The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-10-10
COMMENT.

Suffrage restriction in the south is
the subject of u clear and able article
In the October North American Review
by Mr.. Clarence H. Poe, editor OF "The
Progressive Farmer" a periodical pub
lished at Raleigh. y. c.. We do not
think that the development of southern
political conditions since the civil war
could be more accurately described
Norfolk Landmark.
The republicans of the south have
eliminated the negro as a factor in
politics. Why? Various reasons have
led to the change. One main reason
is that to keep the negro in politics and
to use him successfully, he must be
given something. 1t has come to that
in many places. AS there are not
enough good places for the whites, of
course there is nothing left to appease
the blacks. The fewer republicans
there are in politics in the southern
states, the easier it is for the faithful
to get postoffices. They do not want
more than enough to man the machine
and keep the organization alive. There
are not enough good things for the ne
groes to have any shake at the plums.
The state and local offices cannot be
won any more. So the vote of Sambo
is no longer needed."-Galveston News.
Upon the organization of the Yer
: mont legislature on Wednesday, Gen
eral j. G.. Mccullough was elected gov
ernOr of that state by 60 majority in a
total vote of 26S. He did not receive
a majority of the popular vote at the
late election and had to be chosen by
the legislature. 1t was said during the
campaign that he spent very large
sums of money on the voters, but he
failed to buy UP enough of them to get
the popular majority required by law,
n Of the Clement stories being that
he paid $243. 900 for the nomination. He
Will probably come to the conclusion
that the office was not worth paying for
at a price. What eXpedient he will
adopt to get around the liquor question
is not known. 1t is almost certain that
he can adopt no course which will help
his party in the future.-News and
Courier.
1t should not have required a cabinet
conference to discover that the federal
government has no sort or shred Of
warrant for i~nterposing in settlement Of
the coal strike in Pennsylvania. The
discussion of such a thing look like
playing pol ,icS to avert the campaign
effects of leaving so grave and threat
ening a condition alone. But there is
no such question of doubt about the
power of Intervention of the state of
Pennsylvania, however. All that gov
ernmen may do toward aVerting q
widespread calamity growing out of
abuses of rights and duties is rested
there. And yet for months, rather than
offend the coal barons, the governor OF
that state has refused to the
legislature. to consider the situation
and devise reiief.-Vicksbury Herald.
The victory of eX-Secretary Alger in
his contest for the Michigan senator
ship has been received with gratifica-
ton by the country at large. He is
known as a kind-hearted, public-spirit-
ed gentleman and there is a well-found-
ed feeling that he was treated very
badly by the Mckinley administration.
1t cannot be claimed that he was Il
conspicuous success as secretary of war.
but he was certainly not to blame for
all the shortcomings that he was
charged with. His authority was cur
tailed and overruled in a that
must have been very humiliating to
him n some of those who were put
Yer him in the direction of affairs in
the war department were certainly less
capable than he. General Alger was lit
orally forced out of the cabinet and af-
ter he was out of it was made to bear
the burden of faults and mistakes for
which he was not properly answerable,
even for some which he had opposed
and condemned. On his retirement
from office he made a manly appeal to
the country's sense of justice which
met a very general response. 1t was
natural and creditable that General
Alger should have taken the first op-
portunity to seek vindication by his
own state and the readiness with
which it was given shows that his hold