The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-02-09
MAY NEGROES VOTE
IN THE WHITE PRIMARY?

The alleged letter of Pleasant Holt
published in Dixie brings to light
the unpleasant fact that there is no
provision in the new primary law to
prevent negroes from voting in dem
ocratic primaries.
The law is drawn to fit all parties,
consequently it does not name whites
nor negroes. Ever since the demo-
cratic primary has been in existence
it has been understood that it was
for white men only, and no negro has
ever thought OF trying to vote in it.
1t wouldn't be healthy for negro to
try to vote in the average country
community, but in the larger cities,
if the officers at the polls allow them
to do so, they may vote.
This fault may have been an over
sight of Senator Bryan in drawing
up the law. The state democratic
executive committee has not rectified
it. The Star believes it can do so if
it will. A party has a right, of
course, to prescribe who shall be
members Of it. The Star sees moth
ing in the law to prevent the state
the rule that only white men shall
vote in the primary of what it has
been definitely decided in a white
mans party Such a rule should be
backed up by the regulation that any
precinct in which negroes are allow
ed to vote should have it's vote
thrown out. If such a rule is not
passed, Marion and several other
counties in the state will be republi-
can in 1916-unless the democrats
resort to the old argument of the
shotgun, which they will be almost
sure to do.
Negroes who will vote in dem
ocratic primary are not good negroes.
Southern men all understand that it
is just as natural for a negro to be a
republican as it is for him to join
the church, and what is more than
that, they understand that a negro
who will vote the democrat ticket is
almost sure to he dishonest. A ne
gro may vote the republican ticket
for a mistaken sentiment, but he is
at least honest in it, and when he
votes the democratic ticket, unless
he votes for some particular reason,
| as personal goodwill for some white
man, he is almost always doing SO
for some base reason-generally a
bottle of whiskey or a two-dollar bill
There are many negroes, and some
white men, who will sell their votes
| If negroes are registering to vote in
| the white primary, they are of this
class. They are being hired to reg
lister and to vote in order to defeat
white men. If they vote in the gen
eral election at all, they will vote the
republican ticket-unless they are
hired again.
AS for the men who are inducing
them to vote, there is hardly Ian
guage bad enough to describe them
We all know what Southern people
thought of a carpet Dagger forty
years ago. A Southern born white
democrat, or a democrat who ha:
been in the South long enough to IN
derstand conditions here. who enlist!
negroes to vote against white men, i
worse than carpet-bagger coulC
possibly ever have been, or wors,
than a negro can be. He is a trait
or to his party and his section and
renegade to his race.
Dixie says that Pleasant Holt i
registering negroes to vote in tn
democratic primary in order TO he'll
re-elect Senator Fletcher. We hop
Mr.. Holt will be able to prove tha
he is not guilty of the offense. If
, is proven on him, it will elect Nj
Stockton, for in the country precin
cts democrats are not going to alloy
negroes to vote in the primary, la7
: or no law
| The Star does not know Nj
: Holt, nor how he stands in Duya
county. If he is connected with Ser
: ator Fletcher's campaign, he will d
: that gentleman more harm than goo
f in Marion. There is a general i'm