The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1870-06-09
Enforcing the Fifteenth Amendment.

Enforcing the Fifteenth Amendment.
After little wrangliug, merely for
buncombc, the Senate has adopted bill
of twenty. three sections for the enforce
ment of "the rights of citizens of the
United States to vote in the several
States Of the Union, aud for other pur-
poses This title will certainly do for
such bill, for SO far as the control Of
the elective franchise absolutely by the
Federal Government aud the Radical
party is concerned, WI do not believe
that the evil Ingenuity of Radical dem.
agogues could possibly devise another
sinister purpose to add to those therein
provided for, or conceive a more mon
strous, Infamous or villainous measure
to carry out aud enforce them. At one
blow ii subordinates the white vote of
the country to the black; with one swoop
it places the domestic government Of
every State in the power and at the mer.
cy OF the Federal Congress; aud with
one clutch it seizes the ballot box aud
holds it subject to federal manipulation
Passed in the sole aud exclusive inter.
est of radicalism, it bristles with penal.
ties for the opponents of that faction,
aud offers inducements to every uuscru-
pulous retainer who would be base
enough to commit perjury in prosecuting
freeman. 1t deprives the citizen ac-
cnsed under it from obtaining justice in
his local courts, and drags him before a
Federal partisan employed to convict,
aud owing his Office to sychophantic
party zeal. 1t virtually establishes u
national coRstabulary in conjunction
with national army to override the
rights of the citizen, giving United
States Judges and Commissioners power
appoint in writing Que or more suitable
persons" in addition to the marshals aud
deputy marshals, with power to execute
any warrants under this act, and with
the further power to summon to their
assistance a posse comitatHs, the Chill
tia, or ANY part Of the land and naval
forces of the United States" as they, in
their discretion may see fit.
II does not stop here, however, but
provides pay for the perjurer, and places
every white man completely within the
power Of the negro, whose oath is to be
taken in preference to any other testi-
mony as to his right or qualification to
vote. it enables the negro, from any
motive of malice, revenge or cupidity,
to swear that his white neighbor at
tcmped to influence, control or intimi.
date him in the exercise Of the elective
franchise, and for his perjury recover
| FIVE hundred dollars from his victim.
If white man refuses to employ or
discharges a negro from his employ, re.
fuses to lease property to him, or evicts
him from tenancy, the negro is enti
tied to five hundred dollars damages if
he will sSear that such refusal or dis.
charge was done for the purpose Of in.
huencing Lis vote. A more monstrous,
iniquitous and demoraizing measure
never disgraced a nation or degraded a
people.
This is a briofand imperfect synopsis
of the last Radical outrage, and gives a
faint idea of the purposes it is designed
to accomplish. We are glad, however,
of its passage, and care not how soon it
becomes a law, for no party has ever yet
succeeded 10 legislating itself into per.
petual power, the very avowal or expo
sure OF the scheme turning its weapons
upon ITSELF aud no surer destructive to
caste has ever been invented than the
class legislation with which it seeks to
hedge and establish itself. Prescription
may flourish Tor season, but the ex.
perienec Of the past teaches that its
days are numbered, and its very victims
become its judges Aud this attempt
to legislate one race-which has not
even a fair claim to equality-to su.
periority and dominance over the other,
will prove not only a political failure,
but we believe will result in general
disaster. Its consequence will be, as
every thoughtful man will readily per-
ceive, to mass one race in political an.
tagonism and social hostility against the
other, to bring about Il war of races, and
to prevent that homogcneity Of Ameri.
eau citizenship the Radical party plr.
poses to aim at. 1t will make the
Democratic party what it is, aud must
always be, essentially White Mans
party, drawing the party lines between
the two races, aud proving that the
ligamcnts of race, strung by pride OF
birth, nervcd by social instincts, and
infamed by love of country, arc far
stronger and more durable than the CO.
hcsion of Radical discipline or the al.
lurements Of prospective plumber
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