The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-11-11

boon Numbered and misgoverned because the Re
Dublican machine there has felt itself secure, and
tho heavy Democratic majorities in some South
? States have caused that party to be less use
fu1 TO the people than it would have been with a
formidable opposition. There is no political ak
iom in which we more firmly believe than that
which holds that the best of government is not
nossible where the dominant faction is conscious
that it has nothing to fear from the opposition.
The Constitutional Amendment and Its Results.
The Suffrage Amendment adopted by the peo-
ra of North Carolina two years ago was expected
70 eliminate the negro as a political factor. This
f has done. The ratio of white voters to black
voters last week was 40 to 1 against 2 to 1 here
tofore. (And by the way, it is quite generally as
serted that fully half the blacks voted this time
with the party that disfranchised them.) But
the elimination of the negro voter was only one
of the promised results of the Amendment. The
people were promised not a whit less clearly and
Enthusiastically the elimination of the political
evils that came into our political life with the
advent of negro suffrage. Before negro suffrage,
election frauds we're unknown, and in 1900 we
we're promised that with the Amendments vir-
tual mdoing of negro suffrage, trickery and
fraud should cease. Before negro suffrage, our
candidates discussed live political issues and
gave their attention to measures calculated to
build up our Commonwealth, and we were prom
ised that with the virtual undoing of negro suf-
frage. the race issue would be shelved and we
should have the old-time fairness, and discus
sion of matters affecting the development of the
State and the prosperity of its people. Before
@6GTo suffrage, no man was abused or ostracised
Use of his political affiliations, and we were
. - e. II IL L 1891 L. { 5000
suffrage, there should like freedom of action and
another era of peace and good feeling.
These were the things most surely expected
among us, and it should not be treason to plead
for them now. We believe that the campaign
just ended has shown some progress toward these
conditions, and we hope that they will yet come
in all their hoped-for fullness. And as one reason
for the faith that is in US, we are glad to print
this week three brave messages that appeared in
three influential North Carolina papers one day
last week. And only the day before the organ
Of the largest religious denomination in our
State concluded an able editorial on "The Era of
Good Feeling" with these words:
I'VE have risen from the ashes of ruin; we have
lived to glory in rather than to grieve over the
graves of the soldiers that did not return; we
have recovered from reconstruction we have re-
levcd the blight of our vitiated suffrage. Now
men Of the South, let us also cast aside the spirit
Of political bitterness, and clothe our civilization
IN the ancient garments of glory-generOsity,
honor, reason, the love of f~ellowman, and high en-
dcavor for all the peoples good"
If North Carolina is ever to take her rightful
position in the sisterhood of States and make
the Industrial and educational progress which she
should make, it will be the result of the spirit
manifested by the four editorials from which
w" have quoted.