Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-08-13
THE CoLoRED MAN AS A CITI.
ZEN

ZEN.
Inc republican state convention eX-
pressed itself clearly and unequivocal-
~ in opposition to the movement now
being made throughout the south to
disfranchise the colored man. Upon
this question the platform says:
I'VE are earnestly opposed to all
legislation designed to accomplish the
disfranchisement Of citizens upon lines
of race, color or station of life and
condemn the measures adopted by the
democratic party in certain states of
the union to accomplish that end"
This is directly to the point and
leaves no doubt as to the attitude of
the republican party upon this matter.
In noting the same, the democratic
Dubuque Telegraph insolently asks:
But what is the difference to the
negro whether he is disfranchised be-
cause of his race, color or station of
life, or because he is unable to read
or is without title to certain amount
Of realty?
Any ten-year-old colored school boy
in Ottumwa can answer this question
so effectively that no democratic pa-
per would venture to ask it again.
With property or an educational
qualification for suffrage applying
alike to white, black and people of
every race, color or station in life,p pro
vided only that they are citizens of
the United States the colored man
will have an equal show with every
other citizen. This is all the colored
man asks, but this is just what the
democratic party proposes he shall not
have.
AS an instance of what the demo
cratic party proposes with reference to
the colored vote, we cite the utter
ance of Senator "Pitchfork'' Tillman,
of South Carolina, in a public lecture
delivered in the city of Des Moines
last Thursday. Senator Tillman did
not mince matters. He made direct
appeal for the repeal of the fourteenth
amendment and the Acknowledgement
of the negro. He backed this plan as
the only solution of the race problem
in the south, and characterized the en-
reimbursement of the negro as the
crime of the century," In the course
of his talk he said:
Under the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments to the constitution, we
can not discriminate, in the franchise
right, on account of race, color or pre-
vious condition of servitude. There
is nothing left to us but to disfran-
chise those who can not read and
write. Then why should we teach
more of them to read and write, those
from whom we are trying to wrest the
right of suffrage? Isn't that idiocy?
Ability to read and write is not safe
yardstick to measure voters by. AS
governor of South Carolina l was ia
miliar with the prison. found very
large proportion of the inmates were
young fellows, young blacks and mu-
lattoes, who could read and write, and
with many Of them the first piece of
writing they did was to forge name
to an order for money. The standard
of the negro has sunk woefully since
he was freed. There were no crimes
against women committed by our
blacks while our southern men were
fibhting in the war. The slaves guard.
ed our women well and We owe them
a debt Of gratitude for that service.
All this evil has come out on the ne
gro since he was freed and enfran-
chised."
If the negroes of Iowa consider their
freedom the crime of the century they
should vote and work with the party
Mr.. Tillman represents. If they think
better OF it they should throw their
influence with the party that cut the
shackles.