The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1901-12-03
DECEMBER ,. 1901
Weather forecast for Fret
erickSburq and Vicinity:
Rain TueSdGy ereHiRg.

the suffrage netulOg lis attention ht-
ports from several important committees
have been made. and these the body
seems now TO he giving due cousidera
ton With other exchanges We some
time ago urged the convention To give
more attention 10 other matters and
less To the suffrage rs l. well noted 10y
several of our exchanges. the negro has
eliminated himself a. a factor la cleo
tons
Well it may be noted 10y The FREE
Lance and several OF its exchanges that
the negro has eliminated himself as a
factor in elections lt has not been
noted around here The chief disturbing
element in the situation with regard 10
the suffrage problem is the inability or
unwillingneSs of the people OF other sec
lions of the State 10 realize the cOndi
ton which prevails in the Black Belt
Ii the convention j. forced 10 adopt a
permanent understanding clause a
last resort. it will be because of this lack
of comprehension and sympathy. Were
the cOlored population distributed evenly
through the State. the suffrage question
would have been settled long ago in the
right way Those persons and papers
outside Of the Black Belt that think
THE negro has eliminated himself as a
factor in elections" are utterly, terribly
wrong Norfolk Landmark.
Then We are to- conclude that mt
the last election the niger had
come out of the wood-pile and was
playing 'possum. Ever since the
war it has been devoutly prayed and
wished that the negro would break
the shackles which bound him in
political servitude. He must bee "a
dullard indeed who has not seen this
desire gradually being contaminated
Year by year the negro has become
less aud less factor in Virginia
politics. until the present year. when
the Democrat who is not satisfied
with the position taken 10y the negro
is hard to find. Nowhere-uulesS it
be around Norfolk. as our friend. the
Landmark. informs uS-Was the black
vote counted factor i'm the elections
last month. On the contrary. he
was not enough i'm evidence to Ice
made the burden OF the stumper'N
speech What brought about this
condition We do not pretend to say.
but certain it was that he didn't
count, no not even in Norfolk. if re-
turns are TO be relied upon (which. by
the way, is rather a precarious
voucher and a subject with a tender
spot on it for abiding to it We BEG
our Norfolk friends PARDON.
While on this subject We may say
that the Landmark. with other able
dailies, advocates the settlement OF
the suffrage question first and after
wards the vital questions OF economy
and reform. and such other questions
~ are before the body. The end de-
sired is one and the same. but The
FREE LANCE is already ON record adj
vOcating making the suffrage a sec
ondary consideration. Suppose the
Convention had acted upon the sug-
gestiOn of these advOcates-tO get
down to work and settle it the sui
frage). Then will come the import
ant fight fOrecOnOmy. etc Suppose
the Convention had acted to the pre-
sent time upon such advice; what
would be the condition of affairs to-
day? Why, Just what they were for the
first three months of the Convention :
liie-at a stand-still. The suffrage
question seems no nearer a solution
today than it did in the first days OF
the Convention. for the plan which it
now appears will be decided upon was
offered in the beginning. After box
ing the compass they have come back
to original bearings A few weeks ago
some members declared that they
would no longer wait on the suffrage;
which was to say in effect that while it
had been the paramount question
thevwOuld hereafter consider il mat
terOf secondary import. If it had not
been for this act on the part OF a ma
jority of the Convention no progress
would have been made with the bill
of rights. and ia truth no committee
reports even could have been made.
SO we say that while the people ex-
pect and demand a suffrage provision,
and will get we have made too much
ado over it; we have given the negro
and the illiterate,white man tOomuch
cOnsiderstion-cOstly consideration
and made haste too slowly, and
not necessarily wisely, in matters OF
supreme Importance TO the State
We think great expense has been laid
upon the State because OF Overesti
mating the Importance and demand
for suffrage restriction, and the State
is to be put toannoyance and further
expense by conflict OF the two bodies
all which could have been obviateC
if the politician had not raised sucl
a howl over negro Acknowledgement
FROM what we have learned OF tn
character of man that Isadore Ray
ner is We do not expect to see him tr,
II ~ D.,