The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-04-06
The Fifteenth Amendment.

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ton of the Fifteenth Amendment by
the requisite number Of states /; and he
therefore, proclaims it a part of the
Constitution of the United States.
Secretary Fish, declares that the
following ytateshaye ratifedthc amend.
ment by Legislative action North Car
DINA, West Virginia, Massachusetts,
Wisconsin; Maine, Louisiana, Michi-
gan, South Carolina, Pennsylvania,
Arkansas, Connecticut. Florida, Hi
nois. Iowa, Indiana, New York, New
Hampshire, Nevada, Vermont, Mis-
souri,, Virginia. Alabama, Kansas,
Mississippi, Minnesota, Ohio Rhode
Island, Nebraska and Texas, in all
Twenty-Five States.
1t will be seen hat eleven of the
States mentioned, ratified the amend
ment under military du:ess, rs Il con-
dit:on of their re admission into Il I'm
ion from which they hal been expell-
ed 10y the Republican leaders, In
other words. it will be sscn that the
Republican party. became a disuniou
party. by driving the Southern States
out OF the Union and placing tlicm'ua-
der military SatrapS!
In all history, we.fail to find a more
outrageous violation of pledges and of
public faith. The war was urged for
ward under the plea of prerentig seces-
sion-the WAR was proclaimed a sue
cess, and yet, by Republican Perfidy
every Southern State was deliberately
forced out of the Union! The rnle
Of the Satraps, resembled that of the
remorseless tax-gatherers sent out by
old Rome to extort from her conquer
ell provinces. The Iron rule-the in
sulting manners the low cunning, and
the deviltry of the Spaniard in his
South American. tyrannies, have been
freely imitat.dby the military cobbiers
place over theSouth.
The work is done. 1t is now pro-
claimed by Grant, that the people of
the South have ratified the Amend
mentl This is akin TO the memora-
BILE proclamation of Louis Napoleon,
when about to assume the robes of III
Emperor. "Men OF France, you are
free to vote; but those who vote for
Rollin or Lamertine, will be conduct
| ed to prison." The Southern States
were told to act freely in regard to the
ratification of the Fifteenth Amend
ment; but if they failed to ratify it,
they would be continued under the
tender rule of the Satraps! And this
is American liberty! . --.
All this can be passed over, for it is
only a sample of the thousand and one
other frauds and perfdies that have
characterized tie Republican leaders.
The question to be settled is, can that
party control the African, since he Is
now by their action, what they call a
citizen? 1t Is seen that wherever the
negro has been left free to act, that the
white men Of the South control him.
If that holds true, the Yankee, like
Paul, will have warmed into life n
serpent, that in the future may fix its
fangs deep in his vitals
The most dangerous feature of the
new amendment is, its consolidation
clause. The States. by that clause,
have unw1ttingly surrendered to Con
gress the right to regulate State cleo
tions: and if we do not find the mill
tary placed around our election pre-
cincts to appropriately enforce the new
amendment, it will be because the Re
publican leaders dare not attempt to
do 30. That it is the deliberate pur-
pose of the leaders of that party to re
tain power by such legislation, cannot
be disputed.
The future will develop the whole
subject and if the people lose their
liberties they can only blame the Re-
publican leaders for it. g.