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Show EITHER COUNT HIM OR DROP HIM. The Southern politicians are raising the outcry that the Republicans intend to pass another Force bill; and the Northern dishonest newspapers are echoing the cry, so that presently we shall hear of ignorant and foolish people peo-ple believing thev story. Of course, nothing of the sort Is in view. The Republican Re-publican platform merely calls on Congress Con-gress to Investigate what Is going on In the matter of depriving the negroes, as such, of the suffrage, under various pretenses. Possibly after the facts are formally reported a move would b made to put Into effect tho Constitutional Constitu-tional requirement that whenever any class of persons Is deprived of the suffrage, suf-frage, the representation of the State that makes such deprivation shall be cui down in the proportion that the "number of the disfranchised class bears to the total population of such State. So far from such a step being an aggression ag-gression upon the South, If taken, It would be simply a defensive measure to put an end to- the political advantage advant-age derived by the whites of the South from the suppressed vote. As It is now, the South suppresses the negro vote, and yet gets full representation on the negro enumeration. But If the negro Is not fit to vote he Is certainly not fit to be counted for representation, to add to the political strength of the whites who disfranchise him. Let the South do one thing or the other about the negro, ne-gro, either give him political rights or deny them to him, and wipe him off the political slate. It won't do to say he shall not vote, and yet be counted for representative purposes, with the effect ef-fect of giving the Southern white man twice as much representation In Congress Con-gress as the Northern white man. Tho South shouldn't put up a poor lip about thlsi It should act the manly part, choose Its course, and do the square thln. |
