The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1869-09-30
The Fifteenth Amendment.

AS WE suggested last week, the resolution
OF both wings of the Democratic party at
the North to resist the Fifteenth Amend
ment gives a peculiar and unexpected i'm
portance to the political situation. That
amendment provides that no State shall
disfranchise citizen by reason OF color,
and it is opposed upon two grounds: first,
that the subject should not be regulated
by the National Government; and, sec
ond, that coIored citizens ought not to be
allowed to vote upon equal terms with
others
The tone adopted in pressing the first
objection, as if there were some outrage in
submitting proper question to the coun-
try in the constitutional manner, is merely
ridiculous Even if it were undesirable
that the conditions of suffrage should be
determined by the National Government,
1t is certainly not improper that the peo-
pie should be asked to decide the question
in the manner that they have themselves
provided. Consequently the assertion OF
the Ohio Democratic platform that the
attempt to regulate suffrage IN ono by
means of the so-called Fifteenth Con
stitutional Amendment is subversive of
the principles of the Federal Con-
stitution" is transparent folly. The
Federal Constitution is the body of
fundamental laws, to which additions are
The principle of the Constitution, so to
speak, is that it shall be supreme all over
the States in every particular that shall
seem expedient for welfare. Thus, the
Thirteeth Amendment forbids any State to
tolerate slavery; the Fourteenth secures
the equal civil rights of every citizen of
the United States; and the Fifteenth pro-
poses to prohibit unreasonable disfran-
chisement.
Is it desirable, then, that the States
should be allowed to prescribe a qualifca-
Unquestionably not, because nothing is
gained by it but the qualification of a
prejudice Color does not determine in
telligence nor political capacity. The color
of the skin is a disqualification as unrea-
sonabIe as that of the hair or eyes. More
over, it is disability which, by perpetual
ing distinction of caste among the citi
zens, forever renews the freshness of the
feelings from which the war arose. The
Pennsylvania Democratic platform de-
clares that the party in that State lis OPP
posed to comforting upon the negro the
right to vote" 1t gives no reason, and
how could it? How could party which
courts ignorance, and which does not con-
slider habitual drunkenness to be valid
bar to the suffrage, offer any plausible
reason for excluding honest, intelligent
sober colored men from the polls? 1t is
opposed to the voting of the colored citi-
zens because it knows that the votes of d
class which the Democratic party has done
its best to degrade will naturally be cast
against it. If the colored vote of Penn
sylyania and Ohio were sure for that party,
does any observer suppose the party
would object to the voting of negroes ?
If the same vote were not sure to be
thrown against the party in New York, is
it supposable that the Democrats would
insist upon the present inequality of the
suffrage in this State? The Democratic
party endeavors by every kind of fraud,
as at the last election in New York, to
secure the voting of the most ignorant
foreigners, who have, and can have, no
possible knowledge of the merits or
tendency of the issues; is it conceivable
that such party opposes the equal voting
of intelligent native citizens because they
are colored?
Until this question is settled there can
be no escape from the old issues; and the
question may be postponed, but it can be
settled in one way only. No man in his
senses can imagine that this State, or this
country, viii finally rest in a policy OF
discrimination among citizens so baseless
and Infamous as this. A qualification o
residence of education, of familiarity with
the language, is reasonable and intelligi
bic, but one Of color is contemplate anC
eXasperating. Apparently the Democratic
Convention in this State will declare
against the Fifteenth Amendment, and
against the provision Of the new State
Constitution that euualizes the suffrage
1t viii then be for the orderly and intelli-
gent citizens to determine how the public
welfare is to be promoted By the success
of a party pledged to perpetuate upon
such grounds the difference that has sc
long and so cruelty vexed us.
Or are there other considerations in
ftvor of its success that make this obiec
ton insignificant? Ohio will, undoubt
edly, reject Mr.. Fendleton; but shall
New York virtually declare In favor OF
him and of his reputation? If there i.
general discomfort with the character OF
the Legislature, let the vctcr reflect wheth
er it is likely to be improved by being
composed entirely or in majority of such
members as the city of New York now
sends The Republican party is the friend
of the Fifteenth Amendment, of the IA
tional faith, of equal Suffrage in this State
Of strict registry, and of the utmost pro
lection of the balot-box against fraud O
every kind. 1t is certainly not less homes
and economical than its adversary Wher
il is added that it is in favor of settling
the long disturbing difficulty of our poll
tics in the most Just, reasonable, Ameri
can, and inevitable manner, can any mar
who has hitherto sustained it doubt as tt
his duty ?-HuTper's Weekly.