The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-01-08
USES OF THE NEGRO VOTE.

Some of the so-called conservative Republic
can papers of the North predict that Congress
will send back the new Constitutions of some
of the Southern States on account of their
proscriptive provisions. The New York
Times, however, very truly says that Congress
will not exercise this power of revision for
any such cause. That power was reserved In
order TO be exercised in case the contemplated
Consultations should not be proscriptive
enough for the purpose of the radical con-
spirators. OF course, as this purpose can be
accomplished only by means of these very
proscriptive features, Congress will not do
that which would only thwart its own designs.
The Times, moreover, considers it perfectly
clear that the radicals in the Republican
party intend that these Southern States shall
be readmitted to the Union in time to be
represented in the Republican National Con-
vention, and in the next presidential election,
provided the suffrage laws they adopt are such
as to give assurance that their votes will be
on the right side!" But the Times dis
covers, or processes to discover, that this
whole reconstruction business-white disfran-
chisement, black Acknowledgement, negro su-
premacy and all--is got up, not for party
purpose, so much as for a personal purpose.
The object of the radicals, according to the
Times, is TO use these negro electoral votes,
thus manipulated into existence through the
hocus.pocus of military and legislative leger-
demain, first to force the nomination of Judge
Chase in the Republican Convention, and then
TO force the election of that gentleman in the
electoral college. This revelation accounts
for what might otherwise seem TO be the in
efably insane vagaTies and inexplicable ter
giveIsations Of the Times as apolitical journal
and of Mr. Raymond as a politician. The
Times has, repeatedly, declared the recon-
stIuction scheme to be unfair, impolitic and
even destructive. 1t has argued with zeal, and
apparent sincerity, against negro suffrage and
negro supremacy. 1t has denounced the reck-
less proscriptiveness of the so-called recon-
stlueton conventions. Yet it censured the
president for removing Sheridan, who was
using the military force of the United States
for the purpose of assuring negro su.
premacy in his department.; it joined in the
radical cry, last July, for more stringent meas
ures of Acknowledgement in the way of sup
Elemental bills; and it even congratulated the
country on the adoption by the House, of the
bill to make the ratification of the negro Con-
stitutions dependent on a simple majority of
votes Cast. Further than this, it has persisted
in resisting any attempt to modify the recon-
struction policy, declaring it the duty of
Republicans to stand 10y the party in spite of
klaA
the policy Of that party is, for all practical
purposes, the party itself Eliminate the
radical policy from the discussion, and there
would be no Republican party. Defeat the
radical policy, and the Republican party sur
renders at once. 1t has not the faintest hope
of success except in the full contamination of
the programme of negro supremacy in the
Southern States. 1t is only by votes, thus
obtained, that the anticipated detection in the
North can be met. The Times knows this
quite as well as it is known to Wade and Will
son and Stevens. But it wants to get the ben
eft of the expedient without incurring its
odium. 1t would like, moreover, to limit the
advantages of the scheme to the party, and
prevent them from enuring to the profit its
huNeIsdIltS III iHe party Ina - W say IL
desires to cheat the radicals out of the bene-
fits of their own project and to usurp them for
the so-called conservative Republicans. The
Times is for Grant, and it knows that even
Grant cannot be elected without the negro
votes Of the South. Hence, while it denounces
negro supremacy and censures the radicals for
forcing negro suffrage on the party, it is I'M
willing to surrender the only agency through
which its own candidate can succeed. On the
other hand it fears that Chase may defeat
Grant in the convention by means of these
very negro votes; and when it contemplates
this contingency it becomes exceedingly con-
sentative and virtuous. If the affair could
only be arranged so that the negro votes could
be kept out Of the Republican convention,
thus assuring Grant nomination, and brought
into the electoral college, thus assuring
Grants election, the Times would be per-
fectly satisfied.