Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-08-26
TWO NEIGHBOR COUNTIES


ticie from the BlueGeld. West Vir-
ginia. Leader, which we republisb
elsewhere. II IS viviI and nearby
Illustration OF the results OF negro
power in politics in Southern
state.
me Tazewell Republican not long
| since denounced the Democrats in
virginia bitterly for DISTINGUISHING
voters. AS II is n plain fact that no
white man is disfranchised under
the Virginia laws unless he wilfully
and voluntarily invites disfranchise-
ment the Republican must have in
tended to complain because nine
tenths OF the negroes of this state
are prevented from voting.
Mcdowell county, west Virginia.
adjoins Tazewell county. Virginia
BY the United States census OF 1900
the white population of Mcdowell
was 1871, including about ESQ of
foreign birth. The white population
Of Tazewell VS. 23.3S4. including
40 persons of foreign birth. The
negro population of Mcdowell is
1853; that of Tazewell 2,6S2. By
curious coincidence the number of
male negroes in the two counties is
exactly the same, 1882.
Let the people OF Tazewell county
| and of the whole ninth district take
| notice of the results in their neigh
Dor county just over the lile of ac-
tivity of the comparatively few ne
| groes in local and general politics
According to the BlueHeld Leader
| these negro voters are coddled and
petted and their favor is eagerly
sought by local Republican politi-
clans. Therefore. social equality Is
an accomplished fact. Negroes are
allowed to operate social clubs in
| defiance of law for drinking and
gambling and even worse purposes
One of these places was raided last
Sunday at Keystone.
The mayor and the white mem
bers OF the police fore, along with
the two negro policemen, were mem
bers of the club.
On Sunday white women and ne
| gro men and negro women and
| white men were drinking together
| socially at the same tables. A. L.
| Calhoun, who seems to be the local
| Republican boss. is sail to own the
| place and was arrested in 1t along
with his illegitimate son. The peo-
| pie OF the county are doubtful
| whether the law breakers will be
| punished. The politicians are
| afraid to offend the negro inhu-
| ence. The prisoners will be tried
| before a mixed jury. more than half
| negroes, and defended by negro
| lawyer and politician.
If. Mr.. Bascomb Slemp. the Re-
publican nominee for congress in
that district, goes on the stump to
defend the Crumpacker bill, intend
| ed to punish the southern people for
DISTINGUISHING the negro and up
holding the planks in the Republic
can national platform demanding
enforcement of the fourteenth and
fifteenth amendments. the Demo
cratic speakers and newspapers
should ask his special attention to
Mcdowell and Tazewell counties.
A man may stand easily with one
foot in Mcdowell and the other in
Tazewell. They have the same soil
and climate and the same people.
Both are Republican counties. Taze-
well, however, is in a Democratic
state in which the negro is forced
out of and kept out Of politics. Nc
Dowell is in a Republican state
where the negro holds the balance
OF power and controls conditions.
On the Virginia side OF the lmag-
mary line there is white rule, de-
cency, good order. enforcement of
the law. a peaceful, Go1-eearng
prosperous and self respecting peo-
pie On the West Virginia side
there is a negro rule with negro po-
licemen TO arrest and club white
people, conditions worse than mis-
cegnation negro men and white
women drinking together on Sunday
with police present at a club OF
which the mayor is member. pro-
vided with private rooms. On one
side OF the line we have peace and
order and civilization; on the other
side conditions as bad. as degrading |
as disgraceful as any in Dahomey
or Haiti
We hoped we were rid OF the ne |
gro question. All OF MS are tired Of
70 and ashamed Of II and eager 10 |
give our attention TO subjects more
pleasant AMI more improving to the
mind. But the Republicans have |
forced that hateful Issue on us once
more. They have don q. i'm their.
general platform and by local utter,