Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-04-01
Latest From the Democracy.


members of the Indiana Legislature
who resigned their place rather than
vote upon the Fifteenth Amendment
is ludicrous and humiliating; but il
contains the substance of the Democra-
tic opposition every where. Kentucky
has rejected the Amendment so has
Delaware; SO will New Jersey; the
Democratic members of the New York
Legislature opposed it-and all virtually
for the reasons laid down in the India.
ma address. This, therefore, may be
considered the latest political manifesto
of the party that calls aloud for"states'
manship."
"We believe, +" say the Indiana gen,
tlemsn, "the government was formed
for white men, in the interest of white
men, as well as we Eno,O it was created
bu white men," The italics are theirs
and grammar, truth, reason, and COM
nonsense sink in one general ruin in
this oomical performance. The real
opinions of the founders of the govern
ment are so familiar to intelligent persons
that it is needless to repeat them. Their
general view was that slavery was in
csnsistant with the principles of the
government; but that it was rapidly
disappearing, and would soor end while
color was not bar to the suffrage
If Washington, and Madison, and
Hamilton, and jefferson, and George
Mason, and James Otis, andJohn
Adams, the men who signed the
Declaration and the Constitution, were
living to-day, every body knows how
earnest would be their support of the
Amendment.
And if it were not so-if the fathers
had held different opinion in their
time and under their circumstances, is
it impossible for Indiana Democrats to
see that we live in other times and cir
cumstances? Now that there are NO
slaves now that the suffrage is equal
in the old slave States; now that we
must have a vast. population OF pariahs,
or extend tho suffrage to all now that
agitation of the question is as wise and
timely as the discussion of the Louisi-
ana purchase; now that the,country has
finally and authoratively pronounced
upon the subject, why do not the Indi-
ana Democrats take up new line, which
there might be some hope Of holding p
ed statesmen opposing the prohibition
of the African slave trade. They will
be sending petitions to the White House,
praying General Jackson not to relax
his terrible hold of Mr.. Nicholas Biddle.
They will go to the people Of Indiana
upon the question ofadopting the Mont
gomery Constitution. These worthy
gentlemen call themselves "hard head
ed representives"-of lignum vita or
iron-wood
The Indiana Democratic representa-
tives declare that ''every thing is made
to bow to this insane folly of negro wor-
ship" but they propose to protest to the
end. fall constitutional and legal
barriers, and middle walls of partition
(sic) between the races, are to be broken
down." what gastly consequences will
not follow? These people are to be ed
ucated! They are to labor! They are
to be equal in the making of the laws
that govern them! And if you break
down middle walls of partition what is
to prevent the ingenious Democratic
youth of Indiana from intermarrying
with those who are not white people p
What is to become of the instinct of in
feriority that we Democrats are forever
prating of, if constitutional and legal
barriers give way? If "the degraded
'colored racen are not to be treated as
cattle, 'then will our whole State be
flooded with this population"
Anu more OF Ine same, SalQ the. sem
tentieus but fatigued usher announcing
the Smith family at the levee The
feeblest clap-trap of desperate Demo
cratic compaign speech of twenty years
ago is put forth by these worthy Indi-
ana gentlemen as an inevitable step of
progress. And theparty which will not
learn, which in the midst of the war cried
out for surrender, and when the war was
over demanded reputation and restora-
ton of the rump of the slave power, can
only falsify history and insult human
nature in its frantic and futile effort to
save some relic of antiquated injustice.
|-[Harper's Weekly.