The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1867-04-25

ern, in what for ten years they have pro-
nounced negro worship ?" Or will
they fight against it as they have done,
and leave the Democracy of the South
to join the Radicals, as many of them
will do? Valladigham, Thurman &
Co. have come to just that point where
they must decide on one OF two paths.
1t is no longer possible to be on two.
sides. Even the South demands decls-
ion. The South has made up it's mind
to accept the Africo- American just as he
is, and deal fairly with him. They have
learned something by experience
They have learned that to be an Amer
lean, and share the power and freedom
of Americans, is something worth liv-
ing for; and they have learned that the
freedom and civil rights Of the black
man is one of the accomplished facts,
which it is not worth while for any one
to contend against. They accordingly
take the sensible way, and strike the
word white from al legal proceed
ings. Ifthe Northern Democracy have
not learned this they will be just SO far
behind the age, andjust so far from any
possibility of success.
To understand the question, as pre-
sented from a Democratic standpoint,
let us take a historical glance at the
history Of suffrage in this country
At the adoption of the Constitution on
foreign born person could vote without
a special Legislative act, and in all the
States property qualification was re-
quired. If the laws were now precisely
as they were then, not haJ the present
roters could cote. Here then we find a
vast chang~in the laws regarding suff
rage How came IL? The COnstitu-
ton provided for naturalization laws,
and they were early passed. About
I1795, 81 immigration to this country
began to rapidly increase. Six thous-
and Irish came over in one year
The Federal party thought it would be
dangerous to have SO many foreigners
vote, and changed the naturalization
laws so as to increase the time. This
was called the alien law. and was one of
the things against which the then rising
Democratic party made a great outcry.
The Democratic party put itself on the
ground Of extending suffrage. This
was one of their great points IN the
election Of Jefferson. But the New
England and the Southern States had
property qualifications which limited
the suffrage very much.
After a time, especially III New Eng
land the question ofsuffrage extension
was again agitaed, and the Democratic
party again placed itself on the ground
extending suffrage. In one word, the
Democratic party put itself on the broad
ground Of universal suffrage. 1t was
one of its marked, distinctive principle.
In fact, it claimed to be the '1iberal
party the term ''liberal' is one of the
catch words of humbug,) and grew
strong by protesting to be ethe champion
Of rihht and freedom This continued
| till the extinction of the old Democratic
party, in 1920. On the election of Van
Buren and the formation Of the present
Demo ocratic party, the party platform
still professed to be in favor Of free
dom and liberality and extension; but
when the question Of annexing Texas
came up, and Calhoun came into power
q moral revolution came on They
claimed and got domination. Texas
was annexed, the Whig party became
demoralized and the Democratic party
became proslavery. Thenceforth the
only great political question was wheth
er slavery should dominate the whole
United States or not. The Democratic
party said it should, by acting with The
slave aristocracy ofthe South, asserting
the inferiority Of the negro, proclaim
ing in pull pit and press the divine right O
slavery, and giving all the aid and com
fort it could to the then raising rebel
lion. We have no right to doubt thu
sincerity of it's support of what it called
the constitutional rights of the South
or it's belief in the inferiority of the ne
gro, or its Willingness to see the exten
sion of slavery over the Territories, O.
/ it's denial that the Government had any
power to coerce State. We shall no
deny the sincerity of the party in &C
ting on these principles, nor shall W,
deny the propriety of their still support
ing them. But it will be acknowledged
there is totally differen state Of facts
and those who lead the Democratic
party Of Ohio must determine whethe
they will conform to those facts, or not
If they do, they must vote with us tx
strike the word "white" from the Con
stitution of Ohio. If they do not, thel
they hold the same principles they dic
in 1857, and in 1868; and they will b
tried by them. The Republican part,
will not take issue with them on parce
) Of paper resolutions. They will take is
sue Messrs. Thurman, Vallandiehan
d Co., on the great facts that the Dem
cratic party is proslacery; ]; that it denie,
the right of the Government to coerc
the rebellion; that it sympathized wit
the rebellion in 1868; that it declare,
the war a failure in 1864; that i
supported johnson in 1866 and in l Sc
Ca last link in the chain of politica
crilnes) it refuses to strike the wor
"acAite' from the Constitution, becaus
it still believes in the political SLAYER
ofthe negroes. The only way in whic
the Democratic party can possibl
purge itself from the crimes of 1857
1861, 1868, 1864, and 1866, is to d
what the South does, frankly accep
; the facts and declare themselves in f.
vor ofhuman rights. This would term
mate, at least, one question of cor
troversy, and terminate it in the onf
E way possible at this time Any on
I, who thinks the Republican party wi
lose anything by standing boldly an
] honestly on tho Uraat rnvo1ufi opar