The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-03-11
TO THE VOTERS OF MAR.
SHALL COUNTY.

-ou CT the present mOnln. he cause
of their resignation is as follows
The republican party declared at
Chicago, when they nominated Grant
and Colfax, that congress had the righ
to regulate suffrage in the rebel states,
but in the loyal states that right be
longed to the citizens of the several
states. On the faith of that declara.
ton thousands voted with them who
would have voted against them had they
declared in favor of NEGRO surf RAGE
In violation of that declaration
cor gress adopted an amendment to the
constitution of tt c United States
declaring all persons voters, elisi
bic to office, and entitled to equaI
rights and privileges placing me-
gsoes, Cinnamon, Americans, and
mongrels all Oh an equal footing, and
prohibiting loyal states from exercising
any right on that subject 1t was,
with indecent haste, sent to the state
legislatures for adoption, an advance Of
its passage by congress. twas adopted
blythe Kansas legislature before congress
passed it. 1t was passed on the after
noon of Saturday, at Washington, and
was introduced in the legislature at
Indianapolis on Monday morning, and
SO with other states. Of course it was
" cut and dried and to be forced on
the people under the previous question
and other gag rules of legislation Iu
Illinois it was passed in five minutes
after it was introduced, under the force
Of the previous question.
The democrats in the Indiana legis
laturo considered the proposition an
insult to the intelligence of our people,
a fraud upon the voters, and desired
the question to be submitted to the
people at another election. Failing in
that, they desired that all needful leg
islation should be first disposed Of and
leave the negro amendment until that
was done, They offered to pass the
appropriation bills and supply funds
for the deaf, blind, and insane; prisons,
courts, and other necessary business Of
the state, and to pass other laws ready
for adoption and only needing temporary
action to perfect them. The session
would expire by constitutional limita-
ton on the Sih Of March, and there
WAS no time to waste. The negro wor-
shippers of both houses insisted on i'm
mediate action, and exercised the pow
er of on arbitrary majority by making
it the special order for Thursday at .
o'clock. Al other business was sus-
pended to make the negro the equal Of
the white man, and deprive the people
who made the state Of the right to Sc
lect their own Jurors, officers and citi-
zens, or say to whom they would extend
rights and privileges affecting only
themselves. The democrats begged
to postpone until Saturday, and attend
to legislation for the benefit Of the
state aud the people; but were psrempt-
orily denied and this question of negro
suffrage and negro equality forced upon
them.
Believing, as they did, that the peo-
pie ought to be permitted to express
themselves on this question, and as on
ly three more working days of the ses-
sion remained, they deemed it due to
themselves aud their constituents to re-
sign their commissions and return home.
They had not been sent there to vote
for or been instructed on that subject.
The republican leaders asserted their
opposition to negro suffrage and negro
equality at the last election, and the
people had not been permitted to select
representatives to speak for them on
that subject. BY resigning new cleo
ton would follow and then the people
could send men to vote for or against
the measure. That election wW take
place on Tuesday, Marcel 23a, when
you can select such representative as
you desire. The Governor could have
ordered that election at the time of the
coming spring election, but he has seen
proper to fix it ten days earlier. For
that useless expense the radical Gov
ernor alone is liable. He viii call an
extra session of tho legislature, aud the
principal object will be to adopt the
nsgro amendment.
Our late member. Hon. ID. MCDoN-
AID, has returned for the endorsement
or condemnation Of his constituents.
The Central Committee most heartily
endorsing his action, have thought best
to advise you of the questions present
oil for vour consideration and IN ra-