Omaha daily bee., 1921-11-22
Solid South and Hnrdins's Speech.

| '''" ''o"p' "u h"EuiIs SpeSNu.
North Platte. Neb., Nov. l9.--Tc
the Editor OF The Bee: Presiden,
Barding's speech In Birmingham
Ala. last month has brought forth
considerable discussion, as he advo'
Gated allowing colored people tc
vote.
1t is not surprising the southern
people generally object, for elections
! there are a farce, manipulated tt
give the south an unfair advantage
| over the states of the north. and the
southern people don't want to be
interfered with in this matter. They
want to be let alone on the race
question, and on all other questions
wherein they have special favors OF
advantages. The southern people
are just like lot of spoiled children
for they insist on having their own
way, unmolested. or they will set up
howl. They have been given the
advantage so long they are arrogant
and insolent.
From the time of adopting our ma
tional constitution they have de-
manded and received special favors.
At that time they considered colored
people as, chattels, like cattle and
mules, not as human beings. and re-
1used to agree to the national con-
stitution unless 1t provided that five
negroes should count the same as
three white people for representa-
ton in congress and for electors for
president. The basis of representa-
tive In congress at that time was
$4,000 white people for each con-
gresham, and for presidential cleo
tor. This method Of counting col
ored people gave the south con-
gressman for every $4,000 colored
people, and gave them presidential
eleCtor for the same number, the
colored people not being allowed to
vote, but were considered as chat
tells. The people Of the north did
not ask that a congressman and an
elector should be allowed for $4,000
OF their chattels, cattle, mules, etc.
This was humoring the southern
people-giving them an advantage
In order to form a government and
adopt constitution.
A few years later 1t became neces-
sary to agree upon the location of
the national capital, New York City
being the first capital, for ten years.
Many of the states had contracted
enormous debts in carrying on the
revolutionary war, and Alexander
Hamilton. as secretary Of the treas
ury, planned that the war debts
should be paid out OF the national
treasury; but the southern people
objected and said that each state
should pay its own war debt. This
was because very little fighting had
been done In the south. but mostly
In Pennsylvania, New England and
New York. 1t was only fair that
expenses of the war that secured the
national independence and made the
national government possible should
be paid by the nation as a whole.
The south held out against Hamil-
tons financial plan, but made a
proposition to allow the national
government to pay the war debts OF
the several states II the north would
allow the national capital to be To-
Gated in the south. The north had
to agree to this in order to get
proper settlement Of the war debts,
and the national capital was located
south of Mason and Dixon's line, on
the Potomac river. This was an
other case where the north yielded
to humor the south. ....
The south controlled the national
affairs through several administra-
tions with democratic presidents and
came to consider it as q sort of God
given right; but when Lincoln was
elected in 1850 they saw an end Of
their domination and decided to
withdraw from the union, just like
lot of spoiled children, who won't
play, unless they are allowed to
have their own way. They lost out in
their attempt to secede, and lost all
property rights in their slaves. That
was once when they were not
allowed to have their own way.
They did not think the north would
fight. but believed they would yield,
as they had always done before.
They wanted to be let alone with
their new government, the confed-
eracy.
After the slaves became free some
change must be made in the consti-
tuition relative to counting five coll
ored people the same as three white
people, and it was agreed with ap-
proVal of many southern senator's
and congressman that full repre-
sentation should be allowed for all
the colored people and they be
to vote. This gave the
south nearly twice as many con-
gressmen and nearly twice as many
electoral votes for president as they
had before on account of colored
people, and then the legislatures of
the various southern states passed
laws that disfranchised the colored
people, and now the southern states
have more than SO congressman and
more than so electoral votes for
president because the colored people
are there, and yet they do not allow
the colored people to vote. This is
unfair to the people of the north,
as well as unjust to the colored peo-
pie who live in the south.
The southern people object to any
reference to this election fraud, and
whenever anything is said about 1t
they set up howl just as they did
a few years ago when congress pro-
posed to adjust 1t, and the south set
up a cry, Force BILL" Force BILL"
to appeal to the sympathy Of the
public, just like lot of
babies.
Senator Harrison OF Mississippi
objects to the presidents suggestion !
that the colored people be allowed |
to vote, and the objection il due |
to the fact that there are so many |
colored people in Mississippi that |
Harrison would not be senator II |
the colored people were allowed to |
vote. Many other senators and con- |
5ressmen from the south are hold |
ing their office through the disfran-
of the eolored people, and |
they want the president to keep |
still.
Woodrow Wilson received more |
han so electoral votes that repre- |
'ented colored people who were not |
allowed to vote, and who would not |
have voted for him if they had |
roted, and he would not have been |
elected IL honest elections had been |
leld in the south. Neither Senator 1
nor Woodrow Wilson, nor /
anybody else, has a right to hold |
1ffice thus secured, and in doing so /
hey are no more honest than a man /
who receives and uses stolen goods. /
showing them to be stolen.
1t isn't any wonder southern ofi-