Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-03-22

the Regular faction of the party, con-
tains an editorial in its last issue in
which the corruption of the negro
voters of Delaware is sadly bemoaned.
1t says:
Twenty years ago there was vote
that was incorruptible; it was the negro
vote Today there is no more corrupt
vote than the negro vote. This is an
unpleasant truth, but it Is told with
the same purpose that the surgeon
probes an ugly sore. Ii the colored
man reads history Alright, he will find
In it motive that should impel him to
guard the franchise as his most sacred
possession. The emancipation of the
race and the granting Of the suffrage
cost many precious lives and untold
treasure; it shook our Republic to the
foundations. Go out to Arlington
where rank on rank lie the boys in blue
who died for your cause, and think
whether the right to participate in tho
affairs of this government should not
be sacredly guarded
Many men are beginning to think
that granting you the franchise was a
mistake; there is talk occasionally OF
restricting it. 1t is said that you do
not properly value its blessings. that it
Is sold often in open market, and fire.
quently exercised in ignorance. Are
there grounds for these opinionsp We
think there are. Is it not true that
two years ago, in defiance to the Ilain
provisions of the Constitution, money
was freely spent in paying the registra
tion fees of many of your coloIed voters?
True, the men who corrupt your voters
are worse than they, but you have your
own duties and responsibilities, and
how have you discharged them?
Then is it not fact that great numbers
of your voters go to the polls and
bargain for the sale of their votes as
though it were an every day occuirenceP
Are you worthy of the franchise9 II
SO, you have the opportunity to show
ii. The man who contributes to your
schools and churches, with the purpose
OF obtaining your votes; the man who
offers TO pay your men to register, and
he who attempts to buy you in oren
market should be Stunned as eper,
and driven out as your mortal enemy.
Abraham Lincoln trusted you; those
who put the ballot in your hands
trusted you; will you show yourselves
worthy of this trust, and of being citi-
zens of the greatest and noblest of Re-
publics?
1t is easy to measure the burden of
this complaint. The gravimen of the
offending is that the negro voters,
instead Of voting to man with the
Regular Republicans, have listened to
the seductive Establishments of the AID.
dicks party managers, and thrown their
influence and their votes to that
organization-fo a consideration.
1t is true that twenty years ago the
negro vote of Delaware was incor.
ruptible--but that was because there
was no occasion to corrupt it. 1t wa;
the subservient chattel of the Republi
can party. The only value placed upor
the franchise by the average negro votel
was the privilege OF casting his ballo
for the nominees of that party. 1t die
not matter to him that he was not taker
into the councils of the party; that b,
was not considered when it came t
formulating its principles or nominatin!
It's candidates. He was absolutely reiet
upon to march up to the polls CT
election day and cast Republican
ballot The Republican politicians O
Delaware looked upon the negro vot
as did their brethren IN PHILADELPHIA
who, when it came to the matter @
making an estimate of the part
strength at an approaching election
invariably began with setting down a
the top OF the list, the 5000 'nigger
voters and the 1000 officehoders. .
When the now element was inieote
into the Republican politics of Della
ware, the party found in the negro vet
fruitful field of operation. The negr
vote was surely Republican-it kne
nothing else. Therefore, it was onl
necessary, when the choice of two RI
publican organizations was offered [
the negro voters, to tender financi;
Involvement for their support. As
result, the faction that possessed II
larger purse secured the adherence
the large majority of the negro vot
The bulwark OF the Addicks Republ
can strength in Delaware today is IL
purchaseable negro vote, and the reast
for this is no secret. 1t is in accol
with the logic of events.
This condition of affairs is ii
natural result of the attitude of II
Republican party towards the neg
voter since the ratification of Il
Fifteenth Amendment TO the Constit
tion Of the United States. When Il
negroes we're clothed with sufFrag
the Republican party took possessi
of them as political chattels, as abs
lutely as their former masters he
them as personal property There "
no attempt to educate the negro iu t
duties of citizenship, or to teach hi
the value OF his franchise in, Diet,
mining his status as a citizen.
was simply put down upon the Repub
can enrolment as SO many 'nigs
" votes" is it to be wondered at tt
the state of affairs now prevails
Delaware over which the Milford Ne
and Advertiser grieves so sadly in I
editorial above quoted?
There will be no change until I
negro voter takes the matter in hal
and realizes the value of his citizens!
and the power Of his franchise. vi
he learns that his ballot is an elem
of his manhood, and as great a fac
In the cause of good government as
the ballot OF the white man. That
vote does not belong TO the Republi,
party simply by reason of the fact t
L.. .