The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-03-04
Ratification of .hs Negro Amendment.

WV
amendment. Previous to concurrence
that body voted down proposition u
allow the people to lass upon the P"eS
tion of ratification.
1t may not be Improbable to recaI
the number of votes cast ID O"'i
branches of the Legislature IN favor o
this amendment. The House gave -
the Senate 10; total in favor of th'
Amendments -. The whole number o
sitting members is n. Many were alb
sent when the question came up. The
proposition, if ratified at all, is ratified
by vote of a minority of the Legisla-
ture. That minority not only assumes
to ratify the amendment, but it forbids
the people to express their views as to
the propriety of sucn ratification.
1t may we'll be considered for another
reason, whether the ratification is valid.
We think it is not. At the time ofvOting.
the Legislature did not know officially
that any such amendment had been
passed by Congress. The presiding
officer in neither branch had been in
formed through the proper source, OF
the action of Congress. In the absence
of such information the Legislature had
no right to act. 1t would have been
Just as competent for the Legislature OF
1868 to assume that such an amend.
ment would be passed aud then proceed
to ra'ify it, as for the Legislature of
1869 to assume that this amendment
had been passed, aud upon that assump-
tion to ratify. The Legislature has
merely passed upon a newspaper ac-
count of the proceedings Of Congress.
As there is a channel provided by law,
through which the information proper
in the case should come, our Legisla'
ture had Just as much right to act upon
a dream or prophecy as upon advice
received from any source outside OF the
official and lawful one.
This being true, the Legislature OF
1870 will have perfect right to pass
upon this amendment. The action OF
the present body is premature, informal
and invalid. When official advice
comes that Congress has passed this
amendment, valid action can be taken.
Until that time our Legislature might
as we'll waste its time in swapping
jack knives as in voting upon propo'
sitiOn which has not as yet come under
its control.
1t is admitted by the best friends OF
the amendment that the action thus far
had may be null. Their chief purpose
is to commit as many of the mem bers
as possible to the support Of the ne gro
suffrage idea, so that when the Gght
does come a record may be had by
which to make them stick" The ln-
hueLce of the vote just given is relied
upon to strengthen the amendment be-
fore the people. The final struggle will
be easier, it is thought, with this sup
port, because it to great measure COM
mits the party in the State to negro suf-
frage, and discipline may come in to
complete the ratification thus inform
ally begun.
The people are fully able to under
stand all this. We merely desire now
to call up few "reminiscences from the
last campaign. That campaign was
conducted by the Republicans of West
Virginia upon the Chicago platform, a
platform which said that Gin the 10y al
States the question of suffrage belonged
properly TO the people of those States
That pledge is now ignored. The ques-
ton of suffrage is to be taken from the
people of the loyal States. West Nir-
ginia, whether she wants the negro to
vote or not, is to be compelled to admit
him TO the ballot, and made to aid in
forcing black votes upon other States
that do not want them.
We remember well the arguments OF
leading Republicans in the late canvass.
Negro suffrage is not an issue i'll this
canvass. When it comes up the people
OF West Virginia will decide it for them
selves. 1t cannot and shall not be
forced upon them without their consent
in any event they will have the
privilege of voting upon any amend
ment of the fundamental laws looking
10 the enfranchisemrnt of the blacks.
By such arguments, and with such as
suraRces the Republicans succeeded in
carving this State. Upon such plat.
form as this amendment they would
have been beaten by ten thousand ma
iority. But succeeding upon principles
that the people favor, they are now us
ing their power to force upon the peo
nile. principles that they ashor.
Worse than this. In so doing the!
are false TO their pledges, false to thei
platform and false to their constitu
ents. Claiming power under false pre-
tences, they are now exercising 1t t
change the whole system of Govern
ment, to centralize all power, to tak'
from the States the last vestige of dig
nlty and authority attaching to them
and all this by cOwardly chicanery
which shrinks from allowing the people
TO say whether they can or cannot, en-
dure the bigh-handed procedure.
We are happy to be able to except
from the list of Republican members, a
goodly number of gentlemen who re
fused TO sacrifice personal honor ant
political god faith in order to accom-
plish reckless partisan project. Ii
the Senate and in the House there were
members (their names appear in the re
ports) who manfully withstoOd this ini
quitous transaction. They respected