Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-11-23
TIE VIEW DE1rocBArrC noEE

I Grafton
TIE VIEW DEMOCRAELC RoEE.
Last week We venturei the opinion
that the sudden change of creed by the
/ Chicago Times was not a crazy jour
nalistio freak, bat the outcropping of
sentiments already entertained by large
numbers of leading Democrats. That
this theory is correct has been clearly
proven by subsequent developments.
Leading Democratic journals all oger
the country have followed in the wake
ofthe Times and pronounced for negro
/ suffrage as the only salvation for their
party. To be sure many of them kick
and writhe ike a spoiled child when
compelled to take a nauseous dose of
medicine, and some Of the more obdur-
ate absolutely refuse the remedy offer
ed. Nevertheless. the misfortunes of
/ the Democracy are so terrible and its
I necessities so greata to force a general
I confession from, its greatest Eseuia-
+ plans Of no remaining alternative but
to swallow this bitter draught or die.
The Boston Post, the leading Dem
f ocratic paper Of New England sudden
I ly discovers that it is not only In favor
of impartial suffrage now but always
was; it declares the measure wise just
and polite, and that if every State
would adopt It the result would prove
Its great security to the peace and pros
+ perity of the country. The Buffalo
/ Courier follows suit and prouoURees
for impartial suffrage not as a good
thing for the colored man particularly
+ but as a great revivifier of its party
The Cincinnati Volksfreund, the prin-
cipal German Democratic newspaper
in this State copies and endorses the
negro suffrage article Of the Chicago
i Times, and sthe Milwaukee News, the
organ of the Democracy in Wisconsin,
hopes it will be understood that it
is not opposed TO conferring the
franchise on negroes. or persons of
any color, race or sex provided they
have the requisite qualification of hon
esty, loyalty and Intelligence
The Springfield Mass Republican,
an able conservative journal, thinks
it is impossible in a representative
government long to disfranchIse half
the whites and all the blacks. and de-
clares itself in favor Of letting all OF
both colors vote, freely and fairly
The Washington Star, a leading cham
pion Of the Presidents policy, has
commenced urging upon the South the
adoption Of the Amendment, arguing
that its rejection will only secure
harsher terms But more astonishing
and significant than all is the approval
by the National Lntel5gencer, Presi-
dent Johnsou's organ, of the Impair
tial suffrage ideas of the Chicago
Times. The LntelHgeatcer has found
out that there can never be stable
i peace in this country until the coIored
race IS made entirely equal before
the law in regard to civil rights, and
thinks that after long aud injurious ag-
itation the South should spontaneous
ly do this. Following this announce
ment the telegraph informs US that
President johnson is about to offer
j general amnesty for universal suffrage
as a basis of reconstruction upon
which he viii invite all parties to
unite.
As has been already intimated, we
| regard these changes of Democratic
sentiment as a hopeful sign. It ought
to encourage all friends of truth aud
humanity that even the Democratic
party at last finds that its best policy
is to do right True, it favors impair
tial suffrage merely on the ground Of
expedieney and from the most selfish
and sordid motives, yet it is not fair
/ to expect a class Of meu who have
habitually discarded principle in poll
tics to be actuated all at once by lofty
and disinterested purposes. Let Us
accept as an encouraging index of ad-
vaneing civilization the fact that the
Democratic party is at length willing
to confer the most sacred right of a
freeman on the men it has enslaved.
A few years ago this same party did
the work of the blood hound in ar
resting the fugitive from most abiect
bondage, and hastened him back with
indecent alacrity to the chains and
lash of his Southern master. The day
has but just departed when Democrats
bought and sold black men at the
shambles, and traficked in them as
beasts of the field. The Democratic
Congressman yet lives who shamed
our Republican civilization by approx
ing reference in public debate to Vir-
ginia and Kentucky as negro breeding
States, and the Democratic Chief just
ice is just dead who gave his solemn
judicial opinion that the negro had no
rights the white man was bound to re-
spect. Democrats were compelled by
the exigeneies of war to submit to
the emancipation of these men, and by
i the firmness and determination of a
Republican Congress they were con
strained to allow them civil rights.
Let US now hail with joy their willing
ness to confer upon them the franchise
as a free and voluntary gift
Among the arrivals of Democratic
politicians in Washington appears the
name of VIM. p. REID of this place
The announcement creates consider
able speculation hereabouts as to
whether the gentleman named has
gone there to grind his own axe or
somebody elses. Since the people
have expressed a rather emphatic de-
sire not to have him serve them Col
REID, Is, according to precedent, en-
titled to an Executive appointment.
In view of this fact, and some others,