Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1870-10-21
The Democracy and the Amendments.

IN an article yesterday upon the worf
which the Republican party still has be
| fore it, we mentioned, among other oh
tjects, the securing of the nation agains
the payment Of rebel claims for losses
suffered by the war, and secondly, the
permanent establishment of. the Fifteenth
Amendment as part of the fundamenta
law. That the nation should ever be ex
pected to pay such claims, or that the
Fifteenth Am mendment should ever be de
clared nullity, may seem too remote tc
require serious attention at present, Yet
there can be no doubt that these are q
part of the Democratic programme. and
that they would be at once attempted had
the Democratic party the power.
In recent speech in Cincinnati, Sena-
tor Thurman, who is the ablest man Id
the party in this State, and who is recog-
nized as leader of the national party,
took the ground that the Thirteenth,
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments
10 the Constitution were never legally
adopted, and, as consequence, are not a
part of the fundamental isw. This is the
position of the Southern Democracy, and
especially of the "White Mans Party "
organization, and this fact, makes it, as
Senator Thurman has announced, the
position of the whole Democratic party,
for the South still gives the Democracy
its issues as it did before and during
the war. AS the three Amendments
named are intended to secure by constitu-
tiopal enactment the objects gained by
the war, the aim Of the Democracy is, as
has been frequently affirmed, to turn back
the nation to the position occupied under
the slave regime. What will be the effect
of treating these three Amendments as
not legally adopted?
1. The Thirteenth Amendment abol-
ishes slavery. If the Democratic party
were now in power it would probably be
q physical impossibility to re-establish
slavery, but slavery as an institution, or
as system morally and legally, would be
restored. This would prepare the way
for the claim which would be presented
for compensation for slave property lost
by the war.
2. But the Fourteenth Amendment de-
clares that no compensation for slave
property shall ever be made. 1t will be
nect ssary, therefore, to treat this amend
ment as void, before the late rebels can
realize upon the men who are now their
political equals. Some Of the States, es-
pecially Kentucky, confidently expected
that compensation would be made fer
their slave property, and they no
doubt cherish the hope still, and will
transmit it to their children. IT we add
to the 80, 0O,0OO,0O0 which Mr.. Knott, OF
Kentucky, claimed as justly cue to the
South for other losses, the value OF
the emancipated blacks, we shall have
some conception of the burdens which the
Democracy may be expected to impose
upon the people.
8. The Fifteenth Amendment enfran-
chises the blacks. It is all-important that
this should be treated as null and void,
for the Democratic hope of securing per
manent political control of the South
rests upon the disfranchisement OF the
colored element. With the colored vote
thrown out, the South will be herself
again, and will assert her old supremacy
over the party of the North, which may
be expected to meekly kiss whatever rod
she presents, and obediently join IN any
measures f,r the full payment OF rebel
claims and the suppression of the blacks
as political element.
It may be said that these are possibili-
ties only too remote to be at all probable
They are Just as remote as the
triumph of the Democracy in the
Federal elections. The one fact which it
is enough for the country to know, is that
the Democracy pronounces the amend
ments null and void through such leaders
as Senator Thurman. The party might
find great difficulty in undoing the work
of the past, which the Amendments are
intended to clinch, but that does no affect
the essential fact that it proposes to un-
dertake the work of nuilifying the Amend
ments.-I0Iedo Blade.