Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1868-04-23

cratic party enacts law that any male
negro, NO matter how black, shall be
fully qualified voter, provided he is the
actual owner of $3.50 worth of real prop
erty. That is to say, Sam Johnson may
come to the poll at noon and offer to vote;
IL itappears that he Is worth only $249-
80, be is driven away and called nasty
Niger . of ofbeastly characteristics and Of
fensive odor. But let him return in. ten
minutes with the additional one cent,
and instantly he smellssweet, his wool
straightens out, his heels retract, his
shins become erect, his lips fiatten, and
in the space offive minutes he IL trans
formed blythe magic power of that one
copper or nickel into a sfiaxen-haired,
blue-eyed, inodorous specimen of the
Caucasian family, fully armed with the
ballot. And all this for only one cent?
But Democracy is progressive. With
in few days that party in the Ohio Leg
islature has adopted what is known as
the "Nisible. .Admixture bill, providing
that the right of franchise shall be taken
away from every resident iu whom there
Is visible admixture of black blood, or
rather the blood of black anoestors--for
the blood in itself does not visibly differ
In the two races. We understand that
this Visible admixture reaches a very fine
poiDt--for instance, white father and
DhdCh ihObhOI . bOttS hlC bttub Outg diSOt
white father and mulatto mothers; also,
white fatherand quadroon mothers; also,
white father and 0ctoroon nmother's-that
Is, any person having one-sixteenth of
African blood Is disfranchised. This is
the crowning glory of Democratic legis-
lation In Ohio; this Is the extent of the
Democratic progress-the result of three
months of intense reflection and COM
parison ofjudgelents. Under this law
1t may be that dozen apparently white
persons will be NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. at
least, of whom have voted time and
again without question. The Democrat
ic State Committee will at once resolve
into an inquest on pedigress, and the
whole population of Ohio must come up
and show who their fathers were, and
who, and of what color, their mothers
and grand-mothers were. Should man
having One-siXteenth of African blood
vote for u Governor who should be chos-
EN- by one vote, that sixteenth drop of
black blood must unseat the Governor,
and compel new election. Oh, rare
Democracy! In New York O five cent
postage stamp can change O strong-scent-
cd "nigger" into free and honorable
elector; in Ohio one drop in sixteen of
certain blood can take from perfectly
white, well educated, rich, and honora-
BILE men the highest privilege citizen
can enjoy. And this Is Democracy!
Not long ago, in another State, the
Democracy had a property qualification
OF $500 for members Of the Legislature.
One OF their leading members i'm the
lower house had q misfortune during the
session; ajackass living with, and we
yuppose owned by him, took sick and
died. The loss reduced his real property
below the representative standard, and
an effort was made to turn him out. A
long discussion followed, but no result
was had, as the members were quite un-
able to decide who represented the man
or the jackass. a tsll
The democracy have sliding-se of
principles adapted to all such cases-even
that of the donkey. They have been and
are both for and against property quail
fcations, both Orand against universal
franchise for whites, both for and against
any faEchise for negroes, as their late
action in South Carolina shows; in fact,
both for and against everything Half
the men just denied franchise in Ohio
might vote unchallenged in our With
Ward, while $3.50 apiece would white
wash the blackest Congo of all. In Ala
bama, the negroes were deprived of work
and threatened with death If they voted
Republican ticket, but petted and re-
warded If they went the other way. In
South Carolina leading Democrats advo-
cate franchise for the accursed negro,
and put to open shame-if that were
possible-the hypocritical rascals of their
faith in Ohio. Ht'tf
Shall not these high-toned, honorable,
and progressive Ohio Legislators be re-
membered in the day of reckoning now
approaching? BY and by there will be
q sitting of men, and 1t Is quite possible
that the $3.50 Democrats, and the visible
admixture Democrats will find their
proper level. Let us hope SON. Y.
Tribune. op '1i- tH lu- fi'