Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-04-22
REFORMATION IMPOSSIBLE.


This applies to the press as we'll as to
the party leadership. For many years
the Democracy of the State made the
negro their trump card. When ever
they became alarmed at the prospect of
a Republican victory they trotted out
their sweetest morsel, the cry of threat
ened negro domination. They pretend
ed that the chief object for making a
new constitution and reforming our suf-
frsge laws was to purify elections by
getting rid of the negro electorate. !
The negro was effectually eliminated |
by the new constitution and suffrage |
laws; but the Democrats slipped him
NJ their sleeve, and when desperate
situations confront them take him out
and use him to brighten the timid or re-
calcitrant fellows in the ranks. Four
years ago when the Republicans put in
their platform a plank favoring free
books for the free schools, Carter Glass
and his class of political demagogues
began to shout against the proposition,
asserting that it would provide a means
for educating more than a hundred
thousand little negroes. Weak white
men needed the unjust and insincere
cry and voted against the proposition
which they had voted for a few years
previous when it had been put in the
Democratic platform, stolen from the
Republicans.
In the present campaign it seems the
negro is again to be used but in an I'M
usual way. This time he will be made
use of to brighten prohibition Demo-
Gratis away from allegiance to that
principle. Our ever brilliant and err
ratio contemporary, the Richmond News
Leader, has put the ball in motion. In
its issue of the 18th inst. it discussed
the danger of submission of the prohi-
bition question to a general vote of the
people. And in the editorial the little
Jack Horner of the News Leader poked
in his thumb and pulled out this plum
1--WE do not believe any Virginia leg
islature with a Democratic majority
would adopt measure to submit this
question to popular vote. Confronted
with ctrrh ~ Il
quickly realize that the submission OF
the Statewide prohibition question to
the people for decision by popular vote
would nullify and undo the chief work
OF the constitutional convention and the
chief purpose of the new constitution
because it would bring the negro ques.
ton back into politics. 1t would give
the white people strong incentive to in.
duce and aid the negro to qualify him
self to vote. The prohibitionist be-
lieving prohibition to be great mora
question and that the getting of vote
for it would be special service to the
Almighty and humanity, would not hes
to spend money and time and use infiu
ence to get on the rolls every negro he
thought would vote for prohibition
The anti-prohibitionist melted by mo
tives equally potent, would be equally
active in having the negro vote friendly
to his side registered and qualified
Such an election would result in putting
on the registration list some 80, 900 OF
10000 negro voters and making the
negro vote again a factor in our poll
ties
In desperate effort to save its OWL
wing of the pi r. the anti-prohibition.
ists-from defeat, our esteemed Rich.
mond contemporary has placed in &
most unenviable light before the public
the entire Democratic party of Virginia
That party admittedly consists of but
the two elements, prohibitionists anc
anti-prohibitionists And here is the
News Leader confidently claiming that
if Statewide prohibition is made an is
sue and submitted to the people, that
both of the elements or factions of the
Virginia Democracy will, without re-
gard for conscience or consistency, dc
what they have heretofore denounced
as crime in others-enfranchise the
ignorant and vicious class of negroes. 1t
il only this class that the Democratic
prohibitionists and ti-prohibitionists
could control as the News Leader init
mates they could be handled.
What a confession is th;s-an admis-
sion that, when it suits their purpose,
those men who claim to be the guar
dams of the morals of the people and
the others asserting themselves as ths