The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-10-08
An Honest Confession.

An Honest Confession.
1t seems from the Southern policy
Of the Republican party that negro
domination, negro influence, negro
presence in the councils Of the party
are no longer to be tolerated. In this
ignoring the negro the Republican
party indirectly endorses the policies
and measures which have diminished
the negro vote in the Southern States.
AS The State puts it the subordina-
tion Of the negro is accounted right
because conditions Justify it. The
Republican party can no longer use
the negro, and he must take care Of
himself. The enfranchisement and
the backing of the negro were right
so long only as they were effective
means in the hands of the Republican
party for the perpetuation Of its power
over the southern people. Such is
the attitude Of the party towards the
negro nova position easily explain
able by reference to the course Of the
party when it undertook by a single
act to enfranchise the negro and place
him in power over the white man.
Henry Wilson and James \. Gar
field were entitled to speak for their
party. Wilson declared that the en-
forcement of the Radical scheme Of
reconstruction would make the south
ern States Republican for all time.
Garfield, actuated by like motives to
those OF Wilson, advised his party to
put civil governmentS-meaning ne
gro governmentS-5efore the southern
people and bayonets behind them.
This policy was carried out. Civil
governments were erected, end these
were supported by the bayonet. 1t
was Daniel H. Chamberlain-scholar-
lie, intellectual, professedly sensitive
who declared that the government
of the United States, and the Republi-
can party as we'll, had been untrue to
the negro because federal soldiers were
no longer used to maintain his negro
government in South Carolina. It
was Chamberlain'S avowed ambition
to make South Carolina as safely Re-
publican as Massachusetts, other
words it was his wish to perpetuate
negro rule in this State.
The use of political name for the
organization which ruled in the south
was blind. The Republican party
was, during the entire period OF its
domination in the south, becoming
more and more negro party. The
negroesQwere claiming all the power
and most of the offices. Negro ideas,
negro standards negro rules Of conduct
in private as much as in public life,
were ruling the party and ruling the
white men who publicly acknowledged
their allegiance to it. The history
and the consequences Of negro rule in
the south need not be recOunted. OF
it's effects the Republican party had
ample warning before they undertook
it's enforcement. They were duly
warned of its dangers. But these
warnings were secuted as the rawlings
of disloyal people who, lately in active
revolt against the government, even
now yielded but an unwilling obedi-
ence. The negro was put over the
white man, and federal bayonets were
employed to sustain the negro. All
this was done when the negro was yet
but three years freeman. Well-Digh
10 years have passed, giving liberty,
opportunity and every inducement to
progress along the lines Of response
ble and reputable citizenship. And
the negro, at this day and time, is in
formed by the party whose boast is
that it gave him freedom and fran
chiSe that he is there no longer want
ed-that he is neither worthy nor
competent to have any part in its
policy or its acts.
Such confessions, such avowalS,
ought to he noted for the reason that
they constitute the highest evidence of
the truth and justice of the position
of the southern people when they de-
clared to the world that the rule of
the negro meant the ruin Of their Sec
tiorl-when they declared that the
effort to put tile white man under the
rule Of the negro was an offenSe
against civilization-when they de-
clared that negro rule could not be
maintained in the south, even at the
point of the bayonet. Garfield and
Wilson and other recognized spokes-
men Of the Republican party thought
or affected to think to the contrary.
Their successors in control Of their
party now acknowledge the criminal
folly of their policy and Of the means
employed for it's enforcement"