Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-04-17
A FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT DEF-
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FECULTK.
The Radical leaders are beginning to
discover that they have in the fifteenth
amendment an elephant on their hands
There is no question as TO the purpose Of
that amendment, but they find great diff
ficulty in framing efficient bills 10 enforce
il in the spirit that prompted its being
Offered and pushed through in hot haste.
The great object to be accomplished is to
prevent under heavy penalties all Demo-
Gratis from influencing" in any manner
whatsoever negro to vote their ticket,
and at the same time to allow Radicals to
use whatever force they please to compel
him to vote theirsl 1t takes q cute chap
to draw up bill to answer this double
purpose, without using such language as
would plainly show the true and only in
centive for comforting upon the ''man and
brother" the right of suffrage. Senator
Morton's bill is very stringent on those
who may attempt to influence the negro
vote, but it makes no distinction between
the two great parties. This is regarded
as very Objectionable feature, and there
appears to be casting about on the part
of the Radicals for some one who is bold
enough to offer bill exempting 1oyal
citizensn from the stringent provisions
intended TO apply solely to the ''Rebel
Democracy" The Washington cores
pondent of the Baltimore Gazette says
there is abundant evidenceof the necessity
for such legislation. For example, if
Morton's bill were now the law of the
land, Mayor Bowen, of Washington,
would, unless specially exempted from its
penalties, be bereft of many of the ''soft
persuasives" he now uses to maintain bis
power by negro votes. Speaking of the
means employed to persuade" the Irish
Radicals to ''come up TO the scratch, the
Washington RepubLicd'a, the organ Of
one wing of the party, thus exposes the
'fnfuences" brought to bear on Sambo
'Such evidence (pawning their natural
ization papers, seems TO have been salts
factory to the Seventh Ward Commission
er in the case of Irishmen, but TO MAXI
assurance doubly sure the colored aspi
rants for corporation work are first re
Ouired to take an oath that they win sup
port Mayor Bowen, and after they arr
Sworn in, are next fed at the Seventh
Ward corporation souphouse, and then in
troduced TO the commissioner and set t
work.
Such practices are doubtless in the yer.
teeth of the provisions of every bill ye
prepared to ''enforce the fifteenth amend
ment." And similar tactics may be ex
pected in every section of the country
Ames, it is said, drove gangs of negroe
to the polls in Mississippi. In short, an
penal act upon this point of general az
pIication cannot fail, if honestly admin;
tered, TO take ten mouthfuls of flesh on
of the body of the Radical faction itsel
to one scratch upon that of their OppC
nents. The Washington correspondent
of the Baltimore Gazette says he know
well enough that a large number of Rad
cal Senators and members contend tha
the enactment of law and its executio
are entirely different affairs-that th
Claw" may be general in its terms
and yet its administration as parts
as you please. ''Do you suppose,
say they, 'Fthat we will not take cal
of Goyar offenders through the courts
Are we not placing in every importan
posts judicial sentinel to see to it tha
no Radical shall be punished for a viols
ton of any of these restrictions, or, il
deed, for anything else, however glazing
And have we not the pardoning power o.
our side, besides District Attorneys,
enter mol. prosses9 In every importan
nook and corner, from the Susquehann
to the Gulf, we shall post an UnderwOo
and a Darlington. Nevertheless, an
notwithstanding, and without regard t
all this, the Gazette's correspondent in
sists on having MortoE's bill become
law, if it takes the whole strength of th
Democratic party in the Senate to accom-
plish the object for the reason that
promises at least fun to those who ca
even for moment forget the miserabl
condition to which fools and fanatics an
sharpers have brought the country.