Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-07-27


peace is settled the excitement in regard
to the abolition of slavery is at an end aside
from the question Of taxation there is little
to bc passed upon at the election except
the enfranchisomcht of the negroes. This
is now the all absorbing question of party
politics.
IT, is true that in this State, New Jersey,
and perhaps few others where the contest
is doubtful the Republicans have avoided
a direct issue on the negro cnfranchiscmcnt
question but while they have done so their
leading papers and politicians either advo-
cate negro suffrage or preserve their silence
in regard to it. A large majority Of the
Republican papers in this State come out
sauarely in favor of giving negroes the
ballot and an equality of political rights,
and not one expresses the least opposition
to this Infamous proposition.
While the platform of the Cox party is
drawn so that the friends of negro suffrage
construe it to favor their hobby, others
claim that it is noncommttal. If it does
not mean negro suffrage it means nothing
no other principle is even remotely sug
gested by it. While the platform is not all
the radicals would like to have, they are
satisfied the candidates make up for what it
lacks.
1t will be remembered that to give negroes
a vote in this state the constitution must be
changed. This can only be accomplished
by the friends of the measure securing a
sufficient majority in the legislature to sub
nit proposition for this purpose The
wire workers and leaders of the party can
manage to control county and district con-
vcntions so as to secure the nomination of
radicals wherever there is a probability of
their election
1t will surely not be claimed that the en-
iranchisemcnt of the negroes is necessary
to protect the liberties of the country. -
Then why do men insist on giving them a
vote? First, there are many fanatics, most
of them from the New England States, who
claim that whites and blacks are equal by
nature and should be possessed of an equal
ity of civil and political rights. And sec
ondly, many men are so anxious to pcrpetu-
ate their party ascendency that they would
enfranchiso the negro for the purpose of Sc
curing the influence of his vote-supposing,
of course, that negroes will vote with their
friends.
We know there are many of the rank and
file Of the Republican party who are un-
willing to be lowered to the degraded level
Of an equality with the negro race but it
remains to be seen whether they will be con-
trolled by party leaders or influenced by
party prejudice into voting for the very
measure they detest
The effort will be made in certain locali-
ties to keep the real issue out of sight
Democrats will be Denounced as Copper
heads, y ''rebcl sympathizers," "Butter-
NUTS etc. These names mean nothing-
prove nothing-serve no purpose but to
mark him who uses them blackg guard.
When the war is ended, what matter it
whether man was in favor of compromise
or war? When slavery is abolished, what
boots it whether man was pro- slavery or
abolitonist? These questions are settled
forever blotted out of the political text
book, and the new question of making ne
groes our equals at the ballot box, in the
jury in the halls of legislation and at
the family fireside is now presented to the
country. On this question men must take
sides They cannot vote at all without
voting either for or against it.