The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1867-08-31
The Negroes Status in the New
Constitutions.

Constitution.
The fundamental principle of the Copper.
head party of this State, if it can be said to
have any other primary principle than q
hunger and thirst for office, is its relentless
war on the negro. An examination of the
Constitution which that party has submitted
for ratification or rejection on the 18th of
September, next, will show where it has been
driven to on the question of negro suffrage
and citizenship, by the pressure and advance
of the age. The Constitution of 1864 ac
cords the privilege of the elective franchise
to phite male citizens, only, and denies the
right to the negro to testify in courts of jus
tce against white men. Our Democratic
Convention, which has given its labors to
the public, declares in that instrument, that
slavery shall not be rc-establshed in this
State, and that "the General Assembly
shall pass no law providing for payment of
slaves emancipated from servitudc in this
State - and that "no person shall be incom
potent as witness on account of race or
color, unless hereafter so declared by act Of
the General Assembly," Now, we are no
apologists of the existing Constitution and
its prescriptions of the colorcd people, but,
on the contrary, go for a thorough reform of
our fundamental law But let us point out
the halfway measures and Inconsistency OF
the rebel party on the negro question, by OK
aiming the work of their own hands more
closely. First, they declare that slavery
shall not be re-establishcd in the State
second, that the slaves cmancipatcd by the
act of the State shall not be paid for; and
third that negroes shall be placed on an
equality with whites as witnesses in courts
of law. Having yielded these three funda,
mental points, but one step was needed to
clothe the black man with all the rights OF
citizenship, that of the elective franchise. g.
After having virtually pronounced him cit.
izen, by according to him unreservcd priv.
lcge on the witness stand; and having en-,
phatcaly condemned slavery as political
and moral injustice, by declaring that it
should not be re.established in the State:
and pronounced slaves to have never been in
justice, property, by declaring that the Gen.
eral Assembly shall pass no law providing
for the payment, by the State for emanci.
pated slaves; after having gone this length
in clothing the negro with the rights ofman,
hood and citizenship, how can they stop
short, and deny him the fourth and GROWING
privilege, that of the elective franchise?
The copperhead party of Maryland, to be
true to its preaching and time honored prac-
tice, should have still denied the rights of
witness to the colored man; they should
have insisted on the payment for slaves by
the State, by whose act they were enamel
pated, and not by act Of the Federal Gov
eminent, as they insinuate in their new Con-
stitution; they should have placed no inh
bition on the Legislature re-establishing
slavery if the representatives of the people
SO chose.
But in conceding those three fundamental
points which the Republican party have been
so strenuously contending for, how can they
consistently longer continue the war upon the
| negro, and against the " Radicals" and seek
to deny him the ballot, while granting him
all the privileges Of citizen Of a republican
government that calls so loudly for the use
of the ballot to vitalze and maintain? To
ask the people to accept Constitution which
so palpably stultiiies, itself, and which, in a
short time, must go down before the demands
of eternal justice, is simply absurd. When
the demand for manhood suffrage comes up
from all parts Of the nation, why should the
people of this State go through the foolish
ceremony of adopting Constitution deny
ing to a fourth of the people Of the State
the exercise of q right which that Constitu
ton virtually declares they are entitled to
Every thinking man knows that the Consti-
tuition submitted for ratification on the 18th
of September, if ratified by rejecting the
votes Of onetourth of the people whom that
instrument acknowledges should be clothed
with every privilege OF citizenship, will
scarce commence to operate ill it will be
set aside as anti-republican. In the matter
of citizenship and suffrage, Inconsistency is
the grand pecnliarty of this last copperhead
offspring. With these absurdities, its attack
on the public schools, ard lis garing usur-
pations in representation, what fair minded
and intelligent man of this county can vote
for lis ratification