The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-12-03

IAe otdle, ana ne seeks in effect to snow
that the recent election returns clearly
Indicate that tn Democrats cannot carry
North Carolina in the future without the
aid of the colored voter. When we come
to consider the fact that a majority of
the colored voters voted tn straight Dem
ocratic ticket, voted for the people who
had disfranchised their fellows, it can
hardly be expected that tn Republican
party would be willing to permit this
class OF voters to dictate it's policy in
the future
1T is matter of history that the
Fifteenth Amendment would nvr have
been adopted at the time it was ratified
by the various Legislatures had it not
been for the fact that all tn Southern
States, with the exception of Tennessee,
had refused to adopt what was known
as tn Howard amendment. The Howard
amndment provided that the Southern
States should have representation in
Congress with respect to the elective
franchise. 1t simply undertook to fix
the status of citizenship in the Union
and among other things it provided that
as long as tn negro was denied the right
to vote he should not be counted in the
ederal enumration. If it had been
adopted, there would have been no neces-
sity for the Fifteenth Amendment; and
for it's dfeat the Southern Democrats are
responsible It's adoption would have
secured for the colored man by common
consent on the part of the Southern
Democrats that which he has not Sc
cured an express provision of the Con-
stitution of the Unitd States, for under
such circumstances the South could have
obtained increased representation only
by allowing the colored man to bote.
"Snce 1876 it has proved in actual
fact impossible to secure the enforce
ment of the provisions of the Fifteenth
Amendmnt. There has been an almost
complete disintegration of the Republi-
can forces in all the Southern States
where the colored men compose the
party; but in States like Kentucky.
North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and
Virginia there has ben steadfast ad-
herence to the principles of Republican
ism by the white Republicans, in the
face of every form Of political disaster.
At times in North Carolina we have been
defeated, but have at all times succeeded
in lecting one or two congressman, and
on two occasions we secured control OF
the Legislature and at one time elected
a Governor. and have twice electd
United States Senator. We have stood
stoutly for the negro's political rights as
| long as there was any chance to secure
them; and now stand stoutly for his
rights before the law; and ask only that
as he has shown himself powerless to
! fight his own battles, he will not now
hamper us when we are trying to do all
that can effectively be done for him.
'The amendment. which was proposed
to our Constitution in 1900. was. in my
opinion, in violation of the Fifteenth
amendment, and these of us who believe
/ nthe principles Of Republicanism did
what we could to secure it's defat. After
| a desperate struggle it was adopted by
an overwhelming majority, and 1t Is now
| a part of the organic law or our S.at2'
and until it is stricken from the Consti-
tuition or annulled by tn courts We have
no alternative but to respect it as the
! law of the land, and nothing can be ac-
complished by attempting to keep the
question before tn people as political
| issue.
"I have been criticised becauseI would
not recommend the appointment of col
| ored people in Eastern Carolina. L have
| consistently recommended the men in
| each community most for the office
| sought, and have endeaVored to consult
the wishes of the good citizens as to
whom they desired to have appointed to
| fill positions wherein the citizens were
| brought in direct contact with the OF
| 6o;al Aov other course would have
| been calculated not only to injure the
cause of Republicanism, but to DO
great and lasting injury to the colored
race by arousing violent racial prejudice
TIL colored people have been given several
| important positions by the present ad-
ministration, and l am satified that the
race has received as fair treatment by
this administration in North Carolina as
it has in any State in the Union. There
I is a disposition on the part of the pro-
gressive people of North Carolina
to break adway from the Dem
ocratic party, and thousands of
them did so at the last election, but the
movement is not well under way yet, and
while we have made gains that are mar
velous, at the same time if we adhere to
the policy adopted at the Greensboro
convention for a sufficient length of time
to convince the people that Republican
rule will mean just and fair government
for ALL then North Carolina will be as
reliably Republican as Pennsylvania or
Ohio In other words, if we can only
fix the status OF the Republican party of
North Carolina as being analogous to
| that of Pennsylvania or Ohio-that is to
say that the natural leadership of the
party, the intelligence and character of
the party, will control its affairs, then
there will be no question about our
State giving her electoral vote to Presi
dent Roosevelt in 1904.
"The result of the recent election
should be highly gratifying to these who
are opposed to the machine Democracy OF
the State 1t has settled the question
as to the number of white people who
up TO this time vote he Republican ick-
ct The most extreme Democrats have
contended in the past that at least 12O,-
600 negroes voted the Republican ticket,
while the more conservative Democrats
have insisted that we did not have more
| than IS 900 white voters in tho State,
and that the remainder of our vote was