The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1871-08-05
LET ALL THE ENDS THOU AmsT AT,.. BE THY GODS
WAYNE COUNTY, IND. AUG.

rY,. IND. AUG.
J fDsrs a. passs affldavit. The 14th
md 15ths smsndments sxprsesly
provide that they shall BE- suforc-
ID by appropriate legislation and
no one expected it to be left to the
states. No one can be ignorant
Of the fact that this enforcement
vas left to congress. The 18th
amendment declares that no state
shall deny the equal protection Of
the law to any citizen. Congress
has DO power to act upon a state
in its collective capacity. Nor has
ever been able to compel . state
rs state to do anything. Federal
power 10 executed upon individuals
within the states. If . state re
fu ses to protect persons in the en-
joyment of equal protection Of
laws. it is equivalent to denying
the equal protection Of the laws.
So il state fails to secure equal
protection, it 10 Q denial. Congress
can not examine the reasons or
facts or refusal. It can only deal
with the. fact that the protection 10
denied. If the state fails to pass
proper laws, congress can not COM
pei it do so. IT it passes laws but
fails to enforce them, congress can
not enforce q state law, but must
step in and, by its own enactment.
enforce the provision Of the con-
stitution in favor of the individual
whose rights are assailed. The
argument that the ku-klux law
gives the president despotic power,
and enables him to re-elect him
self, is oil desperate bunccmbe.
Tie law is dangerous only to com.
binations Of murderers and rob-
bers, and democratic politicians
who desire the aid Of the ku-klux
to secure the v9 of the southern
people for the t.Cca, AC,s -atic ticket.
The ku-klux exists in Kentucky
and in every southern state. While
all the democrats are not ku. klux
(the majority are not) all the ku
klux are democrats. The order
exists inside that party, and all
its victims are republicans. It's
practices and existence are conniv.
ed at and winked at by democrats
in high position to secure their
votes and assistance. Democratic
politicians are afraid to offend
them. Some witnesses have sworn
before the congressional commit
tee that everything is peac ef1l and
lovely in the southern states. and
that there are no ku-klux there !;
but their testimony is negative
and weighs nothing against that
of hundreds of witnesses who
swear to its existence and its man
fold outrages. Let me say to
those who advocate a new depar-
ture that there is no acceptance of
the amendments while the power
to enforce them is denied. The
power to enforce them is part Of
them. II . state fails to secure
colored men suffrage it denies tho
right. and gives congress the right
to secure it. It was the very pur-
pose Of those amendments to place
the rights secured by them in the
safe keeping of the congress Of the
Q nited States. We know the dem.
ocrats Of Kentucky would never
enforce the amendments We
know they trampled on the l4th by
electing hundreds of ineligible
men to Office They treated it
with defiance. We did not COM
init the folly of iatrusting enforce
ment of amendments to their ene-
mics. There can be no new de-
parture in Kentucky while school
books, which form youthful minds,
are teaching the right Of secession
and educating children to hate the
government Of the United States.
There can be 20 new departure in
Kentucky while the democracy
| place themselves upon the ground
that colored children shall be ex
cluded from the benefit Of free
schools, and | desire to say. in q
most emphatic manner, that any
school system that excluded from
its benefits children Of any race OF
class Of people is crime against
civilization and humanity, and
against the genius of our free in
stitutions. read q speech tn,
other day made by a man OF tn,
name of Dawson, down here i,
Kentucky. in which he denied tha
it was the proud boast of tue dem
ocratic party that it excluded chill
dren from common schools, and, il
conclusion, be declared in great
triumph startling fact that mus
thrill tho blood Of the people
that Leslie and all his compatriot
on the state ticket believed tina
the white race was su, ,,erior to tn
black. Wonderful Dawson /
panders to every base prejudic
and processes every principle. II
the skeptic and the unbeliever
denounces Sunday and the Sunda,
laws. To the Catholic it de
nounces the Protestant and swear
by the pope. In Pennsylvania
clamors loudest for a high pro
tective tariff. In Indiana it roar
for free trade. In the easter
states it denounces paper money
and demands immediate return t,