New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-26
THE NTH AMENDMENT.

The propOsition Of the last Congress tiial no
native or naturalized citizen OF the Ohlteu
States shah benceforth be deprived 10y any
State Of tbe Right of Suffrage because OF MS
race or color, is emphatically measure OF pa
cifcation. 1t is practical confession OIL inc
force. or at least the plausibility, OF sharp
Southern criticism on the Republican Natlonai
Platform on which Gen. Grant was nOmi-
nated-that the North proposed to impose
NEGRO Suffrage on the South, but re-
iected It for herself 1t is correction
of existing anomalies utterly Incompatible
with genuine republicanism. And 1t VIII put
an end to a senseless, fruitless, irritating
damaging controversy, and enable our People
70 give paramount if not undivided attention
TO great questions of fiscal and industrial pro.
gress which imperatively demand undistracted
and thorough consideration. There is not
county in the Union which would not be en-
rched, hardly a farm, forest or water-power
that would not have its value increased, by
sneedy ratification of the pending XVIII Amend
ment.
1t is announced from Washington that the
records of the State Department show that
this Amendment has been
CompeeIy Ratified by-North Carolina, West Virginia
Massachusetts,
South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Connecticut,
Florida-12.
In,petectly Ratified by-Missouri, Kansas
Rejected 6y-Delaware, Kentucky-2
This list is grossly incomplete. New \ ork
has ratified, though our Democratic State OIL
| GERS may have withheld the evidence of this
| fact from tho State Department New-Hamp-
! shire, Nevada, Indiana, have.certainly ratified !;
and we supposed that Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois,
! Nebraska aud Alabama, had done likewise.
Vermont will ratify soon after her Legislature
meets next October; and Rhode Island we are
| assured will do likewise in November.
But these, with the errors in Missouri and
Kansas corrected, will but swell the list of Iati-
flying States to %, and four more are needed
These might have been virtually secured by
this time Had the overtures of the Walker
party in Virginia, and Of the corresponding or
CARNATIONS in Mississippi and Texas, been met
with frank and prompt cOrdaty-had early
elections been held in each Of these States, and
their Legislatures been promptly cOnvened-we
might have secured ratification from each, with
out serious opposition, by the 1st of September
And, with such ratification assured, the end
would have been in plain sight la fact, had
the Legislature Of Virginia been promptly
assembled, no testoath imposed, and the XVIII
Amendment ratified by her Conservative"
leaders, the struggle would have been virtually
closed The Democratic canvass in Ohio, Cal
iforna, &C., would have been paralyzed, and
the wretched babbe concerning "niggers,"
"nigger equality" &C., consigned to the dusty
lumber-rOOm wherein is garnered the Outworn
paraphernalia of dead controversies.
1t is a grave mistake that this has not been
done but the error is not yet fatal. The
postponement Of the Mississippi and Texas
elections to the last of November must, we
suppose, be submitted to; but Virginia should
be restored to herself forthwith. The gentle
men who count on electing themselves to the
United States Senate by the votes of defeated
candidates for the Legislature should be
promptly advised that the operation is too costly,
and must be forebOrne. There have been inu-
rious delays, but as yet no irreparable mis-step.
We hope yet to hear that the Legislature is to
be organized in accordance with the votes of
the people If not, and the XVIII Amendment
should in consequence be lost, grave will be
the error and fearful the responsibility.