The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-11
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL oPrsIoSs or THs LEADING 'orhEALS
gros oURRSNT roPIos-cONPILED EvsRT
DAY RoR rRE EVENING TELEGRAPH
rh0 Rrrnk.nn of the In0lana Leglslature.

The Rreak.uv Of the Indiana Legislature.
Prom The N. y. Herald
Tho rronosed fifteenth amendment OF the
Constitn,iop. cent out the other day from Con,
Uress TO the States, and endorsed by General
Grant In his inaugural, provides that liners
shall be no abrioguent by the UhlIeo o'asos
or by apy State of the right to vote on
account OF race, color, or previous cono.uon VI
seryitude," and that Congress shah hsVe
power TO enforce this provision by appropriate
fepislatiop." This means impartial suffrage
to ali male citizens above the age of twenty
one years-wbites, blacks, Indians, and Chi-
nese. Halfa,dozen States have all eady rati-
fad this amendment, and 1t was about to be
taken mn in the Indiana Legislature the other
dav, when the Democratic minority Dolted,
seeded, and went home, leaving both houses
without quorum, and consequently IhoaPa-
bla of any legislation at all. To meet the
emergency the Republican Governor (Bsker)
has issued call for new elections to NIL the
nlaees of the seeding members in time for q
new meeting of the Legislature on the lst OF
April. the main idea being the ratification OF
said fifteenth ame ndment.
The Democrats, in tn 8 act Of secession, have
been playing a ridiculous game. II they fill
ali these vacancies they will be only whsre
they left off; but the probability is that from
fear that if they have the chance they may
play the same game over again, there Will be
n 1uorum elected to both houses without
them. In any event, the Democrats have
been blundering again on the niger. They
still DIRE am Of 'tbe Constitution as 1t was"
under Buchanan, when, by the Dred Scott de-
oisiop. a negro had "no rights which white
man was bound TO res pect.' Bat since that
day two amendments have been added to the
Constitution - the thirteenth, abolishing
slavery root and branch, and the fourteenth,
declaring, among other things, equality to
niggers in the matter of civil rights, and that
suffrage and representation shall 60 together.
Now comes the fifteenth amendment, giving
TO the black man, to the red man, and the
yellow man, the everlasting niger, the Indian,
and the Chipaman cit,zenized, the same right
of suffrage as the white man. General Grant,
too, thinks this amendment will settle all this
business, and 80 he hopes it will be duly rati-
fled by the States. This endorsement, there
is every reason to believe, will carry this
amendment through for, says Richard, "the
kings name is a tower Of strength"
Why, then, will the Democrats persist in
this folly of fighting the Niger, when they
have been almost destroyed in their successive
disasters on the Niger question since 1854?
But for the stupidity OF their Copperhead and
Rebel leaders of the Tsmmanys Convention,
they might have run even General Grant q
tight race, and they might have secured a
handsome majority in the present House of
Representatives. But instead Of recognizing
the "fxed facts" before them, the stupid man.
ayers Of the party proclaimed the reoonstruc-
tion aots of Congress unconstitutional, revo.
lutionary, null, and void,' and 80 they were
swamped again in '6S, as they had been under
johnson on the same issue in '66. So they
are out in the cold, watching and waiting TO-
some providential smash-up of the Republican
party, and apparently incapable of seeing any
thing to fight against hut the almighty Niger
He is to them what a bit OF red flannel is to q
enraged bull or turkey oock-an intolerabl
Insult, to be resented, reckless of conse
quences.