Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-05-01

Well-informed Republicans look upon
the defeat of the Constitutional Amend
ment, now pending before the people,
wherein the Negroes are made voters and
White soldiers have that privilege taken
away from them, as an absolute certainty.
1t is not probable that the people would
give to proposition so monstrously wrong
a majority in this State. Our people are
not retrograding, They have been, and
may be in the future. prevailed upon to give
support to measures that were in violent
conflict with the best interests of thecoqn-
try; but to suppose that they can be in
lduced to give this proposition ma
I5ority Is to suppose an extreme
absurdity. Their duty, however, does
not consist in simply voting the monstrous
proposition down with emphasis. Some
thing more must be done-something that
will put this thing of making voters out OF
the Negroes, and taking from White solE
diers that privilege, at rest, so that in the
future we shall no more be bothered with
| it. This can be done only in one way.
That is in voting into minority the Re-
publican party, that in reckless disregard
of every assured right of the White man
would inflict this great outrage upon the
State. Our urexpericncs shows that the evils OF
which our people-Democrats and Repub-
licans-complain are not permanently miti-
gated by protest and denunciation and then
voting to continue in power the party re-
sponsible for these evils. Against Il {
corruption, rascality and stealing OF
Government officials and against the
wastefulness and improvidence Of Con-
gress and Republican Legislatures, Re-
publican presses have hurled a perfect
tornado OF protest, and have manifested
thereat much virtuous indignation. This,
in its way, was all well enough; but it
was not effective, for the reason that these
same journals that were so vigorous in
their indignation and protest, urged upon
their followers the duty of electing these
same men to office again, or of at least
voting continued ascendancy to the Repub-
lican party. The result has been, as was
to have been reasonably expected, if the
people should comply with the sugges-
tions of the Republican press to vote re-
tention of the Republican party in office.
Profligacy, corruption and rascality have
grown bold and defiant in Republican
official circles. Had the people voted
the party out of power as soon as
it became clear that they were be-
ing plundered through one device and
another by the officials and Representa-
tives they had confided in, there would
substantially have been an end of this
business. t ~
- To have reform, the party under whose
administration the evils needing reform
have grown up, must be voted out of of
fee. It must be deprived of doing further
harm. Should the pending Constitutional
Amendment be voted down and the Re-
publican party be voted into majority at
the same time, the time of succeeding
Legislatures would be taken up with the
discussions, wherein the Negro would be
extoned as the crowning act of creation,
and the White man as botched piece of
work. to the great scandal of our civiliza-
tion, to say nothing of the cost to the tax
payers. 1t is necessary that quietus should
be put to this question now, so that it will
not trouble our legislators nor they us with
it anyways soon. We have had enough of it.
Let all, therefore, who want an end put to
its agitation, work not only to defeat the
Amendment, but the party that passed. it
through the General Assembly, and now
undertakes to dragoon the people into
adopting it. If this shall be done, we
will have no more trouble with this ques-
ton.