The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1900-06-28
COLORED DELEGATES NEG.
LECTED.

convention in Philadelphia last week
the Philadelphia Record, from close
observations Of passing events, present
ed the following strong editorial, which
ought to be read By every man in the
South, white and black:
"It IS observed that the co!ored dele
gates from the Southern States are re-
ceiving anything but the respectful
consideration and attention that were
bestowed upon them by their white
associates In former Republican nation
al conventions. The neglect which
they now experience is not due to any
want of personal propriety and good
cond uct on their part for In that re-
spect they will stand com parison with
the delegations from any section OF the
country. Some of them are men OF
high culture, intelligence and polished
manners. A great many OF them, 1t is
true, are office holders, and are mani
testing pernicious activity In politics
which is offensive even In an Admin
istration that has notbeen at all squeam-
ish in matters of this kind. But
the same thing may be said OF other
delegations.
"The reasons for this great change
in the treatment of the negro delegat-
ions are Obvious. One is that there is
no competition tor the nomination OF
candidate for the Presidency, and con-
seouently no demand for their votes.
If two or three Presidential candidates
were in the field it would be utterly
impossible for our enfranchised fellow
citizens who come as representatives OF
the Grand Old Party from the South
to resist the Establishments, the social
attentions, the champagne suppers and
the substantial arguments that would
be brought to bea: upon th"ir suscept-
tlbil:tes. Another rea-:n for the
cool reception of these co!nrei delega-
tions is in the keen dis,ppo nt,nant of
the more unscrupniouS Republican
politicians, who had expected to con-
trcl great States in the electoral college
and in the two III ,uses OF Congress by
putting the ballot in the hands Ut
! masses o. vote rs ignorant Of the meal-
ing of the electoral franchise. Instead
of this, at the end OF a little more than
thirty years since the experiment be-
gan there is not State In the south
upon which the Republicans can count
In the next Presidential election. AS
evidence Of the bitter disappointment
oyer this result the delegation from the
little oligarchy of Rhode Island has a
proposition to fix the Southern repres-
entatiOn in future national conventions
on the basis of the Republican votes
which shall be cast at the coming ell
ection. This would have the effect OF
reducing the representation OF the
Southern negroes very low, or OF slim
| ulating chem to extraordinary efforts
to poll their full vote.
cit is not necessary at this late day
| to canvass the motives for the expert
ment of putting the ballot into the
inept han DIS of the emanc1pated slaves
While many of the advocates of the
plan sincerely believed that this afford
ed the only effective means for the
self-protection of the blacks, there is
no doubt that selfish partisan consid
erations entered largely into the move
ment. But the question can now be
discussed in freedom from the passion
and excitement which Its mere men.
ton formerly provoked. The cause Of
unqualified and unlimited negro sui
| frage has lost two classes Of cham
pions-first, the enthusiastic and SEN
timental, who little needed practica
results, and second, the politicians
who saw in this mass of ignorant ne
gro voters the means Of attaining thell
selfish ends. To the places of these
have succeeded men, both in the North
and South-bIacks as we'll as whites
who have coolly Investigated the sub
ject in all its relations. They do no
flatter ignorance, but they are better
frienos>of the colored race than wert
the unscrupu!a,s leaders who sought
to persuade the negroes that by dint o
their superior numbers and thei
votes they could soon exercise politi
cal control ovei the Southern States.
Since the Reconstruction period tn.
whites OF the South have been able t
maintain their political supremacy by
employing various means Of keeping
the blacks from the polls. II the,
have not always used brute force, they
have not scrupled to use it whe1
deemed necessary, as Mr.. Tillman, 0
South Carolina, recently boosted il
the Senate. But it was recognized
that this system of violence could no
endure, and the Southern States hay,
begun to amend their Constitution
by making an educational quaIifica
ton for the suffrage. Though tn
sufra gements apply alike to illiterat.
whites and blacks so AS not to vlolat,
The fifteenth Amendment TO the Fed
eral Constitution, they are SO framed
as to include few ignorant whites Will
the whole mass of illlterate negroes
Us evidence of the. operation Of TIT
system, in the third district of Assump
ton parish, in Louisiana, which has
population of upward of 1000, only
votes were cast at the late election.
at would be most unfortunate TO
both races in the South and for tn,
whole country if this policy shout.
end in indifference to the exercise o
the suffrage. But so soon as the ne
gro shall learn to read (and his educa
tional opportunities are constantly in
creaslng in the South) his disqualifica
ton will cease. Whist is noteworth,
about the matter is that many intelli
gent colored men in Louisiana, as wei
as in other Southern States, warmI