The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-03-11
Senator Hendricks ana the Fifteenth
Amendment.

II was misfortune to the Democracy
wlcn THOMAS A. HENDRICKS Of Indiana
left the United States Senate, for he was
their abl,st Senator. lie has recently been
making speech 20 the Democrats of New
Orleans, in which nc dwelt a; length upon
the Fifteenth Amendment, and the future re.
latious of the whit b and blacks in the
southern States.
Speaking Of the Amendment. Mr.. Hen
BRICKS said
New relations have como % exist between Won
and tue colOred reonle ot 'he South, How viii Nuu
place yourself IN rec nd To those new rel'tiorsr
Ihc' have not been OF your stc@inr, nnd iney NAV,
perhaps, be di-Jgrecahle 90 you; but tho negro
Is voter IN Louisiana, 1. be viii be in Indiona, II
Tie II teen.h Amendment - declared adopted. md
us NOT worth our ANTE, nor Is u Worth my "uhe,
to 60 back On the GNed fact"
Having reached this sensible conclusion,
Mr. IIrNDrIcks in the strongest terms
advises the Southern Democracy to concIliatc
the negro vote, and thus take 1t out Of the
hands Of the caTpet.baggcrs. lie urges his
pol teal friends 10 pursue the most liberal
course toward the colofed population. TO treat
them as nciGhbors and 70 give them every
possible assurance that they intend to recog.
nize all their rights, including that of suf.
fragc.
These sentiments were received by the
hearers of Mr. llESDRICRs with signal
marks Of approval; and it 10 a significant
sign Of the times that the speech is copied
into the Ptsnir, a leading Democratic jour
nal of South Carolina, published at Column
bia, the capital Of the State. In commenting
upon the speech, the Phdhir says that Mr..
HENDRICRs's views will be found eminent
ly practical, liberal, ard judicious; !" and II
declares that the sensible mon of the South
will cordially adopt them.
Some little time ago, when the adoption of
the Amendment was still an uncertainty, that
Nstute Democratic journal, the Chicago
Times, in an elaborate article on the subject,
declared that the probabilities are that the
country win unwillingly accept the Amend
ment, and thus put quietus on the negro
| question" This, doubtless, hits about the
average sentiment Of tho Democracy of the
Northwest while the holder and moro posi-.
tive tone of the Columbia PhGair expresses
the opinions and purposes of the Democracy
of the South.
| When THOMAS A. HENDRICKS, one of the
foremost Democrats In the Union, speaks
thus and when the organ of the Democracy
of South Carolina commends his opinions as
cminently practical and judicious and when
the Chicago Times recognizes the acceptance
of the Fifteenth Amendment as foregone
conclusion, of course the subject lie settled.
In what an unenviable prcdicamcnt does
this leave the shortsiQhted but long cared
Democratic leaders of New York, who went
through the empty form of repeating the
Legislative ratification of the Amendment
and those of Connecticut who passed stun
ming II resolutions against II In their recent
State Convention and those Of Rip Van
Wrinkle New Jersey, whose Legislature woke
up enough 10 reject the Amendment Just
after Its complete ratification was placed be
yond contingency
For year past THE Sun has been trying
TO beat the ideas now expressed by Mr.
HENpRICKs into the heads of the Democratic
leaders of this section Of the country, They
will probably accept them jus, late enough
TO arouse the masses of the party to demand
that these reactionary leaders shall be cent
t. the rear Of the advancing column, while
men of progressive ideas kc Senator Hen.
Ilu'h' oIc placed al it's head.
THO uoSlarl charter presented ~ the Hon