Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-05-09

| It is alleged by Republicans who, from
professed opponents of Negro Suffrage
have become energetic advocates of it,
that, having forced it upon the South, it
would be inconsistent in the Republican
party of Ohio not to amend the Constitu-
ton of the State, so that Negroes hereafter
shall be voters and participants in the ad-
ministration of Government. Consistency
or Inconsistency has nothing to do with
the business. In the first place, it was a
wrong and violation of the Constitution
to force Negro Suffrage on the South. The
wrong consists in making political power
out of an inferior race-a race that at no
time has shown an aptitude for Govern
ment. Having committed this wrong on
| the South, it will not make it right to or
dain the same condition of affairs in Ohio.
Two wrongs never did and never will make
one right. Something is due to the Con-
stitution, to good and permanent Govern
ment. The touchstone of consistency,
then, is not what we have done in the
South; but it is, will the making of voters
out of the negroes conduce to the perma-
nency of Constitutional Republican form
of Government wherein the rights of mi
norities and individuals will have as much
Difference paid them as are paid the rights
and interests of majorities. The White
working classes of England have just
wrenched from the privileged orders there
an enlargement of the franchise. The
White working classes here are not asking
that the Negroes shall be admitted to
a participation in the Government with
them. They do not consider themselves
aggrieved byreason of such non-participa-
ton. They feel that they are badly OPP
pressed but it does not occur to them that
their oppression will be alleviated by the
Negroes being made voters; but they do
have apprehensions that instead it would
thereby be aggravated. Those who have
at all bestowed attention upon public
affairs must know that their present
oppression grows out of bad Government.
It is bad Government which embraces
class legislation, the creation of privileged
orders, wastefulness, pro1igacy and cor
ruption, that oppresses the people every
where. From the effects of this bad Gov
ernment our peopie-White and Black
laborer and capitalist-need relief. "TheI
Platitudes and Turveydrops and thieves"
which, according to DOM PIATT, are run
ming the Government, do not want any
change in affairs. To them they are salts
factory. Will the Negroes, if made voters,
furnish sufficient leverage with which to
force the "Platitudes, Turveydrops and
thieves" out of office? Are they not, as
the White workingmen apprehend, more
likely to become the dupes of the "Plati-
tudes, Turveydrops and thieves" who
are running the Government to de-
struction? Having put these tel
lows into Office, consistency is not so
foolish as to demand that we shall keep
them there. Consistency is very often
slandered these days. Consistency is not
honored and glorified in espousing the
wrong and adhering thereto with unvary-
ing fidelity. The moment it is discovered
that false step has been made consistency
and manhood are both honored in the in
slant abandonment of the false STEP
Hence, we arrive at the conclusion that it
is not incumbent upon the people of Ohio
to ordain that the Negro shall be voter in
Ohio, because Congress wrongfully has pro-
vided that he shall vote in the Southern
States.