CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1907-05-02
FLORIDA STILL STAYS IN
DEMOCRATIC COLUMN

Senator Beard of the Florida legis-
lature has just come into local promi-
nence by introducing bill for consti-
tutional amendment to the Florida
constitution disfranchising the negro.
The object, he says. Is to test the va
lidity of the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments to the national constitu-
not constitutionally proposed in that
they did not receive a two-thirds vote
in both houses of congress, nor con-
stitutiOnally ratified by three-fourths
of the states of the union.
His arguments are more or less in
teresting though l doubt that his prop
osition will be heard of a month from
today. The people are apt to think
that If his statements are true he and
the south have slept long time on
their rights"
But for all practical purposes no
measure of this kind Is needed in
Florida, or any other southern state. to
disfranchise the negro. He Is as sure
ly disfranchised as he could we'll be
and he isn't kicking much about it,
We don't give the matter much
thought these days, but there is some
interesting history connected with this
negro vote of the south.
About the first thing remember in
politics was the slogan. "A free ballot
and fair count
That was in a strong Republican
district In Illinois when Harrison was
running for president in 1888. And we
younger Republicans were easily con-
vinced that the greatest outrage ever
perpetrated upon a free people was
the way the solid south kept the negro
from casting his ballot.
Well, before Cleveland was elected
in 1892 I came south and spent cou-
pie Of years in Florida, and soon
learned the other side of it.
While the matter has now passed
into history and is only disagreeable
memory even here in the south-for
the south is taking care of itself in
this respect can say that | think
the Republican party made great
mistake and did great Injustice to
the south in forcing the fifteenth
amendment upon it at the time it did.
Here is the question as seen In the
south:
The war closed in 1865. For the
first few years after, the southern
states were ruled as military prov
inces by military governors backed up
by q. g. troops.
In 1869 the fifteenth amendment was
passed and a million negroes, who
were but few years before ignorant
slaves, were made citizens with free
voting powers.
The military government held the
first elections and the whole Inachin-
cry OF every southern state was turned
over to carpet bag rule"
The carpet bagger" was the man
from the north who came down south
to get job. He frequently brought all
his possessions in an old fashioned
carpet bag. hence the term.
The negroes were in the majority,
so they and the carpet bagger ruled
the south for several years-and a
sorry rule it was.
You have read of it in the books.
Ing story. Red Rock some years
ago. which handles the subject in good
shape. AS have seen and heard these
matters in the south believe Mr..
Pages story as true to life as a book
can be.
Thomas Dixon tried to handle the
subject In Leopard Spots but he
rants and exaggerates. don't think
much of Dixon's story.
During that rule many of the most
important offices, county and state,
were held by the most ignorant me-
groes Negroes were governors, rep
resentatives and senators. While the
county and state Offices were often
held by the most ignorant negroes. the
deputies were frequently designing
carpet baggers" from the north who
profited unduly by their influence.