sion at nearly every election. The sad feature of this is, that
it prevents the presentation before the masses of the people of matters
pertaining to local and state improvement, and to great national issues
like finance, tariff, or foreign policies. It prevents the masses from
receiving the broad and helpful education which every political campaign
should furnish, and, what is equally unfortunate, it prevents the youth
from seeing and hearing on the platform the great political leaders of
the two national parties. During a national campaign few of the great
Democratic leaders debate national questions in the South, because it
is felt that the old antagonism to the Negro politically will keep the
South voting one way. Few of the great Republican leaders appear on
Southern platforms, because they feel that nothing will be gained.

One of the saddest instances of this situation that has come within my
knowledge occurred some years ago in a certain Southern state where a
white friend of mine was making the race for Congress on the Democratic
ticket in a district that was overwhelmingly Democratic. I speak of this
man as my friend, because there was no personal favor in reason which
he would have refused me. He was equally friendly to the race, and was
generous in giving for its education, and in helping individuals to
buy land. His campaign took him into one of the "white" counties, where
there were few colored people, and where the whites were unusually
ignorant. I was surprised one morning to read in the daily papers of a
bitter attack he had made on the Negro while speaking in this county.
The next time I saw him I informed him of my surprise. He replied that
he was ashamed of what he had said, and that he did not himself believe
much that he had stated, but gave as a reason for his action that he had
found himself before an audience which had heard little for thirty years
in the way of political discussion that did not bear upon the Negro, and
that he therefore knew it was almost impossible to interest them in any
other subject.

But this is somewhat aside from my purpose, which is, I repeat, to make
plain that in all political matters there was for years after the war
no meeting ground of agreement for the two races, or for the North and
South. Upon the question of the Negro's civil rights, as embodied in
what was called the Civil Rights Bill, there was almost the same sharp
line of division between the races, and, in