The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-05-31
Not Done Yet

Not Done Yet
~, Now York Times, speaking OF the
80 10 the fifteenth amendment enforce
ment bill, says: .. ,,o neces.
eft Il now fair to assume that the nee, neSsi i
sary work Of Congress In tha1 a..u%ro rv;Il
complete, and that even M, nI Moro to be
he puzzled to suggest anything "''''
done" .,,. IT,, 90,
Tho Times is mistaken. One OF the i'"'eS
own State senators has 'ooho 'n'' s.Sp
further can be taken in tho sa'ic s.''o."
line Of invasion Of State government. pun
s,,sa ~, Tho fif,ecnth amendment enforce
NON, hin. That step is the appointment Oh
two commissioners for every precinct clec-
t;on in a city Of sc, 600 inhabitants or more.
These commissioners to be appointed ny
the district judges. Their ostehs'o'e o".!
Is to look after the votes OF iore's'e'S ~
sec that none vote who arc not ch's''eu ~
,..,o NE suppose. But this is matter
.1r.,d, provided for in every State unocr
the General laws to prevent fraudulent
voting.
This is proposed in bin providing nc"
regulations about naturalization. mah'"S
them very stringent, and it furthermore
,nroLdotes all the naturalization papers IS
sued since 1868.
Here we have the motive of the dominant
party in Congress-ultra Radicalism--botd-
" displayed. 1t is to cripple the whites
through obstacles thrown in the way of ma
turalizatiou, and the cancellns of the right
to vote of many thousands of adopted citi-
zens. The attack upon the cities is very
cunning. The minimum limit OF 5o,oco
incubation detaches from the asSalied cities
all the towns and the country besides.
And this outrageous proposition follows
immediately upon the heels of the fifteenth
amendment enforcement bill, which is IN
tended to protect the colored man IN his
right to vote, and prescribes the most en-
trayagant penalties for any shadow of OBJ
struction or intimidation that may be thrown
in his way by white man--imposns not
only heavy fines, but making the White man
nav the colored voter in each case $500 for
the injury it is assumed he su>tainS by any
such obstruction or iutimidation-thus OF
fering bride to perjury.
Is Congress indeed mad, that it boldly
makes these broad distinctions between the
races3 It hesitates not to bring all the
powers of the Government to protect the
negro, to pet him, and suborn him to false
information against the white man, while
on the other hand it is equally ready to en-
ploy the power ofthe Government to restrain
and obstruct the white immigrant from 4 TO-
reign land in his laudablc efforts TO acquire
the rights of citizenship in the land of his
adoption! To crown the inhoSpitable ma
ture of the mcasure-to make 1t by contrast
with the preference shown the man OF Airl-
can descent still more OflcnSire-the ent'rc
number of naturalization papers granted
since 1868 are cancelled by the bill! What
do foreigners, who are so sensitive about
their rights-so easily embttcrcd towards
Know n othingism OF other dayS-thlnk OF
this?
This bill was introduced into the United
States Senate by Senator CoNKLING. 1t Is
aimed at the city of New York, but 1t
strikes Richmond also. 1t remains to hc
seen whether it will pass. The immense
majority against Radicalism given very re-
Gently by the Empire city has excited the
bitter resentment Of the ultraS in Congress.
and as that body has undertaken 10 inter-
fere with all the local administrations OF the
states in all their qualifications, it hc>itatcs
not to take the city of New York i'll hand. |
The foreigners are q powerful element there,
and by breaking its torce-whlc giving the |
ballot to the colorcd man-it is hoped that
the sturdy opposition TO congressional out |
rage in that city will be conquered.
We repeat what we before said of another
congressional move, that it is not 4 matter
of especial Importance to us. We have been
brought to the last turn of the screw. We
are not likely to suffer more from any pro-
bable measure the party of penalties may
pass. But to the North the question is i'm
portaft. Will the people there never open
their eyes?
We have seen one by one the State pro-
cesses for the protection of the rights of the
citizen; securing the sanctty Of the ballot
box and the fair and impartial enforce
ment of the laws brought under such ac-
tive subordination to Federal authority that
really little remains that may be said to be
exclusively under the jurisdiction of the
State tribunals.
Why should this be? Has not The system
ofthe central government of defined powers,
and the States with reserved rights under
the Constitution, worked well? Cannot the
States take care of the rights of the citizen
and maintain justice and order in the cleo
tons? Most assurcdly they can.
Nor does Congress doubt this. But Con-
gress wants to do what it knows the States
will not do. That is to so administer the
laws-to so restrain one class of voters and
so license another-as to make the elections
party triumphs. In short, the chief legisla-
ton Of Congress is to establish by law the
supremacy Of the dominant party now ru-
ling the Government. That is the whole
matter. Shall it succeed?
-r-------------------
Fortitude and Resolution.
h. -, A..