Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-09-26

would bring abost results that should not
be hoped for, and would finally, believe,
result In a war Of races"
In regard to the personal fitness and
qualification of the negro to be avoter and
a political power in this country, Gov.
Morton used this language: s. AS said
before, only one in FIVE hundred can read.
Many of them, until within the last few
months, we're never off of the plantation;
most of them never out of the county in
which they live and were born, except as
they were driven by the slave drivers.
Can you conceive that a body Of men,
white or black, who have been in this con-
dition, and their ancestors before them,
are qualified to be Immediately lifted from
their present state into the full exercise of
political power, not only to govern them
selves and their neighbors, but TO take
part in the Government of the United
States? Can they be regarded as intelli-
gent or independent voters2 The mere
statement of the fact furnishes an answer
to the question"
/ ne kcuNAclAAdn " AAD u HApo'NN hAaN'FN
views four years ago, in regard to the
question of eolored State Governments in
the South, in regard to the qualifications.
of the negro for the exercise Of political
power, In 1863 says to the great State Of
Ohio, 1t is your duty to ratify an amend
ment to the Constitution of the United
States which will make them vote every
where in the Union.
But in a more solemn and important pa
per than that from which read, Gov.
Morton subsequently, represented his
views. In message delivered by him as
Governor of the State of Indiana to the
Legislature in the fall of 1865, he uses this
language; Il
- The subject of suffrage is, by the IA
tional Constitution, expressly referred to
the determination of the several States,
and it cannot be taken from them with
out violation of the letter and spirit OF
that instrument"
As Governor, in a message, he said TO
the State of Indiana, you cannot take
from the States the control of the ques-
tion of suffrage without violating the let
ter snd spirit Of the Constitution Of the
United States, and now he says to the
people of Ohio, you ought to ratify the
Fifteenth Amendment.
In the message he went on 10 say:
alt is a fact so manifest that it should
not be called in question by any, that
people who are just emerging from the
bsrbarism Of slavery are not qualified 10
become part of eur political system, and
10 take part, not only in the government
of themselves and their neighbors, but Of
the whole United States. So far from be-
lievlng that negro suffrage is a remedy
from all our national ills, l doubt whether
it is a remedy for any, and rather believe
that its enforcement by Congress would
be mere likely to subject the ne gro 10
war of races"
But GOV. Morton tells the men of
Ohio. in his speech, that there are three
States fast. There sre Virginia, Mississippi
and Texas that are decided to g for it.
And anyhow they are compelled TO sup
port the amendment before they are to be
allowed representation in Congress, under
the late reconstruction acts. You know
they Aaye had good many conditions
upon which those States are to be admit
ted to representation, aAdiast spring they
added one, and that condition Was that
these three States, Virginia, Mississippi
and Texas, should not be admitted unless
they first ratified that constitutional
Amendment. In other words, it is said to
a State Of the Union, " You shall not be
admitted TO representation, that repre-
sentation that you are entitled to under
the Constitution of the United States, un-
less you first ratify an amendment TO the
Constitution" Why the Constitution con-
| templates the free judgment of EACH state.
The Constitution, providing for an amend
ment Of Itself, never contemplated that
States should be eoereed or forced into an
amendment, but that each State of the
great family should vote upon her own
Judgment free and unbiased. But now
they say to three States: You have got
/ to vote to ratify the amendment, else you
/ shall not have representation in Con
gress." l don't know, gentlemen, what
/ those three States will do, but this much
L hope, that If either of these States in
Judgment are opposed to The amendment,
! that such State will express her judgment
and then let The question stand squarely
before the Congress of The pnit9d states,
let the question stand squarely before the
| people, whether a State is to be excluded
from representation simply because she
won't amend the Constitution Of the
United States according to the dictation of
a political party.
| What is this Fifteenth Amendment?
/ m, -. -. .......-i.l o. tI,nt tho ,.irhf of