The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-03-18
The memberso OF the general assembly

10 remain quietly IN their seats and
permit fraud to be perpetrated upon
the people by the adoption of the pro-
posed 18th amendment to the constitu-
ton of the United States giving the
right to vote to negroes, and all other
citizens of the United States, without
regard to race or color OIL previous con-
dition of servitude, when we had the
power to prevent it, would be a crime
on our part and blot on our political
record as black as the stain that now
and forever will rest upon the instiga-
tors Of the foul wrong attempted to be
forced upon an unwilling people; and
so believing, without a dissenting
voice, we resigned our commission and
returned home for the purpose Of CIV
ing the people an opportunity of ex-
pressing themselves in an unmistakable
manner for or against the meas ure.
The Republican party in this state
at its last convention declared in its
second resolution that that "the extern
sion of suffrage to the negroes of the
south is the direct result of the rebel
lion and the continued rebellious spirit
maintained therein, and was necessary
to secure the reconstruction of the
union and the preservation of the loyal
men therein from state worse than
slavery, and the question of suffrage in
all the loyal states belongs to the peo-
pie of those states under the constitu-
ton of the United States"
Upon this platform Gov. Baker and
Will Cunback were nominated aud
elected, and so much importance did
Gov. Baker attact to this part of the
platform, when his attention was called
to it by Senator Hendricks, in the CUB
ernatorial debate at Peru last Septem-
ber, that he felt it necessary to define
his position in the following explicit
language. He said:
"Ths interests Of loyalty demanded
negro suffrage in the rebellious states.
The whites of the south having rebel
led against the government, were dis
qualified from exercising the duties Ct
citizens, and reconstructing the rebel
state governments, and hence it became
necessary for congress to seek cut a
loyal element in the south to build up
these state governments. My friend
has talked about plantation negroes.
1 say to him that l would thousand
times rather trust loyal black in the
south than rebel. But in the north
| believe this question Of negro suffrage
belongs to the states, each state to de-
termiue for itself. That is what the
platform adopted by our convention at
Chicago declares. l will 60 farther and
say that 1 will resist with all tho pow
er at my command any attempt on the
part of the federal goveral government
to force negro suffrage upon the people
of Indiana"
The indianapolis Journal, the lead
ing republican paper in the state, Of the
22d of May, commenting on the pro-
ceedings of the convention, said:
"The platform is sound and presents
a clear aud admirable exposition Of the
fundamental principles Of the republi-
can party. Our candidates and plat
form are unexceptionablo."
Not longer ago than the 18th of
February last, the same paper in speak
ing of the proposed amendment, made
use Of the following language:
"Those republicans who are strenu-
ously urging an amendment to the con :
stitution to deprive the states OF con-
troll over the suffrage question, would
do we'll to refresh their memory by
reading that portion of the platform
on which the late presidential election
was carried"
The republican party of Marshall
county, at their convention at Plymouth,
June 10th, 1868, introduced, among
others, the following resolution, which
was unanimously adopted:
Resolved, That this convention
unreservedly endorse the principles
contained in the platform Of the state
and natl nal conventions of 1863"
In view Of this unmistakable record
of the republican party made during
the last campaign their repeated de.
mails that the question of negro suffrage
was an issue-that it was question
for the people OF each state to decide
when it should be presented to them
for consideration. We considered the
a. Al IA A Al