Weekly Calaveras chronicle., 1867-02-02
Impartial Suffrage.

os Piah ior adjusting eAisllhS uiiii-
culties is receiving tie serious consideration
OF johnson and his Cabinet. Impartial suf-
frage and amnesty form the basis. The
Presidents plan differs from Greeley's in
providing for separate State action, and pro-
posing qualified suffrage, and leaving impen-
itent rebels subject to the penalties of treason.
The President, as an incentive to this reform,
is said to have intimated his readiness to is
sue proclamation of amnesty to all South
Carolinians who are willing to amend the
Constitution of that State SO as to extend the
suffrage as far as Massachusetts, has DONE
Whatever amount of sincerity there may be
in the Presidents reported conversion to the
doctrine of negro suffrage, the scheme has
doubtful look, es it has the old feature of am
nesty first and before action, and not subse-
quent to and as a reward for good works.
and proposes to leave the adjustment of the
question of qualifications for, suffrage to State
action. Any careful observer of the passing
political events cannot have failed to have
been struck with the fact, that all PROPOSE
tions or plans of reconstruction which have
come from the South or in Southern interests
prescribe separate State action as their basis.
All attempts on the part of the North to give
personal protection to the citizens of the Uni
ted States in every part of the Union, or to
secure the political rights of the citizens by
provisions in the Federal Constitution, have
been most bitterly resisted by the South and
her friends. The disorganized States are and
have been willing to put almost anything in
to their State Constitutions which will admit
them into the National Legislature, but are
determined that nothing, if possible, shall be
placed in the Federal Constitution which will
be inimical to their old state of affairs. 1t
may not be premeditated bad faith on their
part, but it certainly looks as though they
wanted to leave affairs in such fix that
when they have been reinstated in their re-
Lotions with the General Government, they
can, at their leisure, by separate State ac-
tion," re-estabish the patriarchal system and
place it on its old footing. We do not want
to be ungenerous, nor to do the President
or the leaders of the South any injustice, but
when we reflect that the standard of suffrage
In Massachusetts is sought to be applied to
Southern voters, we cannot but believe that
the whole scheme is plausible dodge to re-
strict Southern suffrage still farther than has
ever been before attempted, and thus secure,
beyond all reform, the old ascendency of the
Southern leaders. In Massachusetts,, if we
recollect rightly, the only qualification for
suffrage in addition to male adult citizenship
is ability to read and write. In State where
every child has an opportunity to attend free
schools, and education is compulsory, lack
of ability to read and write implies want of
natural capacity which would indicate an
incapabilty to nationally exercise the right
of suffrage. and those thus ignorant may be
justly classed with idiots and persons of un-
sound mind, who are everywhere deprived of
the ballot and shut out of witness and jury
boxes. We have no objection to the educa
tional qualification for suffrage being applied
now in communities where the present gene
ration of adults have had to full extent the
privilege of free schools in their youth. nor
to its being applied TO any future generation
which may enjoy that privilege, but we OBJ
ject. and shall never cease to object to the
application of the educational test in the right
of suffrage where the free school system has
not prepared the persons to which it is sought
to be applied. and is not established as an in
tegral part of the Government How would
such a test work in South Carolina More
than half of her population are colored, and
have been prohibited from learning to read
and write, it having been felony 10 teach
them, and they would all be excluded from
the ballot box; and not halt the white pop
ulation can read and write. as only the veal
thy are able to send their children to school,
free schools being unknown IN that high
toned and chivalrous State. Thus such
pretense of iberality as to place the qualif-
cation of suffrage in South Carolina on the
same footing as in Massachusetts,, is snare
and deception, intended to gull the unthink-
ing, and perfdiously usurp the rights of both
the poor whites and blacks, and hand them
over, bound hand and foot, to their feudal
masters. There is no doubt that the par
doned traitors of South Carolina, or any 9TH
er of the rebei States. would be very 'impar-
tiar' in applying the educational test to the
suffrage, and no sqp eamishness would be
shown by them on the question of color
They have always striven to curtail the suf-
frase and concentrate political power in as
few hands as possible. Doing other peoples
voting has bsen favorite occupation with
them, and under the educational test they
could not only vote for the nigger, but for
all poor whites too; and being in power they
would take good care that rights of dominion
should not be encroached upon by the lorer
orders of society. With no guarantee for
the liberty or protection of the person of the
citizen but what are lodged in State Consti-
tutions, they could revise and amend those
Constitutions at their pleasure, and set up
any system of iniquity which might please
my lords of the plantation How do you like
impartial suffrage:
WE have been blessed with two pleasant,
sunshiny days during the present week the
rest OF the time we have been either envelop-
ed IN dense fog or cursed with drizzling
rain. The snow which whitened the hill
tops has disappeared-incorporated itself
with the mud-purity mixing with filthiness.