The Democratic advocate., 1909-10-08
negro SUFFRAGE
in THE SOUTH
ALL BUT MARYLAND HAVE TAKEN THE
BALLOT FROM The NEGRO
This Is Our Last Chance to Line IJD
With Our Sister States

10 be ltS main reliance. IL mas no
objection to Republican ene.party
States, but only TO Democratic ones.
1t shivers to its bones for the fate
which is to come upon Maryland as a
one-party State, but 1t has no regret
or condemnation for the tricky condi-
tions, graft, ballot-box stuffing and
repeating at elections which ever since
the Civil War have prevailed in the
Republican State of Pennsylvania.
There are more Republican one-party
States than Pennsylvania where the
evils with which Maryland is threat
Oned have been and are tenfold worse.
But we need not bother about them.
Bet us take the States OF the South as
examples, for quite number OF years
before 1861 and up to the present time
the Southern States have been solidly
arrayed on the side OF one political
party. From 1852, when the Whig
party went down in final extinction.
to the Reconstruction era, the Demo-
cratic party practically held the en-
tire South. Corruption IN politics
was unknown The electorate was
pure and intelligent; the representa-
tives in the National Congress and in
the State Legislature were men OF
high ability and of character beyond
reproach; government was honestly
efficiently and economically admins
tered.
Then came that cursed, unholy era
OF Reconstruction, so-called. and for
a series of dismal, calamitous years
the Southern States were stillone-party
States but not Democratic. Republican
carpet -baggers, foul birds Of prey.
the worst scum of the earth, swarmed
down upon the South and, With the
aid OF the cursed negro suffrage,
which ii Is contended should still be
hung to the neck OF Maryland, cast
into chains that whole section My
God What chains they were IL is
an oft-told tale and iteration may
weary, but the day can never come
when every noble heart will not throb
with horror and indignation at the
record of the government OF those Re
publican one-party States. The un-
happy people we're not put TO the
sword by their Republican rulers. II
would have been better fate for many
Pillage and rapine ran riot; the States
were poverty stricken to the last de-
gree; all public and private enter
prise was stiiled and a whole people
almost literally left starving.
Now, mark the contrast ! Little by
lite at first, and then more rapidly
and vigorously, those States loosened
the Republican chains that bound
them. One after another they at last
shook off the hldeous letters alto
gether. the strongest OF all being neg
70 suffrage. They we're still one
party States, but, blessed be Allah!
not Republican, What have they
done for themselves as Democratic
States? Such advancement In mater
ial progress has not been excelled
The air huns with prosperity. Busi-
ness enterprises OF as great magni-
tude as In any other part OF the coun-
try are constantly put in motion. All
the magnificent natural resources OF
these States are being developed, the
people, relieved Of the incubus, which
held them down are buoyant, cheerful
and hopeful. II will not be long before
the East and the West will have to
hump to keep the South from leading
the procession. II is no longer that
Northern adventures and political SOL
diers Of fortune flock to the South
Men OF character and men OF capital
by hundreds and thousands are going
from the East and the West into every
State of the South. They are helping
to build up what their predecessors
attempted TO destroy They are at
tracted by the knowledge that good
government is achieved; that the
blight and contamination of negro guf-
frage Is no longer to be feared. Nine
tenths OF these men were Republicans
m N Fas.N
Southland may yet be for that mat
ter-but In all local contests they vote
the Democratic ticket The one-p party
cry has no terrors for them. II the
negro Is eliminated from the electo-
ate in Maryland, why should the State
not have the same prospects for ad-
vancement and development as It's sis
ter States Of the South2 Why ia II
that the desirable class OF immigrants
to large extent avoid Maryland and
go to States whore the negro and his
political privileges are not so much
in evidencef
Among other false statements OF the
Maryland Republican leaders is the
assertion as to the small percentage
OF negroes in It's population. II is
said on good authority that the per-
centage Of negroes in Maryland is
four times greater than in Missouri,
almost about the same az Texas, half
as large as Kentucky and little over
three per cent. less than Tennessee.
Baltimore per square mile is the
largest urban center of negro popula-
ton in the country.
Texas is a grand State, with its
teeming millions of people, it's vast
territory, its stupendous cotton crop,
its boundless cattle ranges and the
richness and variety of its many pro-
ducts. 1t is rock~ribbed Democratic
one-party State. There are not
enough negroes voting In Texas--to
speak figuratiyely--to fill a bushel
measure. In some counties in Texas
no negroe Is permitted TO plant his
foot. There are thosands Of indolent,
shiftless, vicious negroes in Maryland
whose only occupation is voting the
Republican ticket No negro without
visible means of support is tolerated
In Texas. He is simply told to move
on, and he moves. Now, you must
understand it is not former slave
responsible for this. Texas today has
five or six times the population 1t had
holders or their descendants who are
in 1865. Some of this increase is, of
course, due to emigration from the
other Southern States, but the bulk
Of it is from the nonslave- holding
States and foreign countries. This
mass of men when settling In Texas
could not possibly have entertained
any prejudice against the negro To
the contrary 1t is safe to assume they
were fayorab1y inclined toward him.
aax.Aa a. - -. -
them what 1t has taught all other
fairmtnded people who have the same
opportunity, that 1t was unwfse to In
xoaf fha naOro With fha ballot and