The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-05-21
NUMBER 21.
THE PROSPECT.

Twenty-one States have now been
secured for the pending XVIII Amend
! ment. viz: Alabama. 4 rkansas. Florida.
| Illinois, lows. Kansas, Louisiana, Mas
sachusetts, Michigan, Maine, Minneso-
| ia, Missouri, Nebraska. Nevada, New
York. North Carolina, Tennessee, West
| Virginia, and Wisconsin Recent cleo
lions show that three other States, Con-
nrcticut, New Hampshire and Vermont,
will ratify as soon MS their Legislatures
assem- BILE; that OF Connecticut meets on
the first Wednesday in May; that of
New Hampshire on the first Wednes-
| day in June, and that of Vermont oil
the second Thursday i'll October. Be-
! fore November, then, twenty-four
States will have ratified without any
| doubt.
Four more are needed TO secure the
adoption of the amendment. Hitherto
ii has been customary to count with
confidence upon Rhode Island, Virgin
ia, Mississippi and Texas. Recent
events lead to the fear that in one or
| more of those States the amendment
may be defeated or delayed. The
Providence Journal, the leading Re-
publican paper in Rhode Island, of
which Senator Anthony is editor, has
taken very strange position in oppos-
ition to the amendment, professedly on
| account of some supposed effect which
the amendment will have in changing
the law of that State establishing a
property qualification. Money rules
| the Providence Plantations. Che re-
cent scenes in the Senate have disclos-
ed the shameful power which men or
families OF great wealth have in that
little ''rotton borough" State, and if the
paper speaks for the family which
Sprague declares controls it, the pros
pect for q favorable vote in Rhode
Island is not good. s'Nothing is as
cowardly as half million, except
million" says Sprague, and if the cow
ardice of money and the quarrel be-
tween factions causes the defeat of the
constitutional amendment, it needs no
seer TO predict that the people of Rhode
Island will soon break their shackles,
emancipate themselves, and tumble
their purse proud rulers into political
bottomless pit. The Legislature will
shortly meet, and if it then refuses to
ratify, we may expect a contest in that
state almost unprecedented for the mas
terry in the election next year.
1t is possible that Texas may also fail
to reconstruct under loyal control. Late
news from that region is not particular
~ cheering, and Mr.. Phillips openly
protests against any reconstruction
there without retrocession of public
lands to the United States, and division
of them through homestead system to
loyol men. There is great deal of
reason in this protest. and much appar-
ent sense in his suggestion.
Losing Rhode Island or Texas, for
this year, would not defeat the amend
ment, however. Losing both would
not necessarily defeat it. Ohio, New
Jersey, California, Oregon, Georgia
and Indiana remain. The unspeakable
cowardice of the Indiana Republicans
leaves us very little hope that they will
make such fight as TO carry that State.
With a clear majority they have suffer-
ed themselves tc be cowcd and ruled by
q minority, and we have no reason to
expect vigorous fighting from such men
to overcome popular prejudice. With
different. Ohio is naturally a Republic
can State, and can be carried for the
amendment at thenext election. II will
need only plucky and vigorous effort,
and we have faith that there are true
men enough i'll that State to make the
contest sharp and decisive. In New
Jersey the Republican party, though
defeated, is brave, aggressive and faith
ful. 1t does not finch from the advo-
c,.cy Of its principles, and has fought so
nobly that we shall hope to see il over
NOihS NA4C vi
and against it, obtained wholly or in
part by fraud. The other two States,
California and Oregon, though less
hopefully situated, are not at all certain
to reject the amendment. In both the
majority was extremely small, and the
Republicans have courage and compact
organization. The difficulty has been
mainly in the supposed effect which the
adoption of the amendment may have
upon the status of the Asiatic popula-
ton. but further consideration will
doubtless show that it cannot apply to
that element, and will thus render the
opposition to it less strong.
In any case, we see no reason to doubt
that the amendment will be ratified
within the next two years. But it will
need the resolute and earnest effort of
the Republicans in the States yet in
doubt, and such behavior as that of the
Indiana people cannot be safely or hon.
orably imitated.--1MiSsouri Democrat.