The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-15
"HOnOr to Ohio" - Defeat of Negro

Suffrage.
From the ". Y. World
The Tribune publishes an editorial pane
gyric on the Republicans of Ohio, instead of
raving at and berating them, as it would seem
more natural for that journal to do under the
circumstances. The substance of its eulogy
is, that whereas the Ohio Republicans had
reason to suppose they would lose many
votes, and ran great risk of losing the cleo
tion by presenting the negro suffrage issue,
they were too magnanimous to hesitate be-
tween expediency and duty. Says the Tri-
bune:-
THAT amendment was properly submitted to
election.
"Of course, it was understood that we were to
lose by it-how much could only be determined
by the result But the lower half of the State
and especially the southeastern countless were
originally and largely settled from Virginia
and Kentucky; and twas notorious that many
OF their Republicans would resist negro suf-
rage, while every Democrat would do his
utmost to defeat it. The Republicans, therefore,
with everything at stake, including Mr.. Wades
seat in the Senate, accepted-in fact, challenged
an issue which they might have postponed,
and thus transformed intoa hazard what before
was certainty. They did what was right, and
Just when they could not fail lose by 1T, when
trimming and low eXpediency would have
insured them against all danger. They have
harmed
not; they suffered because they nobly dared to
DO right little sooner than all who have
hitherto acted with them were ready to do 1t.
Ihey have lost the LegislRture-they came very
near losing their State ticket-because they
were In advance of their time"
This is as canting a piece of moral cox
combry as we remember to have seen. Did
any Republican leader or journal in Ohio
nay, did the Tribune itself-entertain the
slightest doubt, when the Ohio Legislature
decided to submit the negro suffrage amend
ment, last winter, that it would be ratifiedaby
large majority 1t is necessary to bear in
mind that the great reaction had not then set
IN, and there were no signs of its approach.
California and Maine had not spoken; Cou-
neoticut had not been redeemed; Congress, in
the fullness of its influence, was concocting
the Reconstruction scheme; the elections of the
preceding autumn had all been carried by the
Republicans and carried in Ohio by a majority
OF $4,000, which was large gain on their
majority the preceding year. In view of
these circumstances, it is paltry and pitiful
for the Tribune to say, as it does, that
"they deliberately chose to be right rather
than safe" They had the fullest confidence
that they were safe; confidence that seemed,
at that time, to have a solid basis. After the
negro suffrage amendment had passed the
Legislature, the party had no further control
over it. They could not have withdrawn it as
an issue in this election, if they had been ever
so much lncuneu' What could be more alb
surd and pharisaic than to assume the credit
of voluntary sacrifice to principle in present
ing an issue which the Republican State Con-
vention had no power to avodl 1t was the Con-
stitution of Ohio, not the Republican party,
that required a vote to be taken on the suf-
frage amendment in this election, after it had
passed the preceding Legislature. And yet
the Tribune cries it up as an act of sublime
selfsacrifice almost akin to voluntary martyr
dom
The Republican Legislature of last winter
must have had uncommon penetration into.
the future If they fOresaw the great reaction