The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-08-18
THE COLORED VOTER.

congressional representation in those
States that have disfranchised or shall
disfranchise their oolored citizens, and
it is awake to the fact that the party
which added the Fourteenth Amend
ment to the Constitution proposes that
that amendment shall not become q
dead letter. Ii is Congress which will
determine whether there has been dis
reimbursement or not, and Congress
may do nothing about it, but regardless
of it's actions the whites of the South
have been given something to think of
which will do them no harm and may
benefit them much.
Should reduction of representation
| be attempted, serious questions would
arise as to expediency. Accurate
| figures which could stand as proof of
| the Acknowledgement would be difficult
to obtain. Some of the methods of
Acknowledgement are SO cleverly dis
guised that it would be almost i'm
possible to separate the legal from the
illegal, in examining them. Questions
might arise as to whether it would be
best for a given locality to rouse It's
racial feelings any more by such
action. But with all considered, and
with all the difficulties admitted that
stand in the way of enforcement, still
this country can hardly afford to have
one of the most recent, and as it has
been thought, one of the most import
ant additions to the basic principles of
its government become ineffective and
dishonored
On the question of expediency the
papers which reflect the opinions of
the colored people are not unanimously
favorable. The Indianapolis Free
man, however, one of the strongest of
the organs of the colored people, takes
the following stand els one white
man in Alabama to WELD the power
of three white men in New York,
when simple application of the
organic law would place every voter
upon absolute equality? Since the
Negro cannot vote anyway, is it not
better to urge that the South be shorn
of the representation she illegally en-
joys, and then perpetuate the Republi-
can regime to which the race must
look for all the liberties that it can
hope to acquire or maintain? We
might as we'll get the best out of
bad situation. 1t is folly to beat the
air with impotent protest, and allow
the party that is friendly to us to be-
whipped out of it's boots should the
contest ever become close"
There is good logic In what the
Freeman says. Expediency may out
weigh logic in determining what shall
be done, but right and justice and
consistency have their own claims to
the position of expediency. There has
not been a time since the civil war
when the friends and enemies of the
negro were 30 easily to be distin-
guished. There are people who stand
up for the rights Of the negro as a
freeman and there are people who
would deprive them of those rights,
the enjoyment of which was secured
to them only after the greatest struggle
the world has ever seen.
1t cannot be doubted that portion,
and perhaps a large portion, of the
negroes of the South is hardly de-
sira5le for voters. 1t can hardly be
| al hot 80
able part of the "poor white" popula.
ton of that section that is no more
desirable than the colored. There are
probably constitutional ways of re-
stricting the suffrage along lines of
educational and other tests, but there
can be no way Of cutting off the
colored vote and leaving the white
vote intact without violating the con-
stitutional rights of the colored citi-
zens. And if the franchises of the
negroes are illegally taken away from
them, they should not be made factor
to Increase the political strength of
the very men who take away these
votes. The South does not want to
get rid of the negro. 1t needs him
for ballast and wants him to do its
work while it takes away every priv
ileRe that generally goes with such
service.
The issue has been made so plainly
that there can be but one course for
the colored voter to pursue where he is
so fortunate as to be able to vote.
The Republican party has declared in
favor of compelling the South to do
justice or take the consequences, in ao-
cordance with the Fourteenth Amend
ment. The Democratic party is the
one that is taking away his rights.
He has practically nothing to decide
If he wants to SO vote as to save him.
self and his brethren from losing the
citizenship that belongs to them he
will vote the Republican ticket.
JUDGE PARKER'S SPEECH.
Those who have expected that on