The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1868-02-13
A Document Somewhatin De.
nand,
The Chicago Tines Article in IA.
yOr of Negro Suffrage.

The present is crisis in the demo-
cratic party which has no precedent
in it's history, as it lisa crisis in the |
progress of the country which is also |
without precedent. Never before |
has the Democratic party encounter
cd events so seriously affecting its
future vitality as now. Not that it
beholds itself diminished in the mag
nitude of it's numbers-for it is
numerically stronger than it has
ever been before-but that, having
been beaten on a great national is
sue, as to which it believed itself to
be wholly right, and the opposition
wholly wrong, and still so believes,
il must nevertheless abandon that
issue-for the decision of it is final
and either sit down in decaying and
helpless inactivity, or strike boldly
out upon new line, selected with
peculiar reference, not to things as
we would have them, but to things
as they actually are, and in pursuing
which line it shall cease to be a hold
back or conservative party, and
become, what it was in its palmy
days, progressive and an aggres-
sive party. These are the alterna-
tives.
1t will not sit down in helpless
and decaying inactivity.
What, then, shall the new line be?
In the first place, must we not cat
loose from Andrea johnson, and leave
that hybrid concern to float on the sea
Of public contempt into ,chich 1t some
time since entered, and from Uhich no
power can rescue 1t? Is not the late
defeat attributable more largely to this
administration than all other causes
combined? What is there in its com
position to command popular conf
dence? Who, belonging to it, is en-
titled, by reason of his antecedents
or craftsmanship, to the confidence
or the respect of the Democratic
party? Certainly is not Andrew
johnson, nor William III. Seward, nor
Edwin M. Stanton. True, this adj
ministration had right policy, and
the Democratic party, in overlooking
the chief men comprising it, and
thinking only of the rightfulness of
the policy, displayed patriotism
whose purity was never excelled;
but the policy having failed-and
having failed, too, through the feeble
ness and folly and offences against
public proprlety of the administra-
tion-why should not the Democratic
party abondon the dead body, longer
adherence to which is deathdlso to 1t
self?
What next? Can the Democratic
party succeed until the negro ques-
ton shall be got out of the way? 1t
cannot. Why not? Is not negro SUI
frage inevitable, and is not the quick
est way to at once concede the suffrage,
taking the issue only on the. degree
to which it shall be conceded? We
know that many Democrats have
not reached this advanced view of
thescase, and that such are still great
| ly inclined to revolt the proposition
of negro suffrage in any degree: but
let us tell them that it is al,cdys wise
to accept the s,seuitable ,ohen the ineui-
table comes. Negro suffrage, we say,
| is inevitable, and whether it shall be
qualified or universal depends upon
the promptness or otherwise with
which the Democratic party shall
move with reference to it. Thesouth
,oil speedily yield qualified negro su-
trage upon the motion ct'the Democratic
party; because, if no other reason, she
will soon see, If she does not already
see, that if she does not yield it, she
will ultimately be compelled toaccept
universal nego suffrage.
i Qualified negro suffrage yielded by
the Southland by this We mean IM~
PARTIAL SUFFRAGE, or suffrage depend.
ent upon the intelligence of the man,
irrespective of color, as is noaO the rule
, | in observation-disclosures NEGRO ouEs
TON WILL HAVE BEEN DISPOSED OF, AMI
THE OCCUPATION OF THE NORTHERN
REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL BE GONE FOR.
EVER. Not one inch of ground will
| it have to stand upon; and the coun-
try can once more turn to those ma.
terial question of public policy. the
3 right disposition Of which is SO essen
tial to the public prosperity. 1t will
be upon these questions that the
, Democratic party will triumph that
, constitutional government ard oul
Federal system will be preserved.
1.-THE south be wise, it will moi
wait, on this suffrage. question, ever
for the motion Of the Democratic
, party. II it be wise, it will lose nc
time in putting in motion the neces
sary machinery by which it will, al
the same time save itself from humili
alton, preserve its. own self.respect
rid the country of the most vexatiouf
questions that ever distracted any
country, killed the worst politica
party that ever existed on the globe
and put the Union in the way Of
speedy restoration. This machinery
, consists, of course, in conventions to
revise the State constitutions.
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