The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1905-10-07

York Sun, one Oh Une aDleSt hepuDllcani
newspapers Of the country, makes the
admission that the giving Of the right
of suffrage to the negro was a mistake
and has proven to be a failure, and
states that both Republicans and
Democrats recognize him as no longer
a factor in politics, as the following
editorial will show:
When, about two years ago., Elihu
Root said frankly at the Union League
Club in New York that the expert
ment of the precipitate admission of
the ~emancipated negroes TO the suf-
frage had proved a failure, he express
ed a sentiment which now prevails
throughout this country among both
Republicans and Democrats.
Moreover, Mr.. Root merely recog-
nized a fact. In practice the expert
ment of giving suffrage to the emanci-
pated slaves has proven unsuccessful.
, 1t has broken down completely. In
the South, where are nearly nine
tenths OF the negroes, law and state
constitutional amendments have prac-
tically disfranchised them; yet the
Republican party, which gave to them
the suffrage and fortified the gift with
an amendment to the Federal cOnsti-
tuition inficting the penalty of a re-
duction of representation in states
which in any way abridged it. has
looked on and done nothing to protect
it's negro followers against such dis
elimination, and it becomes more and
more evident every day that it will do
nothing in that direction. When
Federal troops were withdrawn from
the South as protectors of negro voters
at the polls, and when the force bill
failed of enactment negro suffrage
was doomed, at least for the present
generation. The attempt OF the Re-
publican party to assure to itself for
all time the electoral votes'Of South
eIn states by means of negro suffrage
not only failed utterly, but was also
the means of assuring a Democratic
! s0lidity of the South which will prob
ably long continue.
At the Maryland Republican Con-
vention on Wednesday, presided over
by Mr.. BOnaparte, a member Of the
cabinet Of President Roosevelt. the
platform adopted contained this dec
laratiOn:
1.-THE Republican party Of the state
of Maryland favorS no social equality
among the races; favorS no negro DOM
ination over, the white people here or
elsewhere, and can be depended upon
to guard against the establishment of
either of these conditions here in
, Maryland"
! tits understood, too, that Secretary
Bonaparte had a chief hand in the
construction of this platform. 1t is
notable also that there were only
; eight negro delegates in the conven-
] ton, though at the convention OF two
7 years ago their number was ten times
! as great.
| This is of capital significance. Ii
indicates that the Republicans have
l found negro suffrage to be an intoler'
! able incubus on their part rather than
D a help to it, at least in the Southern
States.
: Moreover, the negro population o.
= MARYLAND was less than a fifth of the
= total In 1900. OF all the states ir
= which slavery formerly existed, witt
! the exception of Delaware, Kentucky
{ Missouri and West Virginia, so large
I ly northern in character and politica
: sentiment. Maryland has the small
= est percentage of negroes, and reason
. for dread of negro denomination
II would seem to be small there, If no
infiniteSimal; yet even the Maryland
Republicans are forced for Self-preSer
Walton to come out squarely agains
+" social equality''for the negroes. This
} declaration, made by a Republican
= convention presided over by a cabine
officer in a Republican administration
reaches out in its principle to th'
) great body Of negro citizens in State
: of the North where they now exerciS'
o the privilege of the suffrage wtehou
restriction. If the negro Of the South
is unfit to be trusted with the fran
: chiSe, is not the Northern negr'
equally Enthusiastically as a voter? l
it is right and just and necessary t.
, take away the suffrage from the one
! should it not be rescued from tn
y misuse by the other?
u In the very states where the cleo
toral votes are pivotal for the Republi
can party is a close presidential cleo
ton the negro population is larg'
y numerically-in New York and Ohi'
Ie about a hundred thousand each, il
: Illinois about ninety thousand, j
New Jersey about seventy thousand
in Indiana and Kansas somewher
Is about sixty thousand each. In Mass
achusettS and Connecticut there ar
enough negroes to make their vote
y decisive in a close election. The,
u may turn the scale in California.
y If, then, the Republican part
z abandonS the negroes OF the South
and conniveS at their practical dis
franchisement on the ground of in
rs herent unfitneSS for the franchise
what reason is there for the NOrtherl
J. negroes remaining in allegiance to 1T
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