The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-08-24


ballot-box and all official situations to
the inferior black, red and yellow races,
the reasons of Gov. Haight against it,
are sound and unanswerable. The agi-
.atnrs Of this unnatural scheme are of
the came mark and temper generally the
same men) of those who, against the
that they would deluge the
country in blood, persevered in their ia
natical crusade against the contract Of
Union, until they provoked the late hor-
rible war. The same dangers from these
new agitations are rising tip ir dark
clouds, and threaten even worse catas-
trophc. For when the inevitable evils
which must grow out of this prostituting
the franchise, are felt and realized, they
will be summarily combatted and re-
moved it whatever cost; and it is ex-
tremely probable that the agitators in
this business will be roughly taught that
this is y ''white mans government 1t
would lie well for them and their weak,
deluded victims to be warned in time.
we quote these passages:
A practical question is now presented
to the American people, which will in
effect determine whether the State gov
ernments are to lose what remains of
their independence and become the pow
erlcss appendages Of an overshadowing
central power; whether we are to live
under republic or an empire; and par
ticularlv whether California is to be gov
erned by our own race as heretofore, or
be subjected to Asiatic suffrage and its
consequences. Congress, pursuing the
same line of policy which has character
lied that body during the past four
years, has made use of its power to pre-
sent for ratification an amendment to the
Federal Constitution, prohibiting the
States from controlling the elective fran
chise within their borders so as to ex-
clude any on the ground of race or
color. Stripped of specious verbiage,
the proposal is to compel the States to
admit to the ballot-box all who are or
can become citizens, whether negroes,
Chinese or Indians. With the motives
or purposes Of those who have forced
this issue upon the country we have no
present concern. Such design was
disavowed in the last canvass, but it Is
not the first time thai the leaders OF Con-
gress have gained power to accomplish,
or at least attempt, a purpose they had
previously disavowed. Whether the
motive is to seek to perpetuate political
power and official emoluments by the aid
of the negro and Chinese suffrage, or
whether it is to crafty feelings OF i'll
will against the seeded and border slave
States-whether il is to form profita-
BILE alliance between wealthy corpora
tions and purchasable voters, or whether
it is crack drained humanitarianism run
mad is not important. :.
In a national point of view the destl-
nies of this great country are now IN the
hands of Congress, twenty of whose
Senators, and fifty or sixty OF whose
REPRESENTATIVES sit for constituency, In
part, the most degraded, ignorant, and
incapable that exists, either in America
or Europe. To the already corrupt at
mospherc of the capital comes an acces-
sion of twenty Senators and fifty or
sixty Representatives, delegated by the
negroes of the Southern States, thou
sands of whom have not sufficient intel
ligence to recollect their own names
from one day to another. This IS the
national view of the case. There is i
feature of this amendment, however,
which is of vital importance to Callfor-
mia, involving as it does the question OF
Asiatic suffrage. In the course OF Con
gress upon this question, we have an.
other illustration of the effect of Federal
action upon subject, in reference to
which, the people of the Eastern States
arc ignorant and in which they have little
or no concern.
Congress was besought by two of the
Senators from this coast to modify the
amendment so as to exclude Chinese
suffrage, but it refused to allow US the
protection Which such modification
would aforl. The adoption of the pro
posed amendment will make Chinese
suffrage inevitable. Let any man who
doubts this look at the organic and stat
utory legislation of the past four years
and the public declarations of such O
the Republican leaders as claim to 5t
rational and moderate. The whole ten
dency of Congressional legislation ha:
been to obliterate all distinctions i'll po
litical and social privilege which are
founded on race and color, and to ele
vate the African and Asiatic to u poitl
cal and Social equality with the white
race.
A prominent and able member OF thu
Senate, Mr. Trumbull, who knows less o
the Chinese than he does of tue Choc
taws, inquiries with a triumphant all
whether a people who possess the oldes
civilization in the world are not rs mucl
entitled to the elective franchise as th'
descendants OF Huttentct5 end cannibals
The inquiry is a significant one, coming
from gentleman who stated on th'
floor of the Senate that be considered
the children of Cinnamon as suitable fol
citizenship as the children of German:
a man reckoned among the Conserva
tive members of his party. 1t is tru'
he might as well inquire, whether thu
Turks and Bedouin, the Copts of Egypt
and the Sepcys of India would not be ii
supporters of Republican Institutions
but fauaticism has 4 sovereign coLtemp
for facts Paganism, despotism, ant
resistance to all progress are denomlna
ted civilization 10y some who claim to bt
statesmen.
The people of the Eastern States arr
so ignorant of Chinese character tha
they think the Chinese as well qualified
for citizenship as Europeans. They dt
not comprehend that Chinese are Pa
gans, with no knowledge of the .tru'
God-with no enlightened conscience t
which an appeal can be made; that the,
have always lived under an Aslatic DIES
potism, and have no conception OF fre
Institutions; that the whole population
Is virtually owned and controlled her
| h,, n four S0n,nan;ac and that to Uiy