The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1870-06-11

THE ENFORCEMENT ACT

THE ENFORCEMENT dCT
The cutlery agains, the Enforcement ".'
l. by no means confined TO the p'mo'I"'l'
party. Honest. fsir.minded Radicals
everywhere denouncc it a, measure ho'
called for by the condition OF the country
severe In its pcnaltic. and rurc'! Par'''"''
in its nature.
The Fifteenth Amendment concedlns
., Il .,ui, ~. vitality is friends claim,
does no, pretend to do more than
20 grant equal rights, rs TO suffrage, to
all mo-, regardless Of race, color,
- ,,ro,i,p. condition of scrvitudc. The
Enhancement act gives the negro rights,
.orocasrds and remedies which it with
bold. from the white man. The whites
are left subject to all the prosecutions,
threat. and expressions to which their en-
nlover.. landlords or creditors may please
70 subject them, while the rights of colored
men arenot only protected and carefully
guarded, butt their employers, landlords
and creditors are placed at their mercy.
The fifth section of tho law provides,
that il any person shall prevent, hinder
control. or intimidate, or shall attempt to
prevent hinder, control, or intimidate any
prrsnn from exercising or in exercising the
right of suffrage. 30 whom the right of sui-
fragc /. secured or guaranteed by the NJ
tcenth amendment e. the Constitution OF
the United States by means Of bribery,
threats. or threat. Of depriving such person
If employment or occupation, or oil eject
Ing such person from rented house, lands,
nr other property, or by threats Of refusing
20 renew leases or contracts for labor or by
threats of violence TO himself or family,
such person So offending hall be deemed
cuilty Of a misdemeanor, and shall, on con-
yictinn thereof. be fined not less than 500
or be imprisoned no, less than one month
and not more than one year. or both. nj the
discretion of the court.
There IL j. in unmistakable English
Those only 80 whom the right Of suffrage
Il guaranteed by the Fifteenth Amend
ment, are secured against the control or
intimidation Of their employers, landlords
aud creditors. The rich manufacturers Of
Lowell, Lynn and Lawrrncc may turn of
their poor white employees and make them
bcsgarsi FOR the crime Of voting the
Democratie ticket, but the western farmer
may not discharge his colorcd laboror on
the eve Of an election, nor the Democratic
merchant press colored voter for u debt,
lest he subject himself TO liability 10 the
heavy and expensive punishment prescrib-
"a by the iniquitious section recitcd. This
provision was not the result of oversight,
but Of design. II was inserted as Con-
gresham Beck remarked, with malice
proponss, In order 10 leave the poor
white trash at the mercy Of Radical
manufacturers and monopolisu upon whom
they depend for their daily bread.
But, this like most other poor rules,
works both ways. While it will place
thousands Of poor operatives in the fac
tories Of New England at the mercy. q
colored men ~ may choose TO vote tn,
Democratic ticket In many portions o
the South IL has been at the risk Of hi
life that colorrd man has avowed himsel
q Democrat. Negroes, with Democratic
tickets in their hands, have been set upor
by mobs beaten, bruised, and, in some IN
stances, killed. Others have been 'turnc,
out Of colored church organizations ant
socially isolated because they dared to ex'
crcse the God-giyen right of thinking II,
they pleased. That kind Of work will
stop! II II do not then there will not b,
pcnitcn,iaries enough in the South TO hold
the colored Radical loyal-leagucrs and
their more deprayod and cowardly white
aiiers and abet,ors, For thi, grain Of JUS
tee in the mountain Of iuiqulty, We owe
10 thanks, for the Radical congrcs. found
!, utterly impossible to exclude ii.