The Political Allegiance of the Black Voter in 1892
In an era of rising racial violence and disenfranchisement, H.R. Carroll makes an impassioned case for why the Republican Party remained the only viable choice for Black citizens.
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Amidst political upheaval, the question arises: where does the Afro-American stand? We have grievances—grave ones. The Prohibition party is hopelessly in the minority. The People's party claims to be the salvation of labor, yet their trade unions strictly prohibit colored men from joining, effectively shutting them out of skilled labor. This party is nothing more than a tail on the Democratic kite. The Democratic party is the real lion in his lair, a party of treason, corruption, and debauchery, whose hands are red with murder to hold power. Throughout the South, the shotgun, the rope, and the burning-stake are used to keep the Negro in subjection. I appeal to my colored brethren to remain loyal to that grand old party whose first corner stone was freedom—the party that gave us Lincoln and Grant.
“Is there a man through whose veins courses a drop of American blood that can vote for a party with such a record practiced on his fellow-men?”
This editorial captures the intense political realignment following Reconstruction. The author's critique of labor union exclusion and the use of 'Judge Lynch' to maintain white supremacy provides a raw, harrowing window into the structural violence faced by Black Americans in the late 19th century.
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