Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1869-08-20
signs OF war Between tho Radicals
and the Negroes.


Some OF the II ldicals are opening their
eyes. They are cutting their wisdom-teeth
They are getting u new wrinkle or two nprn
heir foreheads. They are beginning tn
concludr, since the elections in Virginiv
aud Tennessee, that tho negro is not ex-
acty the sort o. creature their fancies
painted him. They find that he will not,
as they confidently expected, pull under
all circum tIDces in their traces, submit to
the restraint Of their sntfil hits, believe
every thing thew they tell him, do whatever
they bid him, be their horse, their ass, their
male, their dog, their cat, but that he will
will take 1t into his obstinate head occas-
ioDally that the Dem lcra,s, his old frit nds,
the proprieto-s Of the estates around him,
are as good, quite as 6t TO be trusted, fully
as worthy to be voted for and relied on, as
the carpet. bagrcrs and scalawdgs, who have
done nothing bat csjole aud humbug and
hambo, gle him from d st to last with ia Sc
and treacherOus promises. I'm toubtedly
most IT the negroes of Virginia stt Ten
nessee, too ignorant aud stupid TO have yet
learned the lesso' spread out before them,
are still disposed TO vote with the Radicals:
ami yet considerable number of them
went with the D, mocracy in the late cleo
tious, and the number Of such is rapidly
increasing, and, il careful and vigorous ex.
ertiOns shall be m ade by the Conservatives,
the number will continue to increase more
and more rapidly until a majnIi'y of the
freedmen and their descendants will I've
foLn acting under the guidance of the true
wisd Jm, intelligence, virtue, aud patriotism
OF the land. Negro suffrage, u great evil
in itself, may be made ~ minister to some
good pm poses.
The leading r radicals see all this, and IL
alarms and rags them. They fud, from
the fac's before their eyes, that they have
got to or counter a condition Of things very
diff trent from what they have been conf.
deDty anticipating, They perceive that
the bomb from their political mortar, after
VIII Zz'ne, screaming, and grating in the
air, Is liFely TO burst over their own head.
s Imethipg therefore must he done. sam.
po is 10 be read nut of the II ldical church.
He i (sould you believe it, oh staring
readerf)lu he DISTINGUISHED. Alas alas! a
thousand times alas! for the "man aud
brother - L ok at an elaborate article
written at the capital of the nation, ay
written ny authority at the Radical head
quarters, and proposing 10 take the right
OF suffrage flOm at least Dinsty-nine out of
every hnudred u grots now entitled TO vote.
That amicl is put forth in the Washington
X publican, and the following is an extract
from it
The system q putting the ballet box into the
hands Of the ignorant masses-no matter of what
origin-n continued, cannot fail TO lead to very
serious II not disastrous results. Congress will
be renss In its du,y to the country II early action
ON the subject Is neglected. It is commended by
many Of out ablest men, and with great force OF
aEgVment that the best suffrage qualification would
be ability 90 read and write the English language
correctly" With this as the universal qualihca-
ton test In all Federal and State elections the bal
lot box would be protected against ignorance, and
to very large extent against the possibility OF cor
| ruption.
| upon the negroes Of all the Southern States,
such language seems strange indeed, and Il
appears dou6ly strange 10 view Of the pend
amendment TO the Federal Constitution
compelling the univels sal negro ballot 10 all
| the States of the Union. One would sup
| pose that what has been done would be
| slightly in the way of the future nndOing
| of past compuisi e acts-hut with RAdica $
nothing is easier than rolling up the Cou-
siituti,m one year and burning IL up, II
need bc, the next l. is n dead letter when
| il pinches d idcal toes, aud a foot as long
rs a giaat's When free aud easy oonstruc-
ton is r. quired, aud so the Republican
proceeds:
1t is objected that we cannot deprive any portion
| of our citizens Of the right of suffrage already
granted them. 1heTe u no ground upon winch "a
base such conclusion; but ifeyen the argument
| sound II would offer no plea against the proposed
change Ia the laws governing the right Of suffrage
suppose Congress, during the next session, enacted
a sixteenth amendment to the Constitution, requir.
| ing the qualification Of ability to read and write
tho English language correctly" the condition q
a right OF suffrage, TO take effect In one, two, any
certain number Of reArs hence that might be agreed
upon and called pom The different States to ratify
their act what STATE class Of intelligent ctizen'
would object to the propositionf None whatever
The measure would be universally popular.
Another amendment is to be tried since
the African has becoms refractory aud the
Pagan Chinese are not to be relied on
Hurrah now for 18th amendment to the
Federal Constitution We'll, IL there is "a
be war, horrid war, between the radical,
and the the negroes, the latter, badly rs u Z
greater part OF them have behaved under
the influence Of the wicked dslusiOns prac
ticed upon them by the former, can rely on
the d, mOcrats for justice.