Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-12-14


81. ". gsuCuARDSON. r:disor.
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FRIDAY EVENING. DEC ~
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The De0ocratic Party n"d Srs'
partial fs~iirage.
One Of the prouiest boasts Of tho dcmc-
cratic party is its antiquity. The principles
which rest at its foundation were aeterior
10 the government were cocval with civil
za,ion For they are the assertion OF the
inacnable rights OF man against kingly
provocative. The earliest development
may b. traced in those ancient Saxon con
ss.u:ors, born Of the spirit Of freedom,
and fastened By the genius Of the great Al
fred into body oflaws Of such wondross \
excellence that since their ovcrthsos' BY shs
Norman conqassors the ssragsle Of suc>
ceeding generations has been, not to inau-
gurate new theories, but TO restore tho old
liberties Of the people. For thousand
years. this struggic for popular liberty. on
tho one hand. against dcspotc power on the
other-ths contest Of democracy against
arlstocrscy,-hss proceeded. Whatever IN
that struggle has wrcnched prerogativc
from power has restored, not granted, fran
chscs whereo: tho people had been unjussly
deprived. Magma charta. habeas corpus,
the abolition Of Federal slavery. were but
important steps in tho gradual reclamation
r stvbfn Aha
foundation OF all which, under the ancient
Gothic constitutions, was the right Of every
man 10 be governed upon basis Of equality
with every other man through his own as
sent-the democratic right Of Impartial
outrage.
Tic separation Of the American colonies
from the British crown gave 10 this rcstora-
ton Of popular liberty an impetus on this
side Of the Atlantic which Il has not yet
attained on tho other. II cut of at one
blow every remaining prcrogative which
dcspotsm planted on the Island Of Great
Britain. II brought tho people Of America
at once TO the broad basis Of thoes funda>
mental truths which their Saxon ancestors
had recognized ~~d proclaimed. II 10 .
most remarkable fact that the principles Of
government cnunciated in the declaration Of
American independence arc Identical with
those upon which the earliest nationality Of
our race was.founded more than thousand
years ago. Those principles wero the
foundation and have been the life Of the
democratic party.
The earliest division Of the people Of
this country into political parties took place
in reference to the structure Of the govern
mcnt ITSELF II was the old division-ths
old contest between liberty and prsroga.
tive. Fortunately Cor their de scendants
the friends Of liberty triumphed, although
the triumph involved concessions and com
promises which are MOI sysn yet altogether
done away.
The grand democratic principle which
was tic recognized foundation Of the gov
ernmcnt was the absolute right Of every in
dividual who contributed to the support o
the government to have voice in the gov,
eminent. NO taxation without reprcsen
tAtion" was not On idle sentiment; it Val
aprinciple held vital by every man oh,
denied the right Of kings 10 rule America
We find it, therefore, recognized and affirm
cd in the organic law Of every one of III
sixteen states which entered originally I'M,
the formation Of the governncnA cxcept,n
only the state oC South Carolina.
The democratic principle Of impartiu
suffrage was affirmed in tho constitution
Maryland in the following words:
"That the right in tho people to partic
ipatc in the leg stature is the best sccurt
Of liberty and the foundation OF All fr,
government; for this purpose election
to be free, and every man having propcrt,
in, common interest with, and an attach
ment 70, the community. ought TO have
right u suffrage"
In Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, We
mont, NeH Hampshire, the same princip
was affirmed, in almost tho same words.
In two or three Of tho States, il was slisl
guagc Of the constitution was:
THAT the people Of this state ought n
10 be taxed, or made subject to the "a,
mcnt Of any inposs or duty, without ii
consent Of themselves. or their represent
tivcs in general assembly, freely given"
In every one Of tho States, even Sou
Carolina, it was recognized % . ftinda,nc
tai principle that there shonld be mo tax
ton without representation" The propc
" qualification Vas established In eve
State. but Il was made uniform and imps
tial I'm all but Onc) ~ respects difIers
classes or races Of persons. There was
distinction on account Of color. The wo
white" Is not found in any Of the constitv
tons, save only 10 ehst Of South Carolin
In every other State, negroes who possess
the qualifications that wsrs required .',n
partially" Of all men, were admitted 20 yo
in the Southern as well a. in the Noethe,
States. And. moreover. they voted n
Democratic ticket, for it Was the Dcmocsa
ic party Of that day which affirmed the
right IN this rcspccs upon IN impartial bas
with white men. All Domocrats ON NO
even at this day, have forgotten the Stat,
mcnt Of General Jackson that h. wss sun
ported for the presidency By negro votss /
uhS ss-ta or Tennessee
How did It happen that the oualifieofiou
which admitted negroes to the rieht e. ~
fragc come TO be changsdp W6ae woe
which caused the Democratic party . ahou
don the broad platform Of impartial sufFtae,
upon which IL originally stood, and % ados
- public appearance ct least. an sttitud
favorinG partial suffragci
The answcr u iurniahsd By history:
was the agitation Of the slavery qucs .io
by northern abcliti0uisls. Tha resulatio
OF the suiFfage was matter which belon,
Gil to the States. The federal eovernme,
had no power over it; no right to inscrfe,
with II N any way. So, likewise, Of the !,
st'tution Of slavery. But northern abol
ticnists resolved 70 have something 70
with il. The only way open to them ",
agitation in the press, tho forum. and Il
pulpit, and persistent effort TO force IN
agitation into the halls Of congress- and n
the slave States. With the ballot in Il
hands Of negroes. the slave Sttes readi
perceived that m auxiliary Of the northe,
ant-slavery agitation might exist in the
own midst. Accordingly they proceeded,
the exercise Of IN undou btcd state RICH
to prohibit the negro from the balot-box.
The an'i-slavesy agitation made its fir
appearance in politics in the famous centr,
versy IN lsls-2o But one Of the states /
which impartial suffrage existed had, pria
e that time, inserted the word "whits" i
ITS constitution-the Stale OF Kentucky