Republicans Could Learn From Their Own President, Lutherford B. Hayes

In 1879, Democrats were segregationists and Republicans forward looking integrationists. Southern Democrats had put themselves in powerful positions and spoke for the Party.

Democrats were mad because they had lost the recent Presidential election and progressive Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was President. They were resolved to see to it black people were restricted from voting. They passed a law the place harsh penalties on any state or local official who did not exercise restrictions on  allowed black people to voting.

Republicans at the time were intimidated by Democrats and assumed this law would be passed and signed by the President. If not, Democrats would override any veto and that would be that. Those who wanted black people to be voters would learn who had the power.

But, Republican Hayes turned out to be a formidable adversary to Democrat segregationists. He promised to place National Guard troops at polling stations and to veto any bill advancing or maintaining segregation including voting rights of black people. He vetoed the Democrat's bill six times. This strengthened the back bones of Republicans and they gathered political steam to challenge Democrats. 

Democrats were so stunned at the failure of their brinksmanship they knew the Southern game was soon over. They began to redefine themselves as a party of the northern industrial states and would eventually leave behind the electoral college votes of the South to Republicans. 

There seems a remarkable similarity between the miscalculation of Democrats in 1879 and Republican's efforts to limit votes today of black people in several states. Back in 1879 Democrats said, "We're not against Negro votes. We just think states should have the right to set their own voting rules." When I compare that to what Republicans are saying today, "We just want to eliminate dishonest voting (when there is none worth noting)" it sounds identical. In 1879 the public in general wanted equal opportunity for black and white people to vote. Today polls show the public is against the trick Republicans are trying in their efforts to reduce the number of black voters. Black voters, we all know, vote strongly for Democrats. 

The question is whether Republicans will find their cocky brinksmanship backfires like that of Democrats in 1879. Eventually, we will find out.

[I'm indebted to the blog of Professor Heather Cox Richardson for the material in this piece.]