The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1868-07-22
a Pointed Article.

The Boston rest thus pOintedly dis |
cusses Mr.. hellabarger's bill to set |
aside law of the Ohio Legislature
The bill introduced into Congress
by Mr.. ShelIabarger, OF Ohio, 'to al
ter the laws of Ohio as to the manner
of electing Representatives in Con-
gress," is the first attempt ever made |
to 90 into q Northern State and estab- !
lish standard of qualifications for
the suffrage. If it can be done in
Ohio,it can be done IN Massachusetts,.
Negro suffrage is of course the inspi-
ration of this. measure, the pretext
being that the laws Of Ohio do not
provide properly for the ennanchise-
ment OF those blacks in whom the
visible admfxture' of white blood
does not preponderate. The bill
omits all reference to this local ouaIi-
fication, which is simply the same as
setting it aside. It extends thc-priv.
ilege of voting for Representatives in
Congress to "electors having African
blood" The Constitution of the
State, however, requires that. in or
der TO become voters, negToes shall
have . "preponderance of white
blood" Here, then, is an open riding
down OF the Constitution of IL free
State by Congress. Any person Of
African descent can vote under the
bill for Representatives in Congress,
but under the Constitution mono ceh
vote but such as have more white
blood than black. But besides tina
invasion Of the plain rights of a State,
undertaken with no s9.H2iis pro-,
that it has eyey Aesn - --At as
GovernE@"- - at war with the
i~ ,lnere is the fatal mistake
-- >, measure of this sort. of setting
no n government within a govern
i I ment-an inapeyi,pn IN inlperfo. Th'
{ Fathers made our complex system
I concurrent, co ordinate, and co-oper@
: tive; not one absolutely subordinate
to the other, nor yet one within th'
other, but each complete in Its reserV
Il ed or allotted sphere. The Radica
y statesmen of to-day hate the yer.
name of the rights of States, and seel
to consolidate q central power q
e Washington, to which the States sha
look for their very existence Talk
I them about it, and they will reply
"Oh, all that old rubbish has bee
Is cleared off by the warw Then tn
war has simply destroyed our repul
y lican system itself; conclusion
which the soberminded people of II
iu country will be 10th to come. TT
passage of the ShelIabarger bill wo
~ be fraught with Immeasurable mi
:, chief It is the sound Of the fire-bt
in Sbe night to propose such a mes
ure. Yet 1T is but to this that Rae
nu calism tends. It's whole aim is Po'
ia' Err, and for this 1t readily barte
LIBERTY.
ny The Constitution of Ohio provid
n' that none but "White citizens of t
United States" shall vote in the Sta
The bill of Mr.. shellabarger aims
zen nullify this provision of the Constit
.t ton. That's the object and nature
Tia his bill. It deserves no other char
Jon terization than that of Infamous; L
a, then can we rightfully demur to III
'la- when our people sustain o party Il
! as not only defies political morality, a
res scouts theIdea that tho people ha
ars, any rights worthy Of considerable
Ice, but denies that the Constitution, ,wh
pies they swear TO support and Inainta
up should restrain them in their act
ces, toward the Southern states?