The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-07-02


The Atlantic Base Ball Club. Of Brooklyn. defeated
standing 1903 to g.
Universal Niger suiIrage-The Great Issue
of the Campaign.
Many muddle-headed newspapers argue that
the present quasi settlement Of the Southern
States under military rule determines and
closes the great point of niger suffrage, and
that this is not an open issue of the present
campaign. We pronounce this a fallacy, an
impudent pretence, big lie and snare.
There is no other issue but this, and the whole
canvass turns purely and simply upon this
point Of the political status of the niger in
the Southern States and the right of the States
themselves to regulate that status. Universal
niger suffrage and the corrslative oppression
Of the white man are the points that divide the
parties and the people. All democrats-by
which we mean all men who are in sympathy
with those democratic principles that are the
basis Of our government-are on the one side,
and all who in their hearts hate democracy and
popular liberty, who instinctively oppose the
supremacy of the people in the government,
are on the other; and these count upon exer-
cising control against the people, keeping
the people down and themselves in Office by
the manufacture of bogus vote to be made
from the brutal masses of niggers that were
slaves but short time since.
Just at the close of the war the Congress of
the United States laid down basis of settle
ment for this great issue-a basis that received
the immediate assent of nearly the whole
loyal people. This was the fourteenth con-
stitutional amendment, which recognized that
States alone have the right to regulate
suffrage and conceded that right to States,
ahixing the penalty that If any State ruled out
any class or race 1t should lose proportionate
representation In Congress. This was settle
ment Of the point in accordance with the
history and law of the division of power be-
tween the States and the general government,
in accordance with the will of the Northern
people and satisfactory to the South. But
another Congress, unwilling to see or diff
culties so easily put out Of the way-unwilling
to lose the pretext for rearranging the elements
of political power 50 as to give them
continued domination-made a reconstruction
law utterly subvertng that amendment, violat-
ing that sacred guarantee of the nation-a law
barbarous and tyrannical in its principle and
purpose, and not more in conflict with the con-
stitutional amendment than it Is in violation
of the whole spirit of our laws, Of the laws Of
society and the laws of God Almighty. This
brutal statute is now the code by which uni
formed despots govern the South. 1t Is the
rod which General Grant, who consents to be
the prime tool of despotic power, holds over a
vast division Of the American people, at the bid
ding Of some wretches who aim at aristocratc
power and expect to secure it through skilful
manipulation of their half human animals of
African origin. General Grant is now carry
ing out this law, and with it driving from the
polls white men of the States to admit niggers:
he is enforcing that law in derogaton of the
Presidents authority and in defiance of the
amendment to the constitution that has been
accepted by the whole people as the true law
The issue before the American people In the
present campaign is simply as to who is right
ih suio uhtlcuCt anu 10 truly Tue law
that amendment which is part of the constitu-
ton and leaves niger suffrage to the States,
or that reconstruction statute which subverts
the amendment and establishes suffrage by
military force in defiance of every law, human
and divine
That is the issue, and If Mr. Chase becomes
the candidate of the democratic party be will
recognize II as the issue and sustain the
constitution and the legitimate right of the
States as the true law. We can announce from
the best authority that he will do this. AS
citizen, as a philosopher or . theorist, Mr..
Chase or any other gentleman may have his
views Of the possibilities Of government more
or less visionary, and may hold that every
creature should vote, just as he might
believe in atonernent and election with Calvin.
or in transubstantiation with the Church OF
Rome; but as President of the United States
he will act on the laws, as the chief officer of
a government carried on under q written con
stitution he will strictly accept the decara-
tons of that constitution as the ultimate right.
and, giving way to no visionary notions of any
higher authority, will carry out positively the
principles of the amendment aud the prin-