Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-09-24
from the New York Herald of Friday.7

GFrom the New York Herald of Friday.1
NEGRO SUFFRAGE IN OHIo-THE MAIN QUEs-
TON WITH MIR. CHASE, AND THE PkoBA-
BILE RESULT.
The political camBaign in Ohio, in view
of the coming October election, is becom-
ing very lively and intensely interesting.
FROM our observing correspondence in that
field, and from the discussion of the party
press on both sides throughout the State,
it is abundantly manifest that, while the
Republicans are considerably frightened,
the democrats are highly elated with the
prospect before them.
Chief Justice Chase, we conclude, shares
in the apprehensiOns of his followers; for
it appears that he is Ell route to Ohio. and
will remain there till after the election
And why not, when his interest in the re-
suit is greater than that of any other of
our aspiring and scbeming politicians? He
holds now the whip hand of his party for
the Presidential succession; but it his own
State, with its Republican majority of
some forty-three thousand last year, is
turned against him. he must be withdrawn,
as horse too badly crippled to be entered
for the Presidential sweepstakes. Natur-
ally enough, therefore, MIR. Chase goes to
Ohio to do his best to save himself in la
boring to save his party in this impending
October election. Doubtless he has not
only been thoughtfully calculating the
bearings of the late California and Maine
elections, but has had a call from his
friends to come up to the rescue against
the threatening hosts of the Pnilistines, the
Moabites, the Amalekites and the Egyp-
tians-a truly alarming coalition of hostile
forces.
The issue OF the great constitutional
amendment, upon which the republicans
last year swept the North as by whirl-
wind, has been cast aside by Congress and
the party. and the new national issue has
been substituted of universal negro suf-
frage, with all the dangerous consequences
which must surely follow the experiment
of negro supremacy in the rebel States.
Various side issues have also sprung up,
including some financial propositions look
ing to the overthrow of Mr.. Chase's slip
shod, unjust, oppressive and corrupting
paper money system. and embracing, too,
some hostile movements within the republic
can lines against those Puritanical liquor
laws which interdiet the dispensing oflager
beer on Sunday. The democrats of Ohio,
upon this Sunday lager question alone, eX-
pect German reinforcements in this fight
to the number of thirty thousand; aud
from the vote of this city in our last No
vember election, involving this lager beer
Interpolation, we should not be surprised
at similar manifestation in Ohio.
But the main question upon which the
political fortunes cf Mr.. Chase are now de-
which is distinctly before the people of
Ohio in the shape of an amendment to the
State Constitution. This may be set down,
together with his paper money system, as
his whole political capital-a capital stock
of formidable strength. But powerful as
is the political machinery he may control
through The agencies of his financial sys-
ten, especially his national banks, Mr..
Chase must succeed in Ohio upon this main
issue of negro suffrage, or his Presidential
programme will fall to the ground. There
are, we believe, only some eight or ten
thousand negroes in the State who will be
affected by this proposed extension of the
suffrage to their race on a footing of equal
ty; but the general principle involved. and
the consequences to which it may lead in
our political affairs, have awakened sIch a
widespread and active opposition that the
result in Ohio may at least be considered as
extremely doubtful.
1t is generally conceded that If the Re-
publicans carry the State on their candi-
date for Governor. General Hayes, it will
be by greatly reduced majority; but the
election OF Hayes will not save the Chief
Justice. On the separate proposition of
negro equality in the matter of suffrage
his fate as a Presidential candidate de-
pends. The impression seems to prevail,
however, that this proposition will be re-
jected by the people of Ohio. and by de-
cided majority against it. like that in Con-
nectiout two years ago. If it shall so turn
out in the model Radical State of Ohio, then
we may say that not only may Mr.. Chase
be considered as thrown out of the Presi-
dental fight, but Congress will be fairly
warned to choose between return to the
Constitutional Amendment, which it has
abandoned, and the alternative of an over
whelming defeat in 1868 upon Mr.. Chase's
financial system, and upon the equally un-
tenable ground of universal negro suffrage
and negro supremacy.