The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-06-21
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
The Democratic Position.

The clatter raised on the Radical
side of the house abont that clause of
the platform, relative to the enfranchise-
mcnt OF the white men of the State, in
dnces its reproduction here 1t reads
a. follows.
And finally, 10 wipe out the injus-
tice and the disgrace incident to the
disiranchisemcnt in one midst OF twenty
five thousand men of our own race
while negroes exercise the elective
franchise without hindrance or condi-
ton. We demand free ballot for white
men and the immediate cnatmcnt Of
such measures as will secure it,
We ask our readers to decide how
far this paragraph iustities the perver
Sions Of it that have been paraded be
lore them. 1t demands - FREE BALLOT
FOX WHITE MEN AND THE IMMEDIATE EN-
ACTMENT OF SUCH MEASURES AS WILL
SECURE IT. And We, there is not a
Radical spouter or Scrihhler in the
State but is ready TO swear that II OPP
poses the entranchisement Of rebels
Let this question be decided by common
sense. or by any other sense, short of
uncommon lunacy. The Democratic
party needs no defence on this point
Unlike the Radicals on the negro queS-
ton the Democrats have five wears
record in favor of suffrage for the white
race that is above suspicion.
The Convention very properly refused
TO limit the action of the Democratic
party in behalf OF white suffrage, to q
questionable and far distant amendment
of the Constitution. 1t properly refused
to postpone until 1872 the enfranchise-
ment that should CONE At ONCE, and
which for FIVE wears has been denied
through villainy and fraud Registra-
ton outrages to-day distranchise more
men in the State that any provision in
the Constitution Therefore an amend
ment TO the Constitution alone will not
meet the case. Wipe ont the dis
franchising clause Of the Constitu-
ton without touching the registration
law, and We stand where we stood in
the Spring of 1866, with thousands of
our citizens denied the ballot by legiSla-
tive enactment. After fighting for years
10 secure an immediate guarantee OF
suffrage to the white men of the State,
the Democratic party could not post
pone that guarantee until 1877 and
leave its security at that time exceed
ingly doubtful and necessarily partial.
After battling so long to make all
white men voters Internationally and
at once. it could not bind itself to defer
for wears the restoration Of the ballot to
a moietv of our disfranchised citizens,
to admit the validity and propriety OF
negro suffrage, now and forever, and
vet to leave such of our white citizens
rs are disfranchised by the registration
law alone, to the indefinite and uncer-
tain mercies of that Radical domino
tion which is sure to follow any barter
or COMPROMISE of living and essential
principles. Before 1872 the sons of the
DISTINGUISHED fathers in the State, com
ing of age, will give the ballot to every
white man in West Virginia, now I'M
/ Justly denied it. Much credit the Dem
ocratic party would have earned for
postponing a measure until ISL, that
by that time will enact itself Public
opinion has turned strongly in the d.
rection of white acknowledgements. The
Democratic party keeps pace with It's
advance. Far in the rear the Radical
party will soon commence to struggle
on. To win the race we prefer TO keep
the start we already have. Let us not
90 back two thirds of the distance we
have come, take from the Radicals
their black burden and then start even.
The Capacity Question I'm Delaware
The DsldwariaH says the Republican
candidate for Governor of the " Blue
Hen and Chicken" State lacks "capaci
ty" Let his friends do as the oil mil
lionaire did when informed by a teach
er that one of his offspring had no ca
nacity No capacity; no capacity
DonnaI mi huy one for he