The Supreme Court came to the aid of the Democrats with decisions in 1875, 1882, and 1883 which drew the teeth from the Enforcement Laws, and Congress in 1894 repealed what was left of these regulations.
*See "The New South", by Holland Thompson (in "The Chronicles of America").
Under such discouraging conditions the voting strength of the Republicans rapidly melted away.

The party organization existed for the Federal offices only and was interested in keeping down the number of those who desired to be rewarded.

As a consequence, the leaders could work in harmony with those Democratic chiefs who were content with a "solid South" and local home rule.

The Negroes of the Black Belt, with less enthusiasm and hope, but with quite the same docility as in 1868, began to vote as the Democratic leaders directed.

This practice brought up in another form the question of "Negro government" and resulted in a demand from the people of the white counties that the Negro be put entirely out of politics.