The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1869-10-28
THE VINTON RECORD.
SMcA RTHU II, OHIO,
THURSDAY,O OCT, 2S, 1859.


The Enquirer last week had
Job Lucas on the brain, and
reads Jnb, the Trustees and
ourself The law which was
passed by the defunet Demo,
cratic Legislature of last win
ter, and threatens us all with
the Penitentiary and a thou.
sand dollars fine. He thinks
he'll scare some person. This
Democratic law attempts to
make it a crime for persons
who have been adjudged legal
voters by the Supreme Court
of the State to offer their bal
lots, and to make it a criminal
oiTense for any person to ad'
wise them 10 secure this right,
made sacred by the Conslitu.
tion itself. 1t is in keeping
and is of the same class as the
unconstitutional laws disfran.
chising students at Colleges
and crippled soldiers at the
Soldiers Home.
This law is a big thing fo"
the Democracy as far as it
goes, hut it can't do what the
Constitution forbids-disfran.
chise legal voters. Persons
having mDre white blood than
black have been decided 10 he
legal voters, and Ior our neigh
boris sake we will quote Il de.
cision Of the Supreme Court of
the State made by a Democrat
&c Bench as far back as 1912.
The Constitution has not been
changed in that particular
since, and the decision has
been confirmed time AMI again.
The Judges were Ebenezer
Lane, Reuben Wood (after-
wards elected Governor Of
Ohio by the Democracy Pc.
ter Hitchcock and Frederick
Grimke. The case was Elwill
Thacker against John Hawk
and others, Trustees Of Wilkes
vile Tp., then in Gallia coun-
ty, and was taken to the Su
preme Court on a writ of error,
the Common Pleas Court hav
ing "instructed the jury that a
man who has any negro blood
s:G G!:aatever was not o vo'er.'
The Supreme Court decided
"Asto the instructions of the court,
l believe they are wrong. There are
but three classes of persOns-blacks,
Or negroes, mulattoes and whites,
knownto our laws. A black, or he.
gro, is a full blood African. or one
nearer to that than Il mulatto; a mh-
latto is one begotten between II white
and negro, or one nearer to that
than white, and white person
embraces all which are neither blacks
nor mulattoes.
This question has been decided
in Ohio. Polly Gray v.Ohio, A Ohio
Rep. 354. In this case, it was held
that Polly Gray. being nearer white
than a mNlatto. was white person,
and negro could not be a witness
against her. The same question came
before this court on the circuit, in
the case of Williams V. School Di-
rectors, &C., Wright Rep. 57S. 1t
was there held. that the children OF
white mother, and father three
quarters white. were white children,
and, as such, were entitled to attend
the public schools. Since these de-
cisions, such persons have been con-
sidered white, and have been permit
ted to vote. and their votes were de.
decided to be legal, in the contested
election from Hamilton county. in
the session of 1Sl0--1. The only queS-
tion, then, is. will the court maintain
Its OWL decision?"
"Judgment of Common Pleas Court
reversed" .r- +
Alr. Lucas swore that lie
had a prcponderauce of white
blood, and we are glad the
Trustees had the moral cour'
age 10 d1 their pain duty, not
wlthstanding they knew that
it would bring tie whole Dem.
ocralic pack, healed by the
Enquirer barking at their
heels. -...
A Neat Gain.
Capt. Ii. G. Jones was elect.
ed Stale Senator two wears