The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-08-03

The Daily Ne,cs has given, within the
/ past few days, some indications of change
of heart ON the question of negro suffrage.
and yesterday, in a forcibIe and wen writ
ten argument, avows its thorough conver-
sion TO that doctrine. The wonder is that.
seeing the truth so clearly as it now does.
it should have ever doubted. For the faith
that is i'm it it finds q reason, not i'm any
particular sympathy for the emaneipated
slave, or any special desire to right a wrong
ed race, but in the broad democratic prin-
| ciple that in republic the rights of citi-
| zenshipinhere in the citizen, and that when
the black man ceased to be slave and be-
came citizen. the elective franchise be-
longs to him by natural right. subject only
to regulation by the State. This is sound
doctrine. though it will probably take the
habitual readers of The Ne,rs bv surprise
who have been educated in the belief that
black man has no rights that q white
man is bound to respect. Nor will it hard
ly less surprise. as it ought to put to shame.
some other journals which, while pretend
ing to much higher political standard
than that of The Nens, are thus shown to
be possessed of not a tithe of its honesty,
and equally wanting i'm its political sagac-
ity. The war has brought many strange
things to pass, ann 6t the least strange is
this of an ultra Democratic paper. the per-
sistent advocate, from the beginning of the
Rebel cause, thus boldly upholding the ex-
treme result of the emancipation problem,
which timid and time serving Republican
ipllrna1c aifhar Foo 10,
pose. 1t may be one Of those changes of
base which The Ne,cs has learned from the
Rebel tactics in war, and which, under
some of the Union Generals, were, unhap-
PLY, too often successful. 1t is flank
movement which we shall be very glad to
see succeed, though it shall set some of our
friends to ''skedaddling" for change of
front.
We may safely, we presume, accept the
article in The Ne'rs as proof, at least, that
it believes that the Southern people them
selves will acknowlede that the blacks are
entitled to the right of suffrage. fit is
right in this, who doubts that this is the
wisest and best settlement of the question?
They accept itsays, emancipation. and "are
by no means reluctant to conform their
methods of State polity to the changed con-
dition ofpublic affairs.' If this be true we
may safely leave to the test of time the re-
suit of that change, and accept what the
future may bring forth in politics with the
addition ofsome half million of voters to
the Southern vote. The Ne,rs NAV be
right or il may be wrong as TO the power
that vote may give to the Southern interest.
The extension of the suffrage is right at any
rate and we cheerfully abide the ISSUE
awe could MENTION" says that paper,
''more than fifty leading men i'm the South
ern States who seriously consider this the |
day and hour when the preservation and |
stability ofSouthern interests impel them
to return them on this subject to the an
cient polity of the early Southern states
man." We are most heartily glad to hear |
it, and if anybody can speak with author
ity on this point it is The Ne,cs, which has !
been for four years past in heartier SYM
leading Southern men than any other Jour-
nal or individual north of Mason and Dix
on's Line. That the article should have
been written Mt all, is pretty good evidence
that it was written by authority: and if
this shall prove true, the fact itself will be
accepted by the Northern people as fruit
meet for repentance and MS better expia-
tion for the crime of treason than the hang
ing Of thousand rebels.
The Times Washington correspondent