The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-05-14
DARK FOR NEGRO.
No Relief From His Political
Disabilities.
Denied by the Court-Cold Comfort In
Congress for the Present-cannon
Against Crumpacker Scheme-Next
Winter, on Eve of Presidential
Election, Not Likely to See the
Question Brought Up.
Washington Star.

The prospect of relief for the South
ern negro from the political disabili-
ties imposed upon him by the domi-
nant race of that section is not
bright. Yesterdays decision of the
United States Supreme Court, in the
Alabama case, threw the supplicant
back upon Congress for redress of his
wrongs. The outlook is that he will
find cold comfort there, for the pres
ent.
The suggestion made to the dis
franchised Southern negro, when
hoiled down, is that about all that
can be done in his case is for Con-
gress to cut down the representation
OF the States which disfranchise him.
The State Legislatures have a right
to prescribe conditions for voting,
which, in effect, disfranchise the black
man. The Supreme Court has no
right to force the election officers to
put the debarred voters names upon
the registration lists; the court can
not take charge of the elections.
Whatever relief is afforded must come
from the political branch of the Gov
ernment
And at this juncture the political
branch of the Government is most
assuredly stacked against the negro.
The political branch means the Re-
publican party in power, and that
party is not inclined to load itself
with any more burdens at this stage
of the proceedings.
NEXT CONGRESS- WILL NOT TAKE UP
QUESTION.
Viewed in the cold light of what is
likely to happen, there is no more
prospect of the next Congress taking
up for action the Southern disfran-
chisement and apportionment ques-
tions than there is that Mark Hanna
will transfer his political allegiance
to William Jennings Bryan.
The Acknowledgement and appor-
tionment question were fought out
in the last Congress, the decision
then reached to last until after the
next Presidential election. What
will then follow is not now to be said.
The time for tackling the ugly prob
lens was when Judge Crumpacker, of
Indiana. and Representative Moody,
of Massachusetts, and Representa-
tive Olmstead, of Pennsylvania, and
few others called it up before sew
eral caucuses of Republicans of the
House.
Those caucuses still are remember
ed. There was one when majority
was in favor of recommending a bill
to reduce the representation in Con-
gress of the States that disfranchised
voters (and that might include Mas
sachusetts as we'll as Mississippi) but
the efforts of two men prevented that
majority from registering it's will.
Those two men were Representative
Cannon, of Illinois, and Speaker
Henderson. By the time the next
caucus met the majority had shifted.
Another caucus and the duck was
dead. Reduction of representation
was shelved
1t only is fair to say that this ac-
tion could not have been maintained
without the sanction of Theodore
Roosevelt. 1t met his tacit approval
in fact, his avowed approval. The
President agreed with the political
advisers of Mr.. Cannon's and Mr..
HendersOn's mind Judge Crum-
packer and his confrerees could get
no help from the White House and
gave up the fight.
ON EVE OF PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
The Republican managers will not,
it as said, permit the question to
come up to vex the party in the next
Congress. The Congress will begin
its work upon the eve of a Prssiden-
tial election, and the acts of the first
session will be scrutinized by the
voters. 1t is admitted by all that
this Presidential campaign is not to
be a walkover like the last one. 1t
will be contested, and the winner will
at least have been aware that he was
in a fight.
The Republican managers do not
propose, it is said, to handicap the
party in the North and East with ar
outbreak of the race question. The
| lHtlC buSScStloil vi ltuutiiiS bOOutH
ern representation, or of taking Fed
eral cogHizance in any way of The
Southern elections questions, would
i'll the opinion of the managers
bring protest from the Southern
! Democrats which would alienat.
thousands of Democratic votes
clinched by Mckinley, from the Re
publicans.
So, with ''Uncle Joe" Cannon in tn,
chair. the Crumpackers and the Olm
steads in the House may expect
every time they bob up head tt
have the gavel SHE'D at them. They
will hold their peace and bide thei
time until after the ides of Novem
Der 1st, 1904.
Yesterdays decision of the United
States Supreme Court merely cut OF
another proposed channel OF relic
for the disfranchised negro, by de
priving him of the right to get tha
relief through a suit in equity, an,
limited that he should seek his re
dress in another quarter.