Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-08-26


| counting Ohio, and will, in all human
probability, become part of the funda-
mental law before the election of 1870.
/ While it is highly desirable that the
| Legislature of Ohio, to b= elected this
fall. shall ratify the Fifteenth Amend.
ment, yet it is not likely 20 be imper-
! tant that il should do so, and people of
all ,pai ties may make up their minds
| that the -colored men of Ohio will have
| right to vote in October. 1870, and
govern themselves accordingly. Vir-
einia, Mississippi and Texas will ratify
| the amendment, as all parties in those
| States have declared themselves in its
| favor, and the law of Congress will re-
quire it as condition precedent to their
! restoration to representation in Con-
gress; and enough other States may be
surely counted upon, with those that
have already acted, to make the requi-
| site three-fourths.
Indiana has ratified the amendment,
! Notwithstanding the desperate and rev.
olutionary measures resorted to by the
Democratic party of that State to defeat
| its action.
Twice the Democratic members of the
Senate and House of Representatives in
the Indiana Legislature resigned their
seats for the purpose of breaking a quo
rum, relying upon strained and forced
construction of the Constitution of the
| State-the same which the rebels sought
to give to the Constitution of the United
| States when they claimed that Congress
was destroyed in 1851 by the secession
| of the Senators and Representatives
from the Southern States. But the
sound judicial mind of the country, and
the common sense of the people, repudi-
ated the construction alike in each case,
and rejected any Interpretation of the
Constitution which would enable fac
tious minority to destroy the Legislature
or Congress. 49,, a.. HlrGs
But the example of resignation set by
the Democratic members of the Indiana
Legislature. I commend most heartily
to the Democratic members of the Ohio
| Stale Legislature, and in fact to Demo-
cratic officials, every where throughout
| the land. Let Democratic office-holders
be encouraged to resign, as the speediest
and most certain means by which they
can be entitled to the, gratitude Of their
| country. see -s.t'.,s; ,farea srs -tri-.a
STATE RIGHTS.
The seventh resolution resolves "that
the policy and legislation of the Radical
party tend to destroy the reserved rights
VI ShCa Cb1LCcs hud
| into consolidated despotism." What
the policy and legislation referred to are,
is not stated, but we know very well
what they mean. They nean the denial
by the Republican party of State sever-
eighty and of the right of secession; for
In no other respect has the Republican
party invaded or violated what they
call the reserved rights, as understood
by the fathers of the Republic, and as
guaranteed by the Constitution of the
United States, arefully respected by the
Republican, party and will ever be re-
served intact, but that Infamous and
lloody doctrine OF State sovereignty aud
its first born child, the.right of secession,
which has cost the nation so dearly in
blood and ,treasure-which have been
the parents of SO much misery and suf-
fering, we abhor, and ever shall. The
accursed resolutions of lbs aud 1893
have for nearly fifty yeaFs been incor-
porated i'll the Democratic platform and
are inseparably connected with its very
existence. If political surgery were
capable of cutting out this destroying
cancer from the body of the Democratic
party without taking its life, it would
be possible for the party to reform and
again become entitled to the confidence
of the American people, but history fur
nishes no example of the kind, and there
is nothing in the present condition of
the party which would authorize US to
indulge any such hope.
a.lti COMMON SCHOOLS.
1t is an axiom, the truth of which can
not be denied, that republican govern
melt can be safely founded only upon
the general Intelligence of the people
can only be secured by a system of COM
mon sehe0ls wherein education shall be
free and open to all the children of the
country. The eect mon school system of
Ohio, and OF other States, is of the very
essence of their republican Institutions,
and any blow aimed at that system is
directed to the very foundation of the
Republic. The Democratic party of
Ohio have not taken open ground
against this system, and we must be-
lieye that large portion are in favor of
it. But still, it is well known that there
is q very considerable portion of the
party that are decidedly, nay, bitterly
opposed to the common school in any
form, and would, if they had the power,
strike it down and destroy it. 1t may
be also stated that the Democratic party
has not grown aud fourished generally
where the common school system has
hCCh OAOuEhs w ehS SAOoeSoo PCihSSeAOht
and that common schools and Democra-
cy do not go very we'll together, and it
is but natural that the party should look
with some degree of jealously and dis
favor upon system which is unfriendly
to its general growth and prosperity. If,
therefore, there be a candidate for any
Office, high or low, who is opposed to
the common school system, or whose
position upon that question is doubtful,
he should not receive the support of any
man who believes sincerely in republic
can Institutions and desires their pre-
servation. .,-.=. 81. ..,-.... .....
There is no more insidious and dam
gerous warfare against republican gov
ernment than that which is being waged
in some quarters against common
schools, and the true friends of Repub-
Iicanism can not begin too soon to meet
these attacks and hurl them back with
defiance and defeat. And whenever the
position of candidate for Governor, for
the Legislature or for any important
office, becomes such that he can not or
will not express himself in behalf of the
system of common schools, you should
not vote for him, no difference what
may be his professions on all other SUBJ
jects, and / invite you to apply this test
to them all over the Sta e.
n: DEMOCRACY ANALYZED.
= Looking at the future policy of the
Democratic party through this platform,
1T proposes nothing affirmative in its
character but the destruction of the Ma
tional Banks and the Reputation of the
national debt, and for the National
Banks it proposes no substitute what
ever. And as the country must and will
have banks of some kind, it follows (this
we know from other sources) that the
authors of this platform desire to return
to that old system of State Banks that
for so many years robbed aud plundered
the country by their failures. and made