The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-13
THE NEW YORK PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THE LEADING JOURNALS
Upon CURRENT ToPICs-COMP1LED EVERY
DAY FOR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
Equal sunrago UnIvorsNl.

I n
md his white neighbors but he has had wis
lom enough to comprehend the situation of
his section of the country, and the folly of
useless resistance to the will of the victorious
North. His efforts to secure justice for the
oolored people in the courts Of his State have
beep earnest, though fruitless before the pas
sage of the "Sherman bill" He discened
very clearly that the constant denial of simple
instice under the existing law was certain to
lead to changes in the mode of government
rnpalatable to his people. But he could not
make them see it; and now that their own
folly and perverseness have brought upon them
1be evil las they deem it) of universal suf-
frage Governor Orr sensibly advises them
to make the best OF it. lie accepts the
law it good faith declines to join in any at
tempt to overthrow it in the courts, and urges
the whole people to act under 1T.
Further evidence of the Governors common
sense is contained in his anticipations of the
tendency of the colOred vote. He puts no
faith in the prediction that the new electors
will be controlled by personal influences (in
other words, by their masters), and expresses
his belief that, like other men, they will be
guided by what they believe to be their in
ferest. Their real interests, he justly says,
are identical with those of their white neigh
bors. How strange that one wise enough to
see this now should not have seen at an earlier
day that the converse of the proposition was
always equally true
On the very day that the Provisional Gov
ernor of South Carolina thus avowed his sub
mission to universal suffrage, the news had
reached him that Connecticut had voted
against it. The impression produced upon
him may be inferred from his sarcastic COM
ments upon the refusal of New Jersey, Ohio,
and Michigan to admit colored men to the
right of suffrage The Legislature of Ohio has
reversed its action; but of this Governor Orr
was not aware. The people of Michigan have
Just elected a convention which will undoubt-
edly correct the error of that State. But the
main point of the criticism is unaffected by
these circumstances, since the fact remains
that in a majority of the Northern States
negroes are still excluded from the polls.
South Carolina, though sorely against the
will of her white population, is henceforth
under more equal system of government
than Connecticut.
The inconsistency of the North in excluding
the negro from its own ballot-boxes while
forcing his vote upon the South is not quite
SO glaring as its critics assume, and, in any
case, is imputable only to small portion of
its people. A large majority of the Republi-
cans in every State favor equal suffrage every
where, while the whole Democratic party is
as much opposed to enacting it for the South
as for the North. The only inconsistent per-
sons are the one or two hundred thousand
Republicans who have helped to impose
universal suffrage upon the South, while OPP
posing it in their own States. This inconsis-
1ency is more apparent than real, since there
are obvious reasons for deeming equal suffrage
more essential to a republican government
where the majority would without it be ex-
cluded from political influence, than in States
where the exclusion does not affect one per
cent. of the population. So it is easy to see
that universal suffrage may be necessary to
keep South Carolina in the Union, while
scarcely any restriction of the suffrage would
affect the loyalty of New York or Indiana.
We do not care, however, to dwell upon this
argument, since we are fully convinced that 1t
amounts to nothing more than an excuse for
a policy essentially unwise. As an answer to
the complaints of Southern men, 1t is sutti
cient; but we should be ashamed to use 1t as
an answer to the demands of the disfranchised
race, or as vndicaton of Northern justice
towards them. 1t is far worse to deny justice
TO half the people of a State than to do so to
one-tenth of them but, after all, the exclusion
of even one man in a thousand from his ma
tural rights is inexcusable.
The logical and inevitable result of the
change at the South is to extend the same
rule of equality over the whole country, and
the sooner it is done the better it will be for
all classes, sections, and races. Whenever the
Southern States are reOrganized upon the new
basis, they will be perfectly willing to ioin in
making equal suffrage universal throuohout
the Union. If they are controlled by those
who approve of the principles upon which
they have been reorganized, they would of
course vote for an extension of the same I1lle
to other States; and If they are controlled bv
the opposite class of politicians, they would
vote in the same way from motives of revenge.
We look, therefore, with confidence for an
early amendment of the national Constitution
prohibiting determinations against color in re.
Spect of political rights. The opinion of SOME
Senators that the last amendment includes
such prohibition, is entitled to consideration
but in view of the unquestonable fact that il
was not so understood by the people when 4
was submitted to them, stands in the way o
such q construction. The controversy sh0ul,
be settled beyond all doubt, and the existin,
Legislatures of the North, with those to b
elected at the South, will readily endorse an,
amendment on this subject that may be pro
posed by Congress.
The faulty of the Democratic party is 50 in
tense that we cannot reasonably expect it t
join in this the only possible final adjustmeI
of our national troubles, although it woul
evidently open the way to new political issues
and thus give that party better chance Il
success. II by any means of resistance left
them the Democrats could prevent the esti
blshment OF equal suffrage at the South,
might be worth their while to resist 1t at I'll
North; put when they cannot save Mississippi
from the votes OF $4,000 negroes it become
1udierous to see their strenuous opposition
the admission of 1000 in Ohio. Ii certainl
seems hopeless to expect any good from
party so welded to obsolete theories of OF
preston.