Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-12-18
Universal Suffrage.

Washington Correspondence Gin. Enquirer.]
The suffrage and naturalization issues
and the finance propositions stalk out in
advance of all other, propositions, and
demonstrate themselves as the predomi-
nant topics of the ensuing session. The
double aim on the voting m after seems
to be the happy thought of making 1t
possible for every negro to vote, and next
to miraculous for foreigner to get a
chance to become citizen. How badly
the Radical party were shaken up, and
how they concede preponderance OF all
the actual legal voters to the Democracy,
are evident from the intention to coerce
negro suffrage by amendment on all the
States, and so revise naturalization laws
as to make it impossible for men indis-
posed to difficulty to take out their papers.
The last session of the Fortieth Congress
is to be solely engineered in the interest
of securing the future of the Radical
party any such thing as legislation Is
not to be considered, apart from its spe-
cifc political value to the party in power.
For the first time in history are laws to
be made solely in behalf of the majority
who have gerremsndered themselves into
Congress. Any bipartisan effort in be-
half of our credit our commerce, our In
dustry, our internal improvements, look
ing toward the settlement of our foreign
relations, or the development of our re-
sources, may not be expected. 1t is to
be political session, and the open Leg
islature will only put into statute the
DEGREES of the secret caucus.
But this suffrage business is not to be
consummated without serious opposition
in the ranks of the Radicals themselves.
So Influential q man as John Sherman,
of Ohio, is committed to the intention OF
opposing tho proposed amendment, be-
cause he declares that it would lose to
the party Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and
Missouri to the end of time. He says
that the tradition of the Government is
to leave suffrage to the States, except
such as have put themselves under the
ban of rebellion. Mr.. Howard, of Mich
igan, is to-day, despite his former
violence, to fall in with the new pro-
gramme, for the wholesome reason
that his State stamped TO the death
the idea of negro suffrage last spring
Likewise Cattsll, of New Jersey, though
by nature of the most pronounced Radi-
cal bent, has heard voices from Bergen
to Cape May, to the same effect as How
ard. Here are three prominent and not
uninhuential Radicals who hang fire, to
say the least, and it is certain that it the
Democracy in the Senate candidly and
strongly meet the issue in statesman
like and not in partisan spirit, they
can defeat the amendment Ia the
House it will probably prevail, be-
cause the identical two.thirds, hardly
enough to impesch Andrew john
sou, are still available for any purpose.
Returning to the Senate, it is quite GER
tain that Fowler, of Tennessee, Hendet..
son, of Missouri, Ross, of Kansas, and
very probably Fessenden, of Maine, will
decline to precipitste the party on, so
hazardous an issue. Their policy is to
conserve and not to risk. Senator Pome-
roy's amendment proposing universal
suffrage in the true sense Of the word, in.
cluding, as it does, ell the women, will
not secure more than a semi-humorous
Il 4