The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1870-05-10
Radical Des potism in West Virginia,


THERE is a clause in the Fourteenth
Amendment to the Constitution of the
United States, which reads as follows:
"All persons born in the United
States and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof are citizens of the United
States and tie State wherein they re-
"side. No State shall enforce any law
(which shall abridge the pr ivileges or
"immunities of citizens, or deprive any
person of property without due process
"of law, or deny to any person the equa
protection of the law"
The purpose of this clause interpola-
ted into the Federal Constitution by the
Radical party, was, to prevent any
State from imposing discriminating
laws upon any portion or class of its
people, black or white, and to compel
States to grant equal protection to all.
That is to say, it was to place the
newly enfranchised negro on an equali-
ty with the white man. But there is a
clause in the Constitution Of West Nir-
ginia which reads as follows:
"No person who, since the first day
"of June, 1861, has given or shall
give aid or assistance to the rebellion
against the United States, shall be a
"citi=cn of this State, or allowed TO vote
'at any election" DC.
This clause in our State Constitution
is the amendment placed there in 1866
10y the Radical party, for the base pur-
pose of excluding from the ballot box
some TWENTY-FIVE thousand white people
supposed to he hostile to them and
their party designs and the most
stupid reader will at once perceive and
the most INSCRIPTIONS Radical admit,
that there is a direct conflict between
that clause and the clause which we
have copid from the Federal Constitu-
ton; for the latter was adopted by Con
gress to place the negro upon an equal
footing with the white man in all the
States by declaring him citizen thereof,
while the former was fastened upon the
State to enslave the white man by de-
claring him no Citizen, and thus
placing the negro on top! Seeing this
manifest conflict between State constl-
tuition and the supreme law of the land
as embodied in the Federal Constitution,
the Radical Legislature of this State, had
it been honest, would at once have order
cd the repeal of the obnoxious clause
which it had fastened upon this State,
and have modified the Registration law
by which its enforcement is made intol-
cradle. Nothing of this sort, however,
did they do, nor have they now any
purpose of doing it; but the moment the
Fifteenth Amendment was adopted, re-
affirming and enforcing negro suffrage
in every State, this INSCRIPTIONS party
did not hesitate one moment to make
every negro "citizen" and voter, while
twenty-five thousand white men are
still held in bondage vile" and de-
clared neither citizens nor voters
This bill of Indictment for high po-
litical and moral crime upon which
the Radical party will be arraigned be-
fore public opinion in the coming
State elections, will be overwhelming
and crushing. In opening the ballot
box to the negro in direct conflict with
the State Constitution, at the same time
that they exclude the white man in di-
rect conflict with the Federal Constitu
ton which makes him an equal "cti-
zen in every State, is so revolving to
all fair minded and honorable men, of
whatever party, that the longer tolera-
ton of such a shameless abuse of
Radical power is impossible.