Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-12-30
RIGHTS OF. The NEGRO
Republicans Far Less Liberal Than
Democrats.

Republicans Far Les Liberal Than
Democrats;
In a speech Of Few minutes on the
floor of the house last week, Hon. w.
F. Stevenson took OCCASION. to. tell the
Republicans the truth z. = to the politi-
cal treatment Of negroes, North and
South. His remarks, as published In
the Congressional Records. were as
follows:
Mr.. Stevenson. Mr.. Chairman, de-
sire to call attention for a minute to
the condition that exists up in the dis
trict Of the Chevalier de Ia Corona de
Italia, otherwise known as Mr.. George
Holden Tinkham, of'Afassachusctts. T
am sorry he is not shere. He classi7
fes himself as having the right to use
that distinguished title. he being the
handyman, I believe Of the king. of
italy. He also has been exceedingly
diligent in endeavoring to ,disfran-
chise good many of the Southern
states, including mine, because we,
have enforced proper legislation and
proper constitutional regulations as to
the ballot down there, and have hon
estly enforced them. In q Boston
paper published by eoiored people, call
ed the Chronicle. I find the following:
In ward 1S two celored men won the
election of the legislature, but they
were counted out. 1t lis even said with
some shadow of truth that this same
Republican leader used his negro pup
pets for this direfol purpose. They
took their cause y the Republican
legislature, but to no purpose, because
they had been framed by this same
Republican boss before the election.
George P. Taylor, an ostimable train
ed and clean man.. secured the ,nomin-
alton to the senate from the sixth Suf-
folk district, but be too was opposed
and defeated by these same subtle in
fluences. .a 80.
Are such things possible in Massa-
chusetts? We have been hearing from
Massachusetts, and other Northern
states the last SO years that the
Counting out" of negro candidates for
office was an offense confined to the
states lately in rebellion" but here
we have the direct accusation from
negro sources In the city Of Boston
that 1t is a Bostorian crime.
At least a third of century has
passed since charge was brought
that negro candidate for the legisla-
ture in South Carolina was counted
out" =. -.
Now, by referring to the Congress
sional Record, where we find, what Is
the title Of this distinguished gentle
man who desires to disfranchise the
South because they, properly enforce
constitutional regulations as to the
ballot, we find that the thirteenth ward
is in his district in the city of Boston.
We find that Suffolk county is also in
his district, and | want to know what
the chevalier Is, doing at home when
he is becoming so enthusiastic about
the suppression of the colored vote in
South Carolina. We will note that
this is not gang of Democrats that
Is doing this. The colored man who
edits this paper says it is a .Republi-
can boss who had it done. He can not
lay that on any combination between
Mr.. Gallivan and Mr. 1ague and
the Republicans, because it was a
Republican boss backed up by a Re
publican legislature that defeated the
rights Of those people. | have some
times heard it charged that there
might be an illicit combination be-
tween the Republican and Democratic
machines in the city of Boston, but
this is not a child of that unholy al
lance and that unholy combination.
Now, Mr.. Chairman, there is a
charge laid at the door of the gentle
man from Massachusetts (Mr. Tink-
ham). and it is laid at his door by the
people whom he claims to befriend
each day that he comes here. He
never appears here except when he
wants to say something about that.
Now, since the 1st day of January,
1896, there has been q regulation in
my state by a constitutional enactment
whereby a man must be able to read
the constitution or he must have $500
worth of property on the tax books, or
he can not register and he can not
vote. That provision has been en-
forced to the letter, and no colored
mans vote has been thrown out be-
cause he was n colored man, or for any
other reason. whenever he was able to
qualify under that provision, but he
has been allowed to vote and his vote
has been counted honestly. In one of
the counties of that state after that
went into effect there were as many
colored people qualified to vote as
there were white people and what did
we do? We did not count them out,