Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1869-10-07


true to its noble, holy principles, of
the accomplishment of its lofty des-
tiny &C Journal.
Hendricks and Morton on Negro
Suffrage.
In his speech says the Cincinnati
Commercial, at GAINESVILLE, Senator
Hendricks undertook to prove that
Senator Morton, four years ago,
was opposed to negro suffrage, and
quoted from a speech made by the
latter at Richmond, Indiana. 1t is
to be observed, however, that Sen
ator Morton's remarks applied to
the proposition of Senator Sumner
to exclude the large body of the
white voters in the Southern States
from the polls and admit only the
negroes to the ballot. Senator
Morton said, and justly, that the
result of such a policy would be the
establishment of colored State
Governments, which was not de-
sirable on many accounts. He re-
sisted the Sumner proposition, as
did the Republican party. 1t does
not follow. however, that even at
that time Senator Morton was op-
posed to negro suffrage. His op
position was to proposition that
would not only have given them
political rights, but unquestioned
governing power. Had Senator
Hendricks been candid enough to
state the case fairly, he could have
made very little out Of Morton's S
Richmond speech.
But let US assume that in 1865
Senator Morton was not in favor
of putting the ballot into the hands
Of freedmen: what of it? The eX
tension of the franchise to the re-
Gently emancipated blacks was then
an experiment to be tried, and there
was wide difference of opinion
among Republican statesmen touch
ing the result of it. Many feared ii
would lead to great social and po-
litical disorders. They were appre-
hensive that the blacks, having
strong clannisn instincts, would Or
ganize as black mans party, and
use their ly acquired power fol
the Africanization of the Southern
States. They were not sure that il
would not result in verifying Presi-
dent Johnson's prediction of a wal
of-races.
But experiment has shown that
none of these evils need be appre-
hended. The negroes, with more
sense than they have had credit for
have not acted as a clan In but
few and rare instances have they
insisted upon crowding representa-
tives oftheir race into Office. They
have divided their votes between
Republican and democratic tickets
and wherever they have had voice
have expressed their desire that no.
body should be disfranchised, but
that black and white should alike
enjoy the protection of the ballot
This sensible course on their par
has largely contributed to reconcile
Southern white men to colored suff
rage. Senator Hendricks knows as
well as we do that the Conservative
Democracy of Virginia, the Carroll
mas, Tennessee, and other States
have ceased their opposition te
negro suffrage, no longer regarding
it as dangerous or calculated to
ALLEVIATE the races. and put a bone o.
contention between them.
Whatever may have been Senator
Morton's views then-and Mr.. Hen.
bricks does not conclusively provo
that they were opposed to the en-
franchisement of the blacks-he has
since expressed himself decidedly
in favor of putting all men in this
cauntry on a basis of political equal
ity, by abolishing all distinctions or
the basis of creed and color. II the
two Indiana Senators occupied com
mon ground on this question foul
years ago, as Mr.. Hendricks woult
have us believe they did, the differ
ence between them now is the differ
ence which might be expected tt
arise between two men, one of whom
adheres to prejudice, regardless o
fact, while the other accepts fact
as they are demonstrated. ard give
his prejudices to the winds. Mr.
Hendricks will presently discove
that the people have progressed
with Morton, not stood still witt
'lHendricks. -..-.-