Litchfield enquirer., 1866-11-22
8litfbftis >Gaquirer.
Conn. Thursday, Nov 22, 1866
Impartial Suffrage.


 nal of the Northwest, and from the Boston Post, the chief Democratic journal of New England, advocating the. adoption by the of impartial suffrage as the 1aecessa- " and only final settlement of the negro question. Great influence has also been brought to bear Ion. the President by lead, ing men of all parties, Southern as well as Northern, to induce him to advocate that mode of construction in his next annual message. M We hope he may follow that ad- vice. The South seems to be even more bit terly opposed to the disqualifying section Of the Constitutional Amendments, than to Impartial suffrage; yet they must evi- dently either accept those amendments, i'm partial suffrage, or something they would consider worse .iI..s5
 Impartial Suffrage would enfranchise but few blacks, at present, and could conse- quently produce little immediate effect, good or evil. Even on the conservative theory itself, this measure could do no harm If every black must be able to read before becoming voter, conservatives are safe; for if, as they say, the race cannot bear civilization, it will remain ignorant as 1t now is, and gradually disappear without ever having, to any extent, exer- cised the elective franchise If, as we ex- pect, the race shall endure and become en- frightened, they will only participate in the government as they become fit to do so.
 So far are the views of the Union party above mere. selfish partisanship that we have no doubt we express the general Un- ion sentiment when we avow that we greatly prefer impartial suffrage and general amnes- ty, to the adoption of the Amendments as they now stand. We are,, nevertheless, we'll aware that by cutting down Southern repre- sentation and disfranchising the rebels,swe reduce the present strength of the Democrat ic organization. We are also aware that by the other mode ofreconstruction, of the Opposi- tion would be strengthened by at least thirty members in the House of Representatives, for perhaps asquarter of century. Yet, we are not without distrust of the former measure, because it is but compromise, a half measure, and we should always fear our national edifce might prove to have been reconstructed on the sand ; the latter is just to our mind, because it would be complete and final, and we should be sure our foundations were at last built upon a rock. t. ....a. -. ii If President Johnson has the sense to advocate a plan, which, with his influence South, might, we think, be practicable he would be undoing much of the damage he has done his country. We are not hope ful. ,J 'lJ ....l ..a. is... ..--. .t., ..r.
 .Besg- In attempting last week to answer our editorial of fortnight since, the Sen- tinel fails most conspicuously. He first at tacks our use of the word "semi-loyal" as fol- lows: u. q, !.-. ..,-... e,..
 ss'Then President Johnson commenced the work of reconstruction, upon plan IS it seems to us something more than liberal. Senll- Loyal Proyl-
 
 Johnson himself, or Hamilton, or Hahn? and is he ignorant that many of these sem-loyal Provisional Governors were tine appontees of Mir. Llncoln: The editor of the Enquirer is certainly guilty o1 rank treason in characterising ,era as 'sem1-loya
 ,4 We only speak of MT. Johnson's appoint, tments and not of aN those, and the Sentinel wanders off to the Lincoln administration and assumes that we have characterized all the Provisional Governors appointed du- ring Me ,car, as semi-loyal. The word seems to us applied with perfect propriety to most of MT. Johnsons appointees, who though opposing secession and do ubt- ing its success, yet adhered to their rebel ilious state governments and not to the Un- ion. To term such conduct hoyf.loyalty seems to us very liberal .,. ,..
 We further asserted that disbanded Con. federates elected Southern conventions, legislatures &c. The fact is of course un- disputed, but their right to the suffrage is thus, maintained: t. se ,.-. t4- {. .,'NF 5
 Perhaps he will tell us when and how they lost their right to exercise the elective franchise. Theil respective States had not disfranchised them; the federal government had not the power. ..r
 .4,We did not assert that they had lost that right, although man who has forfeited his life may well be considered as having for feited his vote. Would the Sentinel, even assert that Marylander of Lees army whe happened to be at home on furlough o1 parole, during the war, and before the adop Gon of their present constitution, would have had the right to vote at a Maryland election? t.s.E.. -.s az,
 What we will say, is, that no Southern State government can be legally organized without Congressional sanction, and that Congress has perfect right to refuse that sanction to government formed by men whose treason is undeniabls. We are nc great friend of the policy of disfranchise. ment; it is but temporary relief for the evil which only universal suffrage can cure Its legality no one can question. 4 ''s',. -Of the Bureau and the army the gentle man saysnI,E2 laeg igsaeG si. ..t.'
 Ii The Southern black would be better off to-day hundfed fold were every soldier and every Bureau officer removed from those States" z -,l--