The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-02-18
The Democracy Mixed.-They Divide
ON GINirCer Suf1rage.,a M

ON "Nigger Suffrage"
Despite the many warnings and the
much good advice our Democratic friends
in the Legislature have had in these
columns they will every now and then
make u ,tauz pas. These antedeluvianS
who cannot be brought to confess. like thai
Democratic member Of the Kansas Lcgis
laturc, that while they belong TO The
Democratic party they also belong to thu
present age, refuse even to acknOwlegt
the pIaincst facts. II has been morally
certain for year, that by an amendment
to the Constitution of the United States, oil
determinations in suffrage on account Of
color would be abolished The most
ordinary suggestion Of party discretion, IL
view of this fact, would have dictated 4
withdrawal Of longer hostility to colOret
suffrage, or ut least silence; because any
further parade oflLnstility TO it could only
confirm the negroes in voting with the
Republicans and repulse them beyond re-
covery from the Democrats. But West Viz
gtnIa Democrats seem an exception to The
general rule of human nature; and tllCit
hostility to negro suffrage has only grown
more implacable US it has come nearer
and grown more inevitable. But when
the amendment was at lust ratified VIC
had not expected to sec any more party
fulmtnatlons against ii. Yesterday, how
ever, the ratification OF the twcnty-nintl
State having been announced,-one moro
than nccdcd-riscs in his place in tho
House Of Delegates, our editorial brother,
1Ir. HOWARD of Mason, one Of the lead.
ing Democrats ofthc House, and offers a
resolution prefaced by solemn whcrcases,
declaring the ratification Of West Virginia
Withdrawn, and directing the Governor
to solcmnIy certify the fact under the
Great Seal of the State Of West Virginia
to the Department Of State.
Now two or three features Of this pro-
ceeding seem to be worthy Of notice. In
tho first place, there is not lnan in the
Legislature (nOr one out of 1t, acquainted
with It's COmpOsition) but knows that such
Il resolution Inns no more chance Of pass
Ing than brother HOWARD has Of going
through the centre Of the earth to China
by pneumatic railway. In the second
place II II could pass it would be totally
ineffective; first, because neither the State
Department nor Congress recognizes the
power Of State 10 withdraw, aud il ever
itcoull have withdrawn II is too late now
when the compact has been completed by
the ratification Of the requisite number
and second, If either or both did rcCng'
nize tile withdrawal lnOw Ns We have said
impossiblc) there arc enough States with
out West Virginia and New York both
In any possible event, therefore, il it were
even possible the resolution could pass, II
would be totally Ineffective.
This leaves but one conceivable motive
inoITering II, viz; toput the Democracy on
the record once more us protesting against
negro suffrage, for political effect. Now
what must that effect be? NotOne solita.
ry white man in the State will change
his opinions on this question or his
political affiliations, as u consequence Of
this last kick of the "bittcr.cnder" Dem
ocrats Nobody will pretend any such
thing; for the opinions Of the white pco'
pie, pro and cOn, are fully made up on that
issue, which they have seen coming ever
since the close Of the war. The only
people who will be influenced by this nc
ton will be the blacks themselves; and
what It's effect on them will be, SO far Il
has any, is perfectly obvious. lCanything
could confirm them in resolution to cast
their suffrage always against the Demo
cratic party, It would be this last impO'
tent denial Of the right Of the black man
to the ballot, when 1t Is already his and
that party isutterly without power to take
II from him.
But Inconsistent as West Virginia De-
mocacy are with everything in sympathy
with common humanity, out Of lann0My
us they arc with the genius Of the age,
and hostile rs they arc TO real republican
form Of government, they arc not able to
be consistent In themselves During the
campaign of 1853, we Ind frequent OCca-
sion to show how they prolcssed to dc'
nouncc taxation without representation
md vet at the sumo time denied and lie.
nouncCd the right Of portion of our tax
payers to that same representation. Then
again when an application came before the
Legislature TO charter StOrcr College, n
high school for the education Of negroes,
the Democratic delegation voted about
solid for 1t, knowing not what they did;
and now yesterday we have even worse
hlunder than that Storcr College affair, for
we find Democrats actually voting TO
grant suffrage, in advance Of the official
PRONUNCIATION Of the XVth Amendment,
to the negroes Of Jefferson county The
bill Of which Mr.. BEITznOovER Is patron,
for an extension Of the Shenandoah Val
ley Railway through That county, author.
izcs the supervisors to submit the qucs-
ton of subscription to vote Of the
people, and in defining who may vote on
the question, omits the word "whitc "
and grants the privilege to white and
black alike. BY reference toonr report IT
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