New-York tribune., 1866-04-30
COURAGE WAITED.

COURAGE WAITED.
No one who knows anything of the interior work
ngs of Congress can doubt that large majority of
both Houses are at heart anxious to establish unve-
sal suffrage The decisive votes by which each House
has affirmed the principle in egislating for the Dis
trict Of Coumba the open declarations in its favor
Of many members, from whom opposition was natur-
ally to have been expected; the known, though an
avowed sentiments OF others, and, above ALL the sig
nfcan fact that Senators who have been regarded as
special friends OF the Presidents policy have felt it
necessary to propose equal suffrage in some form as
measure Of oompromis, make it perfectly clear that
the Judgment Of Congress is decided in favor
of the measure. The testimony Of its irend< aud ts
enemies concrs upon this point II Is the burden ol
the charges made against Congress by the deyotces OF
the President. 1t is confirmed BY all the confidential
statements Of members and their friends. IL Is not at
all true that tie majority have insisted upon equal
suffrage as an indispensable condition of reconstruc-
tion or that this has been the ground Of the breach
between the executive and legislative departments;
but it ia true that most Of the Union members would
like to insist upon such terms if they Only felt that
they could safely do 30.
The truth of these remarks may be established bys
simple calculation As q matter OF course, all the
N5w England Senator'S except those from Connecti'
cut favor equal suffrage, that being the rule IN their
own States. In addition TO these (ten in number)
Senators Foster, Yates II. S. Lane, Kirkwood,
Grimes Pomeroy, Chandler Howard Ramsey Brown,
Henderson, Nyc Harris, Wade, and Howe, arc on
record in is favor, a. matter of principle, making
% ont Of 40 Senators a. TO whose views there is no
doubt Mcssrs. Stewart and James II. Lane have
introduced propositions in favor Of some such measure
as a necessary compromise. Messrs Conness, Trum-
bull aud Sherman understood to be favorable, aud
Mr. Morgan has supported a proposition for the
extension Of the franchise in his State. In short
out Of 80 Republican Senator'S only five are clearly
understood to bo opposed, on principle Cor INTEREST,"
to an extension Of the suffrage. similar analysis OF
the Lower House would show a similar result.
Why then, does Congress hesitate to give effect to
its convctionsl Why does it not declare plainly
that political as well as civil rights shall be equally
disribu,edl Partly because it doubts its power but
far more because it fears that the people of the North
will not sustain such policy. The defeat of that
policy last Fall in Connecticut Wisconsin and Min
nesota hangs like nightmare upon our legislators.
Remembering how recently Illinois and Indiana
voted by immense maontes to exclude coored peo-
pie from the commOnest rights Of humanity, and for
bade them even to enter those States they doubt the
possibility Of change great as TO induce their peo-
pie to tolerate equal suffrage. Let u.s. then, look this
difficulty squarely in the face, and determine how
much weight il ought to have in the minds of states
men, or even politicians.
And first, we beg to remind our Representatives
that the question which they need to decide is not
whether popular vote can be obtained in favor of
equal suffrage as an abstract proposition, but is simply
whether majority can be obtained for candidates
who personally favor and vote for that proposition
We assert that experience has repeatedly shown that
thousands of men whose preudices will not let them
vote for equal suffrage nevertheless vote cheeriuly
for men whom they know to be supporters of that
policy. In 1850, for example, tho proposition was
voted down in this State by 10000 majority, while
at the same time candidates universally known to be
in its favor received $1,000 majority. We do not know
O single Assemblyman who defeated upon this is
sue. great numbe.of members who had voted for the
proposition in the Legislature were candidates for re-
election, and nearly or quite all of them were re-
elected, while we never heard of one who lost ten
votes upon this account So in Illinois and Indiana:
Messrs Loyejoy and Julian, to whose views there
was not the slightest doubt, repeatedly elected
from districts which never could be got to vote for
equal suffrage directly. The same thing happened in
Wisconsin and Minnesota last fall and in Connecticut
this Spring. Gov. Hawlcy, it is true, ran some
what behind his ticket in the astnamed State; but he
was elected nevertheless, in State which gave 5000
majority against equal suffrage. Nor is there any
reason to believe that he lost many votes on h pare
ticular ground A Radical of Parson Brownlow's
stamp would hayo Jared no better-probably not o
well.
The elections last Fall are of minor impor nce
upon this question, for another re- o. 1t is well
known that many persons voted against equal suffrage
from the same motives which have made c.
hesitate to pass certain measures which 1t approg-s.
The Union party was very anxious last FALL to give
the President no excuse for brea with it, II vas
generally understood that vote for universal suffrage
in Northern State implied that the same rule ought