The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1869-04-09
TnE WORD WHITE.

The Convention of 1898, which |
formed the present Constitution of |
Pennsylvania, numbered among its
members the Hon. J. NJ. Russell, and
Jacob Barndollar and A. J. Cline,
Esqs., as delegates from Bedford coun-
ty. These gentlemen were prominent
members of the Whig party and were
elected to the Convention in opposi-
tion to the Democratic candidates. 1t
will, perhaps, be interesting to the
present generation to learn how these
old Wings voted upon the question of
suffrage, which was fully discussed and
deliberately settled by this Conven
ton.
On page 10G, vol. 10 of the Proceed
ings and Debates of the Convention, is
recorded the vote upon that article of
the Constitution which confines the
right of suffrage to white male citizens
above the age of twenty-one years.
The yeas upon the proposition were
II, the nays 45. Among the YEAS
are recorded the names of RUSSELL,
BARNDOLLAR and CLINE.
These three Wing representatives of
Bedford county in the Convention Of
1888, voted to insert the word WHITE
in the Constitution, or, in other words,
to confine the right of Suffrage to the
White People Of the State. Besides,
this Convention contained Whig ma
jority, was presided over by a Whig
and controlled by Wings. But, now,
Mr.. STUTzMAN, Mr.. LoNGENECKER
and Mr.. WELLER propose to strike
out of the Constitution what Messrs.
Russell, Barndollar and Cline inserted
in it. The latter submitted their work
to the people, not darlng to call it fin
ished until i had passed the test of the
ballot. But Stutzman, Longenecker
and Weller, though sworn to support
the Constitution which Russell, Barn
dollar and Cline assisted in framing,
undertake to repeal that Constitution,
without as much as saying to the peO-
pie, by your leave. The Republican"
party, too, as body, are trying to un-
do what was done by the Wing Con-
vention of 1888. They are plotting and
striving to strike out of our State Cvm-
stitution the Whig word WHITE.
There are at least one thousand voters
in this county who honestly believe
that in voting the Republican" tick
ct they are still carrying out "old
Whig principles" This most singular
hallucination will probably be dispelled
from their minds when they find that
the old Whig party deliberately ex-
cluded Negroes from the ballot-boX,
whilst the so-caIled Republican" par
ty is now exerting all its energies to
force them up to it as voters. The
Whig and Democratic parties were al
wavs in accord upon the Negro ques-
ton. 1t is only the desperate leaders
of the 'sRepublican" party of to-day
that are striving to make voters of the
blacks. They want them as tools to
do their dirty work for them. They
want to use them as voting cattle in
order to keep themselves in power.
They mean no good to the black man.
They desire 10 enfranchise him only in
order to make of him stepping stone
to new heights of ambition and power.
James NJ. Russell, Jacob Barndollar
and A. j. Cline, the representatives OF
the old Wings of Bedford county in the
Convention of 1888, were above such
artifce and trickery.
Men of Bedford county! You who
are still proud to call yourselves de-
scendants of Whig ancestors! Where
do you stand? Are you with Stutz-
man and Longenecker and Weller? or
do you still believe in the "Whig prin-
ciples" of Russell, Barndoilar and
Cline ," Let your future political af-
fiiliations decide the question.