The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1867-01-04
Negro Suffrage in Ohio.

Negro Suffrage i'm Ohio.
The Coppelheads at recent
meeting in Columbus, held for the
purpose of appointing delegates from
Franklin county to the Sth of J9nu.
ary Convention, passed the FOLLOWING
preamble aud resolutions
WHEREAS, The large majority Of
the members of Congress from the
State of Ohio have indicated great
anxiety to force negro suffrage upon
communities and States, the citizens
of which have no voice in their elec.
ton therefore to test the question
as to whether the white people of
Ohio are in favor Of negro suffrage,
Resolred, That, in the opinion OF
this Convention, the Democratic
State Convention Of Ohio, assembling
on the Sth proximo, should adopt
a resolution requesting the Lcgisla-
ture of Ohio to submit TO the people
at the next annual election the ques
tion of striking the word "whitc'
from the Constitutions Cf Ohio, in
order that there may no longer he II
doubt as 10 how the people of Ohio
are affected upon the proposition OF
negro voting we declaring that we
will hereafter, rs heretofore, always
oppose the proposition at the polls.
Coming, rs the above does, from
the Capital of the State, it is some.
what indicative of the course of the
Coppcrhead party during the Fall
campaign of 1867. AS the Union
party has a large working majority
in the Legislature OF the State, it is
the intention to have it, by request,
pass bill submitting to the people
whether or not they are willing to
grant the negro the right of suffrage,
and then go before the people with
the plea that the Union party is the
/" nigger" party, friends of negro
equality, in favor of intcrmarrying
with negroes, and all the exploded
frights which they have used for a
number of years.
We should suppose that the lead
crs Of the Copperhead Democracy
had been asleep during the past sew
en- years. That game might have
won in 1859 60-but since then the
world has been moving to some pur
pose. The prejudice and fear Of the
negro is done away with and all good
men fear not 10 give him chance.
The people have been educated by
the fearful horrors of the war and the
foolish hackneyed cry Of the Copper
heads against the negro falls to the
ground unnoticcd, except by n sneer.
If the Copperheads see fit to take
the course as indicated in the above
resolution and get bill passed
striking from the Constitution the
word Z" white" they may rest assur-
red that the majority of the Union
party will not be lessened one thous-
and votes--anl those votes will be
those that properly belong to them.
The Copperheads in Ohio differ
somewhat from those in other States.
In Illinois the leaders appreciate the
situation and have taken d" the bull
by the horns" and declared tor negro
suffrage. In New York City, the
place where in 1868 negroes were
murdered and burned out by Demo
cratic mobs, the leaders of the party
IN question are agitating the adoption
of the same line of policy.
If such course will be beneficial
to that party and save its life in
places like the above, where ignor-
ant prejudice is the ruling power,
would it not have the same effect in
OHIO or do the Copperhead leaders
mean to declare that the members of
their party areless enlightened. more
prejudiced or cowardly than in either
of the places mentioned?
The day for appealing to prejudi
&C or fear against the negro is
past-it will not return till schools
are abolished and the press OF the
country is destroyed.
The Copperhead party should
drop politics and pray for the return
Of such dark age--then there will
be some chance for success.
The Congressional party, which
has been spending the holidays on
a trip through portion Of the South,
Il. l..