The New York herald., 1869-03-10
The Breakup Of the Indiana Legisla
More Democratic Blundcring.

The Break-up Of the Indiana Legislature-
More Denocrasic Blunderins.
The proposed fifteenth amendment Of the
constitution, sent out the other day from Con-
gress to the States, and endorsed by General
Grant in his inaugural, provides that "there
shall be no abridgment by the United States
or by any State of the right to vote on
account of race, color or previous condition Of
servitude," and that Congress shall have
power to enforce this provision by appropriate
legislation" This means impartial suffrage to
all male citizens above the age Of twenty-one
years-whites, blacks. Indians and Chinese.
Half dozen States have already ratified this
amendment. and it was about to be taken up
in the Indiana Legislature the other day, when
the democratic minority bolted, seeded and
went home, leaving both houses without .
quorum, and consequently incapable OF any
legislation at all. To meet the emergency
the republican Governor (Baker) has issued
call for new elections to I'LL the places Of the
seeding members In time for q new meeting
of the Legislature on the lst Of April, the
fifteenth amendment
The democrats, in this act Of secession, have
been playing ridiculous game. If they I'LL
all these vacancies they will be only where they
left off but the probability is that from fear
that if they have the chance they may play the
same game over again, there win be quorum
elected to both houses without them. In any
event the democrats have been blundering
again on the niger. They still dream OF "the
constitution as it was" under Buchanan, when,
rights which white man was bound to
respect" But since that day two amendments
have been added to the constitution-the thir-
teenth, abolishing slavery root and branch,
and the fourteenth, declaring, among other
things, equality to niggers in the matter Of
civil rights, and that suffrage and representa-
ton shall go together. Now comes the fifteenth
amendment, giving to the black man, the red
man, and the yellow man, the everlasting mig
ger, the Indian, and the Chinaman citizenized
General Grant, too, thinks this amendment
will settle all this business, and SO he hopes it
will be duly ratified by the States This endorse
ment, there is every reason to believe, will
carry this amendment through; for, says Rich
ard, ''the kings name is tower of strength. "
Why, then, will the democrats persist in this
folly Of fighting the nigger, when they have
been almost destroyed in their successive dis
asters on the niger question since 1854? But
for the stupidity of their copperhead and rebel
leaders of the Tammany Convention they
might have run even General Grant tight
. race, and they might have secured handsome
majority in the present House of Representa-
tives But instead Of recognizing the ''fxed
facts" before them the stupid managers of the
party proclaimed the reconstruction acts of
Congress unconstitutional, revolutionary,
null and void," and so they were swamped
again in '66, as they had been under John
son on the same issue in '66. So they
are out in the cold, watching and waiting for
some providential smash-up of the republican
party, and apparently incapable of seeing any
thing to fight against but the almighty nigger.
He is to them what bit of red flannel is to an
enraged bull or turkey cock-an intolerable
insult, to be resented, reckless of conse-
uupnces