The Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1870-1871, 1870-12-18
MEHR0 SUFFRAGE AND the DKE0
SCARF CASE. .o.

ticl" from the Dcc1n."r number OF
Lilr,in,nRs .'faya-ine
!, Negro suffrage has been the sul;'rt OF
, violent cutlery IN Southern newspapers.
Gut thrr" are few cunsidcr,ltc, thinking +
lu,n i'm the South who have not been al
ready lctl into n different tone Of Thought y
on this subject hy the obvious reflection ;
hat negro suffrage was the logical. III ,
evitable consequence Of negro emsnclla- =,
tion--tl,nt it WAS the necessary supple
mcnt of this reform. Bat what is en-
'eious, ali,l does not appear to hive been
ur-idere,l even by the most dilp,ent
md candid of Southern cnquircrs, Is
That II theory of the Democratic party
itself has enforced the logical Sin't"r oil
nerro suifraye The bred Scott decl-
sion is set u standard Authority III the
Democratic party, aud, although judi
..ial uttrrafce, no one VIII deny that it
mas acquired all the fierce md signiti-
c;,ncc of II party principle 1t has been
Inserted in Democratic platforms--i' ms
,een repeatedly referred to rs authority
in their forums. Now, i'll that decisioh'
Chief Justice fancy held language SO re-
ur,rkablo that it is amazing 1t has S"
long eSra,wd analysis. and that poliii- |
in,s Of our time have not passed upon !;
ITS deep significance. He said 1.-The
words .rcople of the United States and
citizens are SYNONYMOUS terms, ana
, .ncan the same thing. They both dcs-
..ribc the political body polite wllo' ne
.orliny to our Republican institutions,
iorms the sovereignty, nntl who hold the
=. lpowcr and conduct the Government
through their representatives. They arc
-. what we faniiliarly Gale The sovereign
,co,,le,' and every citizen is one OF his
,,c,,lc and n constituent member "f tins
-, sovereignty. The question before lis Is,
whether the class of persons described III
he plea III ;,batcmcnt colaposr portion
l. Of this re,ple and are constituent mcn-
\, ,ers of this sovereignty I'VE think they
4 ire not, and that they are not include'i,
NJ. mJer tine word citizens in the colst:-
tuition, and c;ln therefore claim hone OF
the rights and privileges which that III
-, strument provides for and secures to cl-
,zens of the United States. On the con-
,rarv, they were 1t that time considered
~ a 3 lbordiuate and inferior class %
re- BEINGS who had been subjugated 10y thu
~ dominant rac. am, ,ri.flr~ tsrt"ctint.t
u" M nd. mt Y,n.a,n suiJ.rt u their a's'tm't.I
md had no rights or privileges bat s'ici
eli Is these who held the power aud tn
el Government might choose to gran
ne them"
." In this accurate aad unequiyocni ian
I'D" ,,,ass we are told that tho negro is not
MIS- ..;tiz,u and further, that if freed Ii
W. twouid be left noa't~>,ria "cr "'''" VI
MI t,,l.itc MIR mi1t c,e,rs~' authority by III
'e' If Superiority - rur, i bg nothing Csc
IL The proposition is st;.rling but rs cl's'
40" ~ noon-.lay. It is astonishing that
:" should have escaped observation ~ leht
aud that its Significance has rein;',i'e
IS wholly uunoticel i'll i controversy
ties. which the parties have been so hut nh
net 30 quick to discover whatever argument
me-. might W. brought forward On either sld
to Here We are told Enthusiastically that Il
,tlv negro if freed would yet be inferior
low his rights to the nsas enjoying citife'
nldi ship, and that that inferiority would
ach left to work his subsection anew to Il
the white man By so conspicuous CO.
nssa iession We have, then, the Democrat
purity, bourrl to the proposition that Il
inllot had become Il necessary protccts'
are OF the negro, Il necessary qllaiiiic;itioli
may that condition already past dispute
rice, viz. that he was to be made really and
alriS fact free. As such necessary prot,
any ton 40 just man in the South will SrlI,l
'hc the ballet to tue nrNo, having OF
re- made mp his mind to the concession
III his freedom The concession to vote
to Ms really no larger than the concession
but. he free the one 10y implication carr
the with it the other. and this by DemOc
, tho tic rsssoning and on Democratic auth
door ity.