The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-06-08
From the New York World
THE BILL TO ENFORCE THE
FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT,

oHouS VII "h'ch uuc just puSscu tux
Senate, and was published iu our Con
gressional reports yesterday, was in-
tended by its authors for the protection
OF colored voters, or tor any othe,
purpose thun to resuscitate the agitation
Of tho negro question. The agitation is
dying out; aud with the sinking tide
sink the fortunes aud hopes OF the
Republican party. Unless it cau be
revived. nothing will be left to stiwu-
late the tagging zeul of such Kcpubli-
Guns as neither seek nor hold office,
whose jaded enthusiasm would well find
repose after. fifteen years Of uuremitted
excitement. Negro votes cannot save
the party, for as soon as the white
Republicans are secure, they will settle
into apathy aud seldom 20 to the polls
This tendency was si:.nally illustrated
in the recent election iu this State.
Our Democratic Legislature passed an
act removing all disabilities from colored
voters; apd the consequence was that
twenty Indifferent Republicans stayed
away from the polls for every negro
admitted to- the ballot 1t the Demo-
cratic party Of the State had pu,sued q
different policy; lf,he State authorities
had arrayed themselves against the
fifteenth amendment, and had under,a-
ken to exclude the ne rocs, the canvass
would have glowed liked furnace, and
the whole Republican vote would have
been easily bro.ght out. This is the
danger which hcsets that party every.
where. Its LEADERS, who understand
TOO we'll the cause of tneir past success,
see that unless they can rciufuse some
Interest into the negro question, their
voters will constantly fall off, aud that
party will lose control of the govern
ment as snon US the necessary elections
can be held.
They are not lacking in craft and
this prepostcrous bill is meant as u pro
vocation to another fierce contest over
the negro. Its calculated audacity was
necessary to give it any chance Of effect
ing its purpose. The country is so
heartily tired of the negro agitation,
and so disposed to let 1t drop, that un-
less the bill gave a strong handle to
opposition, it would not sufficiently
engage public attention to produce even
II ripple on the surface Of politics. The
design was, 10 produce bill bad enough
to provoke resistance. The Rcpubli
can leaders uccd new materials for
the public mind. They are
dying for an anti-ucgro riot; they want
Il "bloody shirt" to be borne aloit in
their electioneeriug professions.
This bill has been put on it's passage
without any color of necessity, as 10
State in the Union has taken any steps
to thwart the operation Of the fifteenth
amendment. Fnur fifth, oi'thc State gov
ernmcnts are in Republican, hands and
of the Democratic States, New York, by
far the most powerful, the one whose
influence is most likely to be felt, aud
its example followed, has promptly ac-
luiesced in the situation by an act Of
her Legislature. There was no likeli>
hood that the Democrats of any State
would try to carry an election by with
the amendment, or that they
could succeed ON that issue If they did.
The negroes do not need the passage
Of such bill it is only the ;.cpnbli-
can party that needs it, as a means Of
reviving the agitation which has always
been the main lever OF their power.
1t is bill that could never be en-
forced in State where public opinion
was opposed to negro voting and in
State where public opinion was the
other way, il would need no enforce
ment by the Federal government The
reason why it cannot be enforced
against local public opinion is, that
the heavy penalties Of fine aud imp":a-
onnent cannot be inflicted without
trial by jury The bill provides on a
great scale machinery for the arrest,
Imprisonment, prosecution and trial of
but no man can be sentenced
to these heavy penalties without trial
by jury. 1t is true that there is moth
ing in the bill about jury trial, but
there is in the Constitution, and the bill
does not undertake to set aside that
part Of the Constitution. One obstinate
Juror can in every case prevent verdict
But the bill answers the purpose of its
trainers all the better from the fact that
it could not be enforced. a cry Of res
sistence to law, and rebellion con-
spiracy against the rights of the negroes
is the very thing the Republican plottcrs
in Congress are fishing fol. What they
seek is the means of rckindling the cx
citement to which til" Republican party
has owed all its past success. The bill is
we'll adapted to this wicked purpose if
Democrats should in any State be 40 uu
wary as to fall into the trap. 1t would
bo IL fatal and suicidal policy for Demo-
Gratis to aid the Republicans in thcr des-
perate attempt to hold their party togcth.
er and rcinvigoraie its dccaying zeal a
succession o: cases arising out Of this
bill, and spread abroad with cxaggera-
ted coloring and ianntical rhetoric in
the Republican newspapers, would bring
hundreds OF thousands Of Republican
voters to the polls VIII" would otherwise
take no interest in the clectious, aud
who can only be brought out by the
strong stimulus Of a negro excitement
Ii this outrageous bill should pass the
House and become law; it can be
rendered quite harmless by giving il