The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1870-02-02
[From the EvansvlIle Courier
rhn EnoIs on fnInrel Gnfrrage.


We arc not little surprised to
find that the Radical party has within
its pale a class of persons who seem
to believe that the final doom of the
Democratic party is about TO be con-
summated through the use Of the. ne
gro race, about to be made voters
under the Fifteenth Amendment to
the Constitution.
Men who so think, either regard
the negro as a race of stupid fools, or
they are pack Of unmitigated block
heads and fools themselves.
The negro is a man with the same
habits, wants, instincts and ideas of
other men. When he becomes
voter his vote will be cast whore his
interests, his feelings and his neces-
stiles are enlisted. 1t the radical
policy will afford him broader scope
for his labor and enterprise than the
democratic policy, then he will vote
with that party; otherwise, he will
cast his vote with the democracy.
Those who look upon the the negro
as being naturally stupid and degraded,
governed alone by passion and preju-
dice, are simply giving vent to their
own Ignorance of human nature and
common sense.
We do not mean to say there are
not many very ignorant negroes. We
know that there are. But there are
also very many ignorant white men.
But these ignorant white men gener-
| ally manags to exercise enough COM
mon sense to vote as they think will
be best for their personal interests.
1t will be the same with the negroes.
A man is usually denominated "ignO-
rant" when he is uniettered-When
he cannot read and write. But it
often happens that these very persons
have strong natural powers of the
mind, and if educated, would be men
OF influence and prominence. We
believe the principles of the Demo
cratic party upon the important ques
tions of finance, tariff, internal taxa
ton aud the various phases of the
Sunday laws, and temperance ques-
tions generally, will command the
same admiration among black men
that 1t does with white men; and in
voting, the negroes will cast their
suffrages whore they have an abiding
and substantial interest.
And there is another view of the
situation" which our Radical friends
are ignoring altogether. 1t is said
that the Fifteenth Amendment will
enfranchise L, 900 negroes in Indiana.
/ We suppose this estimate is about
right. La 1866 the Democrats were
beaten $4,000 votes in Indiana. In
1868 we were beaten 900. In 1870,
upon the old basis, we should carry
the State by a majority of not less
than 12,000-we think 10000. If
| every negro vote In Indiana should be
cast solidly for the Republican party
this year, the State would still go
| that a large part of the negroes will
vote with the Democrats, we de6antly
bid the Republican party to crack
/ their a0hipi
In this connection we want espe
| cially to call attention to the follow
ing paragraph published in the
| Washington correspondence OF the
Cincinnati Commercial:
" A very prominent and thoroughly
informed Republican Senator told a
Kentuckian this evening, the Fiji
teenth Amendment would be ratified
and officially promulgated within
twenty days, and advised an lmmedl-
ate organization of the negroes In
Lexington, Kentucky, with a view OF
sweeping Republican triumph in
that city, at the municipal election 10
be held on the first Saturday in
March. Immediately after the pro-
mitigation of the amendment. there
will be PASSED, he believes, an act
providing severe pains and penalties
on all who interfere with or prevent
the exercie of the right of franchise
of those upon whom it is conferred by
the Fifteenth Amendment"
This suits US exactly.
Let the pains and penalties be
as severe as possible. We will see
who first tires of their enforcement
They who take the sword shall
perish by the sword -