded 10 less than one-seventh
Of the rank and potency Of his Southern COM
patriot
Il don't blame the South for disfranchisinr
the 'niggers'" says the cltlzen of Ncw.Yorl.
half complacently. half sympatlletically. No;