The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-06-29
What the Press does claim.

The Argus asks, with very triumphant
air, il it is to understand that the Press is the
advocate of unrestricted suffage;" and ac-
cuses US Of great Inconsistency in asking the
ballot for the negro, when we have not seen
fit to demand 1t for the women, minors and
pauDers Of the free pRtive population" We
cannot pay so poor compliment tothe intel
ligence Of the argus as to suppose that it for
(. moment conceived the cases to be parallel
1t knows very we'll that the three classes of
persons which II has taken paius to enumerate,
II not invested with the privilege OF the bal
lot, are yet not without species OF represen-
tation, the perfection or imperfection of which
it does not belong to this question to discuss.
Moreover, society, in leaving these classes un-
der certain political disabilities, has in COM
pensation, not only released them from GER
tain public obligations, but has in an especlsl
manner charged itself with their support and
protection. We are not aware that it has
been proposed in any reconstructing Southern
State to do the same thing for the colored man.
AS we have never asked the right Of suffrage
for colored minors, women or paupers, we are
unable to see any likeness between the cases.
All we do ask is that the colored man sha Il
have the same opportunity for afording pro-
lection to his women, minors, and other help
less classes that the white man has.
The argus also declares that the true ques-
tion is not one Of suffrage or Of exclusion, but
that all the difficulty comes from the "radi-
cals' setting up despotic claim to decide a
matter which concerns the people Of the South
on-y, and Excepting the country in commotion'
therefor. We must again take exception to
our contemporaries statement of the point
We contend that this is not question. with
which the people of the South alone have to do.
1t is not sectional but national question.
one which 10 the most vital and essential man.
ner concerns the whole country In which we
live. In what manner soever it NAV be set.
tied, the whole nation Is involved in the con-
sequences lai See5s see sac X
The act of emancipation throws two fifths
OF the late slave population OF the South into
the Federal representation of those States. a
gain equal to 100000 persons. Add this to
to the "three-fifthsn hitherto allowed repre-
sentation under the constitution, and we have
no less than 100000 souls for whom the
white men OF the South, are under existing
. regulations entitled to carry votes mother
words, the political power withheld from the
Southern black is gained by the Southern
white, and gives him weight in Congression-
al aud Presidential elections three times as
great as that OF a voter in Northern State.
We hold that it is matter with which a
Northern voter has something to do, to see
that the single ballot of one Ignorant, arro-
giant, lazy Southern white, or thinly vanished
rebel, does not have power to neutralize the
votes of three Of the honest, earnest, patriotic
men Of the North, Any way, we apprehend
that the people of the North will insist on
having something to do with the question, the
Argus TO the contrary notwithstanding.