The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-03-12
THE WORLD AND HKoR0 suH-


THE WORLD. AND HEono sUH-
FA0s r. SIN. ]
The unprincipled but shazp-ishtsd Chi.
cago 7ymes had discsranent enough 70 strike
out on . new Democratic line Of action, and
End any hope for the Democracy In the fu.
tnrs in universal suffrage. tn argument
should be very clear 70 Democratic percep-
lions "Ths strength Of Democracy il in
popular ignorance; by permitting every body
TO vote the utmost possible amount Of igno-
rance In the State Is brought into politics and
the Democracy proportionasely strengthened;
ergo, the Democracy should be in favor Of
universal suffrage" Hence that party can
be in favor Of the measure from party consid-
erations We support it on the ground Of
justice; because il is the theory Of ourdemo>
cratic government, The New York World
10 the great Corypheus Of political evangel>
lists. 1t esssyed to teach the South Demo
cratic wisdom, during the war and with very
Indifferent success. Il has taken the South.
err brethren under its fostering discipline in
the matter Of negroes, and negro suffrage.
Since the passage of the Reconstruction Bill
the World accepts the situation a. gracefully
~ ii can. For the especial behoof and cody
instruction of ito late erring brethren it coun-
sells thus:
"In the interior Of the South, the negroes win
be brought into contact only with Conservative
influences, and their temporary iaabihy 10 read
readers fAer tnpervious 10 Radical appeals
through the prsss. This IL condition Of things
which ought TO Be improred rhiie u lcsss, BY such
kind treatment and educational helps ~ viii lead
them TO look to their White neighbors, instead Of
the distant Ysnkses, ~ their bensfactors. Vote
they will, underline new regipse, In any event IL
depends on the great body OF intelligent planters
whether the ballot in their hands shah prove sn
unmitigsted and intolerable curse, or harmless
means Of education and bond Of attachment to
ths communities In which they live, The regu-
lar election in Virginia takes place In Nay, only
two months henee, and the future tranquility OF
that influential State hinges upon the decision
which she may meanwhile make. In several OF
her counties, the negro population outnumber'
the White. Peace and order in those counties OBJ
viousy depend upon counting and controlling the
negro vote. To obtain from Political scticn under
such circumstances, weald be an infatuated rssig
nation to ruin. A workman must not quarrel with
his tools, when he can get no better. The less po-
ltical power the South possess, the more 1t be-
hooves them to make an effective use OF what lit
tie they have To win against odds by superior
skin 10 altogether better than dependency and
tame surrender. To prevent the negroes voting
under the new Law Is impossible. II win Be mort
polite and sagsoious 20 manage them than 10 out
vote them, although in most districts they can b
out-voted. But the blindest policy Of Ah woulC
be to stand still and do nothing, thus Radioalisini
the negroes, and thereby Africanising the South.
The frankness and honesty Of the Work
are, at least, refreshing. IL was very bitterl.
opposed TO negro suffrage until suffrage va
given them, and further opposition rendere'
nugstory, then j. changed its tactics, ant
with all its known and unknown sweetness
and fascinating wiles, politically goes for
the dusky knights Of the ballot The Wort
feels that next to their having no vote at all
it is desirable that the colored people shout,
vote the Democratic ticket. These can the
best be kept most nearly in the condition G
ignorance, degradation, servility and SLAYER
they, and the country, so long enjoyed unde
the blessednsss and high civilization Of Dem
ocrstic rule.
The righteousness of the World statemen
that Democratic expectation OF getting tn
negroes votes depends upon their "tempors
this is high and might
advantage to the Democracy, (which ough
20 be improved while it lasts, is very Lowell
and only equslled by the statements rare in
sight and truth. One might wonder that an
journalist would have the shamelessness t
aver thus publicly such crafty and Machiavel
Ian policy; 70 proclaim political code pro
fessedly founded in taking advantage of tn
ignorance Of Its victims, and 90 deceivin
them into the support of men and measures
which, but for ''their temporary inability I
read" they would spurn. Journalists, how
ever, who give their sympathies to treaso
and rebellion in war, should not be expeete
to have great regard for justice, or truth, o
honor, or manliness, in peace. The Forl
is excused.
But this counsel Of the World to the rebel
exhibits phase Of the dangers attendin
giving the ballot to the colored people Of til
South, which all Of US have thought o,
Free schools and free press must 20 wit
that ballot Text books and radical newspa
pers must 60 all over the South. With n
help out from the depths where slavery, sane
toned by Democracy, kept them, they ma
become the instruments of their own oppre.
sion. We confess we have not great fears o
this score, of the people that, in iguoranc
and slavery, learned so early and so muc
clearer than the whites. the true scope an
mission Of the war. The people that coul
not be deceived By the slaveocracy in wa,
are not doomed to very long political bono
age TO this slsveocracy now. Yet shout
they have every aid in being brought to Ii
light, in being taught to exercise the suffras
intelligeutly as becomes freemen.