The gold leaf., 1900-08-23
"SIMPLY THE
INEVITABLE"
COMMENT ON THE NORTH CAROLINA ELeC-
TON.
The Elimination Of the Negro From
Politics in the South Views of
Northern Republicans Who Under
stand the Situation and the Causes
Which Resulted in the Recent Peace
full Revolution in This State.
tWilmingtOn Star

Some Of the Northern Republican
papers are making much ado over
the recent election in this State, but
not more than they have been doing
over all the elections in the South
when the Republican party was beat
en- at the polls. Some Of the so-called
independent papers join them in
| their denunciation of the .'red shirts"
utterly ignorant or oblivious OF the
| fact that the red shirt was a very
small factor in the result and figured
in comparatively small portion Of
the State, and then in very small
numbers. There are, however, some
papers in the North which under
stand the situation and the causes
which resulted in the gratifying revo-
luton of August End, one of which
is the Philadelphia Times, one of the
ablest and most thoroughly independ
ent papers in the North, which in an
editorial, under the caption The
North Carolina Lesson" thus dis
cusses it:
1.-The inevitable has come in North
Carolina. The disturbance between
the white and the colored races in
that State, that eliminated in the
tragical revolution of the Wilmington
government two years ago, clearly
foreshadowed organized and relent-
less warfare by the great mass of the
whites against negro domination in
| either local or State government.
"North Carolina is the fourth State
that has practically disfranchised the
mass of the colored voters. The
amendment to the National Consti-
tuition prohibiting discrimination
against any race or condition in grant
ing suffrage, is awkwardly evaded by
applying the test of property or intelli-
gence to suffrage and exempting from
exclusion on account of illiteracy
those who were qualified electors at
the close of the war and their des-
cendants. AS the colored race had
no right of suffrage before the war in
any of the Southern States, and as all
the white citizens were then given
suffrage regardless of property or in
telligence, the exclusion in its practi-
cal application affects only the color
ed voters. The black race is thus
|
power in the States of North Caro-
lima, South Carolina, Mississippi and
Louisiana.
ut seems rather astounding at first
blush that a number of Republicans
and many of the more intelligent col
ored citizens of North Carolina voted
for the new Constitution, but when
the actual conditions are carefully
considered it is not SO much of a sur
prise. The Republicans know that
they never can make headway in
political battles on the race issue, and
| they believe that with the negro elm
mated from politics the whites would
divide on national and local questions
and the Republicans would have their
| opportunity to play an important
part as a political factor.
MANY of the more intelligent col
ored citizens of North Carolina either
supported the amendment or passive
ly assented to its adoption, because
they understand that there never can
| be tranquility in the State while the
race issue is vital in politics. For the
present it makes North Carolina over
whelmingly Democratic, but with
the race issue eliminated, that for
many years has held the whites in
political bondage because Of the fear
| of negro Supremacy, new political
lines are likely to be speedily form
ed in the State and permanent Dem
ocratic supremacy is far from being
| sure.
The Republican leaders naturally
criticise the revolution in North Car
olina as practically DISTINGUISHING the
| colored race. but they should not be
forgetful Of the fact that the Republi
can national leaders themselves led in
the enfranchisement and the disfran-
chisement of the black men in the
District of Columbia. He was given
the ballot regardless of property or
intelligence; a territorial government
was created by Congress; the local
Legislature was elected by popular
vote, and Governor appointed by
the President. The negroes domi-
mated the legislative power of the
District of Columbia and ran riot in
debauchery and profigacy. The same
Republican power that thus first
enfranchised the negro under the
very shadow of the national capital,
was finally compelled TO revoke that
franchise and restore government
by Congress and commission to the
District.
Thus South Carolina. Mississippi,
Louisiana and North Carolina have
simply followed in the footsteps Of
the Republican national leaders, who
first made the experiment OF indis-
criminate negro suffrage and who
were compelled to make the first e1-
pertinent absolutely revoking the
franchise by placing the District OF
Columbia under a government entire
ly removed from the power OF the
people. 1t is simply the inevitable
that has come to North Carolina, and
that it has come in violence and law
lessness only proves how supreme
was the necessity for eliminating the
race issue in North Carolina"
With the exception Of the reference
to violence and lawlessness as far as
Democrats are concerned this is a
sensible article. written by candid,
truthful man. who has spent much
time in the South, whose personal
observation gives him the advantage
over the editors who know personally
little about the South, and therefore
discuss it on the information or rather
misinformation gathered from the
biased or mendacious rantings and
writings of partisans who are inter-