The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-07
BRYAN IMpERrALIsrIC BUGABoo
Riddlcd I'm "a Recent speech by At
torney General Taylor.

Attorney General Taylor delivered an adj
dress on the subject of Democratic I'm
perialism in the South a few days ago at
Bethany Park. which has aroused great
interest and For the benefit of
those who did not hear the speech IL is re-
produced herewith. Mr.. Taylor said sub
stantially:
ut is said that Mr.. Bryan's speech or
acceptance at Indianapolis Will contain s,vV
words, and that he will issue a ~pronuncia-
mento to the effect that Imperialism is TO
be the paramount issue in the campaign;
1 had supposed that the people determined
the issues pressing Tor settle
ment. They have always done so In the
hundred and odd years Of the history OF
this country, up to the present time. Never
before has there been an attempt 10 Ten
the people what they must and what they
must not discuss. OF all those 5000 words
Mr.. Bryan will not devote eight TO the
only real. vital, ~forceful existing imperial
ism in this country. which is the imperial
ism of Democracy in the South. The only
place in this country where Democracy
reigns without challenge is in those South
ern States where, by force and fraud. con-
stitutional amendments have been adopted
which have obliterated the colored vote In
those States. What are those States? Lou
isiana, Mississippi. South Carolina and
North Carolina. Alabama is TO vote next
week upon the question of calling a con-
tOANC NOtc
tie later. We may confidently assert. there
fore, that at least six States will adopt
amendments similar to that of Louisiana
and North Carolina, which means the prac-
teal humiliation of the right of suffrage
of the entire colored vote in those six
States. How Is ii done? First, by an edu-
cational or property qualification, or DOM.
The same general provision runs through
the laws of all these States. 1t is that the
voter must be able, not only to read and
write. but also to explain the Constitution
OF the State TO the satisfaction OF the elec-
ton board. This alone would be sufficient
TO prevent colored men from voting, or
white men seither, If they were illiterate.
Webster and Clay and Charles Sumner and
Abraham Lincoln were not able 10 explain
the Constitution to the satisfaction or the
ancestors of these election officers. how,
then, can a poor ignorant colored or white
man, If he should desire to vote the Re
publican ticket. explain the Constitution
to the satisfaction of a modern Louisiana
or South Carolina election board?
BITTER OPPOSITION.
Bitter opposition, however, developed
TO this clause among the poor whites OF
the South who desired to vote the Demo-
cratic ticket, and accordingly the South
ern Observation-Disclosures of the Constitu-
ton and lovers of the Declaration of indie
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS a northwest passage
around this difficulty. They invented the
'grandfathers' clause which finds its way
now into their constitutions. This is the
clause that North Carolina fought for and
adopted last week. What is this provision?
Simply this, that every elector who was a
voter on the first day of January, 1867, or
the son or grandson of such %elector, should
have the right to vote. Notwithstanding he
was incapable of either reading or writing
the Constitution or explaining it, and not
w~ithstanding he did not have a dollar OF
property. Why this date-Jan. i. 1867? Be-
cause the fifteenth amendment, under
which the negroes were given the elective
franchise, went into force In 1870. BY this
'grandfathers clause therefore, every IL
literate White man in the South, his son or
grandson. may vote, while under its pro-
visions no negro could ever vote. His color
is the bar sinister which forever excludes
him. This is the amendment which will be
adopted in Alabama and Georgia. Under
its blighting provisions a million negro
voters will be DISTINGUISHED.
What is the record of the three States
which now have these provisions-Louisi-
ana, Mississippi and South Carolina? Here
it is:
According to the census of 1890 those of
voting age in the States mentioned were as
follows:
"Louisiana-whites, loo, 600; colored, 49,
"Mississippi-Whites, 1l5,OO0; colored, $780,
COO; total, 265. 900.
South Carolina-whites. 5000; colored,
49,, 900; total. 81, 0c0.
Making a grand total of 721, 900 votes.
The total colored vote in these three
States was 401, 00. 1t may safely be said
that there are now 1000 colored voters in
these States and $780, 900 white voters, maxi
ing 100000 voters altogether. BY these i'm
perial DEGREES of Southern Democracy the
colored vote has been practically obliter-
ated. Look at the figures.
THE total Republican vote cast for cam
didates for Congress in 1898 in the States
mentioned was as follows:
Mississippi 2577
South Idroihd 2,SOi
"A total of 1857 Republican votes all told
cast In three sovereign States of this
Union. Think of it! Out of a total of $50, 900
colored votes in those States there were
less than 10000 cast at the last election.
There were six Congressional districts in
those States in which not a single Repub-
ncan vote was cast. 1t may be said that
the colored men were voting the Demo-
cratic ticket. A glance at the figures is a
sufficient answer to any such statement.
The total Democratic vote i'm those three
States at the last election was as follows:
Louisiana % oe6
Mississippi 26, 6s1
South Carolina 2S, 800
Making a total Democratic vote in these
States of S4,547.
TwENTY-SIX ELECTORAL VOTES.
"Yet these three States will give twenty
six electoral votes to Mr.. Bryan. They
may be counted now. The indianapolis
district at the same election cast AZ, 1874
votes-more than half the vote of all three
of the Southern States enumerated above.
This district will have but one vote in the
Electoral College. Any two districts in In
diana cast more votes at the last election
than were cast, all told, in Louisiana, Mis-
sissippi and South Carolina. Take the Fifth
Indiana district, adjoining the Seventh or
indianapolis district, and add the two to-
gether n examine the result. The total
vote in the Fifth was IS, 704. and of the
Seventh 1884, a total of 95, 637, or l,623 votes
more than were cast by all parties I'm 1895
In the three States of Louisiana, Mississ-
ippi and South Carolina, where Democratic
imperialism holds undisputed sway. Yet
these two districts of Indiana will have but
two votes in the electoral college. Mr.
Bryan win not refer 10 this imperialism IN
his address in Military Park next week.
How did all this come about? BY acct
dent? Senator Tillman has answered thai
question. He answered IL boastfully I'm mis-
speech in the United States Senate. deliv.
cred the 18th of last February. On Page
2346 of the Congressional Record he speak.
as follows:
81 am only standing here to advertise the
fact that the State of South Carolina has
DISTINGUISHED all the colored race that II
could under the fourteenth. fifteenth and
sixteenth amendments. We have done our
md out how we could eliminate the last
one of them, and we would have done il il
we could, but We could not under the thir-
teent. fourteenth and fifteenth amend.
nents.'
ION the same day O read from Page