The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-06-14


ton taken by the Democracy ut Charles
ton is their declaration Of hostility to the
FLICK amendment. The majority of the
committee on resolutions reported in its
favor, and up to a certain point there is
no doubt the bulk Of the Convention were
for it; but at critical moment an assault
was male by the faction which for lack Of
better description may be called the
Register clique-and successful appeal
to prejudice turned the tide. +.
All our readers understand what that
amendment is. Only one class are now
excluded from the suffrage, viz: those
who gave voluntary aid Othc rebellion.
The negro is already voter under the
Constitution Of the United States The
amendment does not enfranchse him, for
he Is already enfranchiscd. ltonlyrecog-
nizes the obligation TO mako our written
constitution conform in It's language 10 the
Constitution Of the United States by
emitting ''whitc" from the new section
that is TO replace the old. But those
whom the amendment docs Cntranchlsc
arc the voluntary aidcrs Of the rebellion,
whose exclusion the Democratic polIn'
clans of this State have pretended to 10
mcnt with most indignant COmmisscration
The Democratic managers, who seem
10 have twisted the Charleston C0nven'
ton around their fingers, have therefore
simply put their party in tho extraOrdi-
nary attitude of hostility to the cntran-
chisement orthose whose enfranchiscmcnt
they have been all along protesting most
ardently to desire. Because they have
declared war on the only measure that
can affect it; u measure, too, that has
passod the first and most difficult stage,
and needs only favorable verdict ut the
polls this Fall to insure its success. Nor
do they propose anything else, even were
there anything else to propose. We look
through the platform in vain for crumb
OF comfort for our cx.COnfcderato friend,
who feels that the prospect Of his early
restoration " full citizenship is bound up
In the FLICK Amendment, and that he
has been dealt n cruel blow in the house
Of his pretended friends. The platform is
utterly silent about him. 1t promises him
nothing. Norwas the omission accidental,
for in declaring against the amendment
the Convention explicitly refused to rCcog'
nize his claim to cniranChisemGnt; and
the principal speaker who seems To have
led tho crusade on the FLICK Amendment
even went so far as to declare that the en-
tranchisement Of the rebel was not essen
tial to the SUCCESS Of tho Democracy.
This Is, under the circumstances, u very
significant declaration
1t does not require very powerful glass
Is to see one reason why the relief of the
rebels is not considered essential 10 Demo-
cratic success. Democratic councils in
this State nre ruled, and have been for
some years, by very small potato politi-
cians, who arG afraid if the rebels were all
rnirnnchised it would bring into the pOltt-
icAl arena, and into competition with
themselves men Of so much larger CaliOcr
that the small potatoes aforesaid would
. never be heard Of again; and 90 while
they labor to create popular sympathy
for the excluded rebels and float into
power on It, It seems they want to have n
brief season ut the spOilS by them
selves before any actual Acknowledgement
takes place. In other words they have far
less concern about the relief ct their
friends than about trRthcring their own
nests.
All the virtuous Indignation about not
having negro suffrage crammcd down
Democratic throats is pure al capfdndum /;
because negro suffrage has already been
crammcd down chivalrous Threats here
and elsewhere, and there is no help for II.
The question pure and simple before the
Charleston Convention was, whether, in
full view Of this fixed fact, they would ia
vor, as a sct.ofF, white suffrage for the now
disabled rebels And under the strategy
ofthc smaIl.potatOcs, the Convention SOL
EMMY declared it would not. And now,
iflhe reason of it is not what We suggest,
let somebody show what ii is.