The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-10-22
The Same Old Mixture.

Capt. John G. CaperS, United
States district attorney for this State
and supposed to be the adminiStra-
tion's referee in party affairs down
here, has given to the press his views
upon the elimination Of the negro
from the Republican party, a PROPOSE
tion which has caused more discussion
among the Democrats than it has
gained support among the Republi-
cans. Itis not at all surprising that
Capt. Capers' views agree pretty well
with the expressions made few days
ago by the president to delegation
Of darkey divines who called at the
temporary White House but did not
dine there. Capt. Capers is quoted as
saying:
The organization and operation Of
political parties upon purely racial
classification is, TO my mind, wholly
inconsistent with the spirit of our gov
ernment, requiring, as our government
does, well defined duties and response
bilities from all it's citizens. In the
exercise of citizenship when the ne
gro asserts a right and demonstrates
that it rests upon Intelligence and
character rather than upon race pre-
judice, or fancied and unearned distinc-
tion, his rights should be respected as
an American citizen, regardless OF his
color. In politics the negro'S trouble
in the south comes in large measure
from the advice he receives from his
northern colored brother, who ruins
the effect of a protest against white
mans party in the south by practi-
cal demand for a black mans party.
There is no good reason why the Re-
publican party in the south should
be all white, and there is every reason
why it should not be all black.
The Columbia State, in comment
ing on the above says that some white
men want to hold federal offices under
Republican administrations is doubtless
reason enough why the Republican
party in the south should not be all
black" And Judging from recent
events these white men do not desire
to make the party all white" so long
as the blacks consent to let them run
the machine. The only negroes they
would eliminate from the organiza-.
tion are those ambitious darkeys who
do not submit to being supplanted by
recent converts and their new allies
among the old-timerS. If it were no.
plain before, it is now since Capt.
Capers' pronOuncement, following so
closely upon that Of President RooSo-
velt. that the new regime in southern
Republican circles is not to differ
greatly from the old. The negro is still
to be an asset, if not a factor. His
rights" as an American citizen and
the injustice Of race discrimination
are to be dwelt upon as Of old. All OF
this has been the Oratorlcal stock IN
trade of northern tireeaters. Republl-
can leaders and southern Scalawags
Tor .nany a. Gay. But the fact remains
as a cause for qualification that the
southern white men Of respectable
birth and respected parentage who
have descended to conSort with the
negro have been few. Nor do we be-
live the number will increase. even
if there appears an occasional re-
progression which is most conspicuous
because of the honor that has attach
ed to the names borne by the new
champions and colleagues of the
brother in black" That there is to
be no effort to reorganize the Eepubli-
can party in the southern States up
on lines that would altogether alter
the character Of its leadership, men,
bership, aims and purposes is to be re-
gretted. \ start seemed to have been
made in Alabama and North Carolina
and there were hopes that 1t might
be done in South Carolina, but 1t is
plain now that this is not to be. To
succeed even so far as to obtain for
the State organizations recognition