The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-10-14
THE REPUBLICAN AND THE NEGRO.

Why are Crumpacker. Grosvenor.
IChandler, ct al, silent over the political
~lostracism of colored citizens by repub-
llican organizations in the southern
Estates? When the democrats in that
section were framing election turnstiles
that would bar illiterate negroes, while
admitting ignorant whites, no political
penalty was deemed too severe by the
northern champions OF negro rights;
but when white republicans in Ala
bama ana North Carolina are denying
representation in party 10
the saving n of the colored vote
the educated and property-owning
negro electorate, which not even demo-
Icratic malice and ingenuity could dis
franchise-not a protest is uttered by
the republicans Of the north. Their
silence needs explanation. They have
not the selfish motive Of their brethren
of the south. who are substituting a
white republican Organization for the lost
negro vote as a basis for Federal pat
lronage; and the only logical conclusion
lis tina they nave jettisoned the negro
lvote in their pursuit of the ignis fatuus
To find a republican virtue in a demo-
Icratic sin is evidently no wrench to a
certain kin of political conscience
New York Evening Post.
This is a very pertinent question
which the New York Post asks and one
we would like to have some Of the re-
publican leaders of the north TO answer;
but the query is put in vain, for it will
not be answered by those Of whom it is
made. The Post does not put much faith
lin the formation OF a white republican
Iparty by d~isaffection from the demo-
cratic in those southern states in which
the i~lliterate negroes have been disfran-
chised by the democrats n all, both
IiIIiterate and educated, of that race
Idriven from the councils and I'VE
tions of the republicans by the leaders
of that party.
The negro has been taught by the re-
Ipublicans even since his en~franchise-
ment that it was his bounden duty TO
vote the ticket OF hat party. 1t has
been his vote that has secured to that
Iparty whatever success il has at any
time won in the south and it is his vote
today that gives the republican party
control of several states at the north.
The democrats of the southern statesI
have disfranchiSel only those negroeSl
who are too illiterate and ignorant toI
DIT lHe SdIIlc lAiIl SpSIi0lIS lliON
sands of dollars annually in taxes onI
their own property n polls upon theseI
ldisfranchised negroes in order that theyl
may, by receiving the proper education,I
qualify themselves as voters. On thel
other hand the republicans, as soon as
the right to vote is taken from theI
great horde of uneducated negroes turnI
against the whole race n driveI
them all out of their party, not only theI
disfranchised ones, but those who, uni
der the new law are as competent vot-I
ers as are the white leaders of that par-I
ty themselves. When it comes to party
franchise these white republicans makel
no distinction between the educated and
the uneducated negro. Neither is nowl
to take part in party count
ellis or to have a voice in the selectionl
of party candidates. The negro who isl
given the right to vote at the polls byl
the democrats is denied the right to votel
his party convention by The republi-
cans. At whose hands then has the
negro received worse treatment-dem-
ocrats' or republicans?
On what ground can n white repup-
licans denounce the democrats for dis
f~ranchising the negro who cannot read
and write when they declare that even
those negroes who have the best of edu-I
cations and are recognized by the -
ocrats as competent to vote in~telligentlyl
are not qualified to take part in party
deliberations?
ROOSEVELT AND THE COAL STRIKEI