The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1910-07-22
wHAT THE NEGRO voTE MEANS.

WHAT THE NEGRO VOTE MEANS.
There win come a time when the
white men who are now 80 indus
triousIy at work to eolonize and Grill
the negroes Of this county to vote the
machine ticket will regret the course
that they have pursued. The day is
not far distant when they win behold
the terrible train OF evil and the aw-
ful brood of discord which they are
now sowing. 1t will then be too late.
They cannot escape the consequences
Of having played with FIRE.
The negro is being brought back in
to politics. For the first time in
twenty years he is being made a fac
Tor in the public affairs Of this coun-
". His return is not a voluntary
one, but white men, who are untrue
10 the traditions of their race and
who ought to be ashamed Of their
conduct, are responsible for the re-
yival of interest in matters political
now being manifested by the brother
in black. The negro had ceased to
take any interest in politics. He was
willing that the white men should
govern this land.
The worst feature of the situation
lies in the fact that the appeal is
made to the vicious and to the baser
passions of the better element OF the
Aegroes. White men are asking them
to vote for Pattersons puppets for the
Supreme Court because Patterson has
pardoned the criminal negro. The
real friend of the negro race will
never seek to array the blacks against
the whites because the latter insist
that criminals shall be punished re-
CARELESS of color. The negroes whom
Patterson has pardoned should be os-
tracised by their race and not made
heroes because they have escaped
the consequences of their wrong do
ing. And none knows this better
than the selfish politics who are max
ing the negro an asset in this cam
paign.
With the return OF the negro to poll
tics in this county, the white primary
for the selection of county officers
will cease to be an institution. Here
after the negro vote must be reckon
ed with in all contests for county
onices. We shall witness again the
conditSeM Of the seventies and the
eighties when fraud and force
and corruption at the ballot box was
a challenge to the civilization or our
section and q Disgrace to Democratic
The Patterson crowd
h this county has bolted the regu-
ar Democratic organization. Patter"
ION leaders are coralling the negroes.
These two facts are conclusive PROOF
hat there will be no county primary
next year nor the years following.
because of the tyranny. the selfshness
ind the ambition of the Patterson
eaders the Democratic party in this
,ounty is disrupted, the negro u
made a political asset, and the sup
'emecy Of the white race itself 10
The Herald cannot believe that all
Il the Patterson voters In this cCun-
v have given or will give their cor
lial endorsement to this movement
O bring the negro again into the
turmoil and strife Of politics. They
must realize the trajA of woes that
hey must inevitably bring upon their
ounty and section. They cannot fail
o see that with the negro again In
olitics, backed, financed and school
d by formidable faction of the
White Democrats, the doom OF
he white primary is threatened. Do
hese voters desire REPETITION of the
Genes of the seventies and eighties
a this county, or will they yield their
assion and hate for a moment and i
i've calm reflection to the dangers
yhich meanace them?
There will be no profit in the negro
ote. Even should the mal-contents
nd boilers carry this county by the
egro vote, and they can never hope
} carry it If electorate is confined to
ne white men, that they themselves
when they bolted the regu-
If organization, the time will surely i
ome when they will bitterly rue the
ay that they gave the negro the pow
r and the ambition to share with
lem the government of the couuty. |,
MATHIS GALL.