The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-02-26

October neXtI we may smut out the
light from our eyes and proclaim
that all is dark. But that does not
drive the daylight away; it merely
obscures our individual vision. And SO
with truths that we seek TO avoid by
ignoring. We prefer not to grope.
Whatever may be said under the i'm
pulses and dissatisfaction of to-
day, there is not man within
the limits Of the State, Demo
crat, Republican or rebel, who will
not practically recognize and acquiesce
in the existence of negro suffrage before
another year Many of them did it in
1868, when their votes were cast in with
the negro votes of other States at 90
election for President of the United
States. All will do so in the present
year, by the simple act of paying taxes
to be appropriated to register and pro
tect in the exercise of the elective fran
cbise, the negro voters of the State.
Acquiescence in negro suffrage is all
that can be charged against the Demo
Gratis of the House. Having admitted
what they could not deny as to the
negro, they put in process of repeal so
much of our Constitution as disfran-
chises white citizens. And here is the
point where they recognized the heav-
lest obligation. They were not bound
to farther and useless opposition to the
Fifteenth Amendment. But they did
feel bound to avail themselves of the
only opportunity presented to bring
back to the rights of citizenship the dis
franchised white classes of the State.
They declined to say that while the
negro had become an element of polit-
icsl power, white man suffrage should
not be made general and free. Admit
that it would have been better to have
presented the latter issue simply and left
the Fifteenth Amendment to take care
of the negro. 1t was found Impossible
to do that, and the best that could be
had, had TO be taken.
So much for the FLICK amendment ;
so much for the recognition of the Fiji
teenth Amendment by the Legislature.
Now what course Is to be pursued by the
Democrats Of the Statei Shall we start
out by swearing that we never have,
never can and never will acquiesce in ne
gro suffrage, and end two OF three ears
hence in acknowledging its existence 7
That's exactly the course effectively
charged upon us with regard to the
new State, the Thirteenth Amendment,
the legality of negro testimony, the
Fourteenth Amendment aud other fixed
facts of the war. We have continued to
battle upon dead issues toe long. No
party can succeed which cannot make
its fights upon the living questions OF
the hour.
Whether we wish it or not, the exper-
iment of negro suffrage is about to be
tried. All the time we occupy in prov
ing the negros mental or moral disqual-
iication, or the questionable character
of the measures under which he votes,
he ,cilI be rOting. 1t was once proved by
the most exact method of scientific cal
culation that no steam vessel could
cross the Atlantic, and the calcula-
ton was hardly complete before a
steamer did cross. We may prove in
the most satisfactory manner that
neither in law nor in fact is the negro
entitled to vote, and yet at the very
next election we will find him at the
polls. He therefore ceases to be re-
garded as a candidate for suffrage and
must be considered master of the bal
lot. We submit that the part of wis
dom now requires, instead ofstrife about
whether the negro shall vote, the adop-
tion of means to enable him to WELD his
dangerous power for the welfare and
not for the injury of the State. We
submit that it is the duty of
the State to give these black
people educational advantages and
opportunities to develop whatever
native mental and moral power
they may possess, so that this
political experiment may be fairly
tried. Let them have the benefit
of free schools, exclusively their own, SO
that their capacity to participate in
government may be fairly tested.
Governor PEIRPoINT to the contrary
notwithstanding, the ignorant voter is
the worst voter; the intelligent voter i.
the best voter. Therefore let the proper
educational means be applied to qualify
the negro voters to vote understand.
ingly and intelligently. Then if it be
found that the franchise has been i'm
properly bestowed, that the whole
project is q failure, many of the evil:
that might otherwise result from it will
have been averted, and the. State il
averting them will have done her duty
We are aware that in advising the
people to accept the inevitable, take
negro suffrage, as they must, and make
the best of it, rather than allow it to
make the worst of itself, we shall meet
many honest objections and elicit pro.
tests not few. But We have lived to
learn that when q political question is
practically settled, the quicker the dis
cussion ends the better for the losing
party. Whatever responsibilities may
attach to the origination and adoption
of this negro suffrage scheme, the Dem
ocracy have no share in them, and they
need havec.lS fears that they will be
hala 60 aocanpt for tha nonsanuences