The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-06-16
Nsgrs suffrage.


There are many well-meaning men il
the Republican party who believe in ne.
gro suffrage, yet admit the force of the
constitutional objection to forcing it upor
the States, but who seem, nevertheless
ioelined to justify bold stretch Of su
thority to this end, beoause they thini
that if it is not done in the process Of re.
construction, the negroes will never have
the right of suffrage ct all. If these mer
could see any reasonable likelihood OF the
elective franchise being bestowed on the
blacks By the States themselves, they
~ould Be quite reconciled to forego any
present agitation Of the subject. We
propose 70 show them that negro suffrage
BY State action is highly probable
We educate our children in good
schools and train them for political life
until they are twenty one, before We allow
them to vote; We require intelligent,
adult immigrants, who come to this couu-
try imbued with republican PROPOSES
sions, to reside here FIVE years before ad-
mittiDg them to political rights. The
freed ssgross have neither the education
We bestow upon our native born children,
nor the general aptitude and iotslligence
of our immigrant population and they
need, even more than the latter, the ben
eft Of period Of probation before ad-
mission to the right of suffrage. II
slavery il 90 bsd an institution n we all
believe 1t, il must have exerted degrad-
ing influence upon its victims. 1t remains
to be seen how far this degradation oil
character may operate .. di.quali6 G cation
Tor useful citizenship, when, withou,
preparation, the chains sre 30 suddenly
struck of. Even if the Federal G overn
ment had complete power over the sub-
ject, It would be better that il should enter
aPon % great "a expsrimest with csusiop;
that it should see how the negroes be.
haved IS freemen. before making them
voters. Mr.. Chase himself virtually cd
mit.ed. in his speech in the Atricau
Church st Charleston, that if the nsgroes
should turn out to be lazy and thrjftiess
they would deserve DO political privileges
Tue way negro suffrage may ulti patel,
come about is this: During the agila.
tion Of the question several Of the Hepub
liean States in the North will admit ne
groes to the ballot-box. The imp puden,
Inconsistency of trying to force negro
suffrage upon the South while rejecting
it themselves. is too glaring, and they
win feel compelled to remove it, III ne
groes set any value on the privilege they
are free to 60 where they please, 40 viii
remove to States where they are mos.
favored If they are desirable cit zens,
whose industry contributes to the g4neral
wealth. this is good way to attract Them.
Our Western States have, in this way,
bid against each other for Immigrants, in
many cases making them voters before
they are naturalized.
Suppose Ohio to allow negro suffrage
and Kentucky not. The Kentucky blacks,
finding climate equally genial, a soil
equally fertile, wages perhaps better, and
full political equality in Ohio, would
cross the river and settle in new homes.
II the freedmen actually turn out to be
thriftless vagabonds and vsgrants. this
will be good riddance for Kentucky and
a bad bargain for Ohio. But if, as we
must all hope, the freedmen make frugal
and industrious citizens. Kentucky, when
she finds herself drained of her iaboring
population, will be compelled, in protec
too of her interests, to offer them as
great inducements to stay as Ohio offers
them to 60. The agriculture of Kentuck !
must fall into decsy without latorers to
cultivate her coil, and in the competition
between the two sides of the river she
will be obliged to offer equal advantages.
Negro suffrage in Kentucky would. in
ike manner, compel the adoption Of ne
gro suffrage in the adjoining States o:
Virginia and Tennessee. And, in this
manner il the negroes prove to be valua
Bile citisens, they will aoqaire full politi-
cal equality in oil the States where they
are needed in large numbers = laborers.
Is they do NOT prove to be valuable citi
zens, the Northern negro suffrage State.
can setract and put stop to the expert.
ment before the influx of blacks puts thai,
white citizens under the contsol Of ne.
gro majori.y.-[New York World.