Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-06-28
NON.PApTIsLSIsM MEANS AFRICAN.
IzhTl0k.

New ORLEANS, La, June 10, 1912.
Editor Picayune:-
Your Baton Roage dispatch OF this
morning, anent the commission form OF
government bill, quotes one of its advo-
Gates as saying:
"The opponents of the bill object to
the non-partisan elections. do not be-
lieve this objection is well founded, for
this reason: In New Orleans the Repub-
lican vote does not amount to more than
seven or eight per cent. If the Republic
cans are real contenders, then the Demo-
Gratis might be endangered by non-par-
tisan election and preferential ballot, but
not so with conditions as they exist in
that city,"
Mr.. Editor, the objection is not to Re
publicans, Populists, Socialists, Anarch-
lists or any others, provided only they
are white.
The objection isAto the voting of ne
groes. When the Fifteenth Amendment
was declared adopted and a part OF tbs
Federal Constitution, it looked as If negro
suffrage was fastened on us for all time
to come. With negroes voting as freely
as white men, we waded through that
long nightmare of horror, shame, humil-
Iiation, degradation and decentralization
known as reconstruction.
To struggle out of it we killed, whipped,
Iintimidated, cajoled, bribed and defraud-
ed until, in 1876, we achieved partial
victory, which we mistook for complete
achievement.
say mistook advisedly; for we left in
our Constitution and ON our statutes the
full right of negro suffrage, so that we
were forced to continue old methods tc
retain what we had won. But we were
Injured to these methods, and SO long
as the white people held together they
proved adequate, and we were lulled into
security.
The municipal campaign of 1888 in
New Orleans, where the whites divided
and had the result determined for then
by the negro vote eagerly sought BY
: both factions), should have opened oul
+ eyes, but it did not. Then came the mex
. division of the white people in 1895
Thousands and thousands Of negro vote
.. were cast in New Orleans for the Cit
l zens' League and against the Democrat
l candidate for governor, and were count
} ed and returned as cast.
! Parish after parish cast thousands o
, NEGRO votes against him 1.-THE Democrat
candidate), and their votes were counte
and returned by white men.
II Nevertheless, on the face of the re
turns, the Democratic candidate wa
lelected.
vi Then arose the ominous cry of sc
behind the returns" Who, then living
viii ever forget the spasm of fear an
horror which swept over this State at tn
. spectre of return to Authorization whic
6 confronted us, and viii ever forget tn
g wave of relief and rejoicing which pulse
h through the body polite when the me
ton to ego behind the returns was vol
led down?
: The white people, for the first time
) realized that from 1876 to 1895 they ha
. been living in FOOLS paradise; that the
/ had been enfortressed by an unbroke
u white wall which kept out the negr
!. horde, but that this wall was likely to b
u preached at any time and the Africa
,, food let in on them.
u They determined that they would \
; longer live under this black cloud.
d The Convention of 1898 was called, an
g suffrage provisions adopted to difranchii
:. the negroes, far as same could be dor
y without violating the Fifteenth Ament
= ment.
~ But these constitutional measures alor
u would not procure safety. 1t was nece
= sary to supplement them by laws, an
y the white primary laws was enacte'
Their working has been all that WI
q hoped, and all that could be expecte'
II The white primary election is the re
IF election, and in it no negro takes par
The negro has lost all hope of polite
influence, and, left to himself, neith'
attempts to register nor to vote.
n No matter how fierce be the division
d and fights between white people, the
e are fought out by whites alone, and I
a man or faction has any power to call
black allies.
y So long as these constitutional provi
l. ions and these primary laws remain il
re tact, the government of Louisiana, an
of all of its political subdivisions, win
a as purely white mans government
it was previous to the Civil War.
y Destroy the primary system, and
J. us see what win happen.
)f Under the beautiful story of the naiv
Is ingenious and estimable gentlemen WI
are urging this ''non-partisan" election
such of our citizens as have the laudab
" ambition to serve their city as commi
' sioners will 60 around the streets an
n procure the necessary signatures to 2
n their names on the ticket and then r
= tire to the bosom of their families uni
a public appreciation of their virtues an
% abilities has elected them to fulfill the