The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-03-07
"nACKn TO THE ENQUIRIES
The South and the Amendment.

The Lynchburg Repub'ican-decidedly y
the ablest Democratic paper in Virginia
comments on a recent letter OF mne,
in which expressed the opinion that il
was useless to look to the Supreme
Court for relief from the Fifteenth
Amendment 1t agrees with all said
that there is no escape from negro suf-
fTage, and that it is neither wisdom nor
caudor to encourage false hopes on the
subject; aud then it advises the people
of Virginia to recognize the inevitable,
and tura it to their own best advantage.
He would not render very valuable SER
vice as q meteorologist, who, though he
saw the barometer falling to the thun-
der. storm point, still gave it out that it
was going to clear off and be beau
tiful day. His advice when given
might cheer the he .rts of few
contemplated picnic excursionists,
but when they got good drenching in
the woods they wouldn't feel thankful
to him. 1t is just so with this suffrage
questionable political barometer IS
falling to negro suffrage as fast as it
can. 1t has been tending that way for
five years, and he is n poor student of
the times who hasn't SO interpreted
every act of the Radical party in Con-
gress and in the States. Now if a vast
amount of protestation, or q moderate
deal of hard swearing, would affect the
political mercury I'd undertake the con-
tract of making it rise very rapidly.
But it won't; neither will a decision of
the Supreme Court. In fact, as matters
80 nd 1iaf ha
the Courts decision against the barOm-
eter as against this amendment. 1t is
political question in the first place,
and the history of this country Is full
of the evils resulting from the submis.
sion of such questions to the Supreme
Court. The Almighty will have to
make nine men to order, emitting ln
their composition all such Ingredients
as ambition, prejudice, the effects of old
associations, and the fear of public
opinion, before there can be Court ca
pable of purely disinterested judicial
decision of political question. Nor
will the people submit to such de-
cision moment longer than they have
the power to change it. We used to
hear of compacts between rival parties,
both agreeing to abide by the Supreme
Court decision; but the fact is they never
amounted to anything more than the
clap-trsp of political campaign. Aud
so let the Supreme Court decide the
amendment unconstitutional to morrow.
In less than q week it would be packed
for reversal of that decision, by tho
addition of half q dozen judges, if ne
cessary. Let it decide the amendment
constitutional, and every Democrat in
the land-and myself among the num-
ber-would begin to swear il was already
packed in the Interest of the Radicals.
Mr.. Hendricks, in a recent speech in
New Ocleans, gave the Southern people
some very good advice on the suffrage
question. He showed them conclusiveIy y
that they were bound ultimately to get
control of the negro vote, and to use il
in the interests of the Democratic party.
There is no doubt whatever of this fact;
nor is there any doubt that the Radi.
calls will be worse foes of universal
suffrage five years from now than
the Democrats have ever been.
What the South needs is self.
government-freedo from military
tyranny and carpet bag impostures-
the right of the people there to select
their own rulers, instead of having them
forced upon them by brigadier dictation.
The strongest objection to negro suf
frage has been that it has been used fol-
the oppression of the Southern people
1t was inaugurated for that parpese
and has been true to it so lar. But il
will not long remain so. If all the
signs do not fail, the next Congressional
elections in the South will show o very
decided change for the better.