The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-04-06
Tho Presidential Canvass.

The Presidential Canvass.
The Buf,alo (N. " Courier, one OF the
.,nndc,t Democratic papers In the country,
IN commenting upon Senator BLAlR's letter
10 the editor Of the Montgomery Mat
says:
"It would be as idle to make negro SUI.
frage an issue in the coming canvas as "
would be TO undertake to restore s," oa,a.
The real. substantial issues Oh 't ,hc CON.
paipn will be q strict adherence 10 'no f H
s,itution as il Is. amnesty. revenue ic,o ,h
civil service reform. the preservation Oh .re
nu,i;n dom,in. and tho organlzatloh on
sound financial policy. We want notnlns
rctrorrcssive except TO Get eack on I nn
to the ancient standards OF icuc'"i ~ 80 rn
toward the states. In eIerylll."5 nrnyidc
need only to look TO the future. a"r nC the
for the long.ignored requirements W
people In the way OF ieSiSla''op'
Our people would do well 10 MAKE up
their minds at once that nolh'hS oe''ci
than the above platform is to be expected
q; The hands of the Democratic Naliohai
Convention. For our part we want no.
thing better. Let us restore the ucmo-
cratic party 10 power, and we shall nave AT
ies., freedom in our domestic concerns.
lie
standards Of Federal action towards the
States" secure general amnesty, acquire
the power TO enfore /" 4 strict construction
Of the CONSTITUTIONS" and to preserve the
public lands, reform the civil service, make
a revenue tariff, improve the internal reve-
nue. laws. and such like matters, and we
need not disturb ourselves about negro suf-
frage.
In q word, lot us be practical. How
could the Democratic party, II in power,
rid the country of negro sufrageI The
Executive and the Legislative departments
Of the Federal Government have both de-
clured In the most solemn form that the I'LL
teenth article of amendments is part OF the
Constitution. Could new President and
q new Congress reverse this decision
They not only could not, but they would
not, do it. We do not believe that 1t Will
ever be possible to induce Congress to sci
90 bad an example. The South was suhJu
gated in violation Of the Constitution. 1el
no man in his senses supposes thai
a Congress will ever be elected whicl
will so declare. No sooner will one
be chosen which will undertake tt
expel from the Constitution the 18th art
Gle OF amendments. The question ha'
passed from the jurisdiction of Congress
1t now belongs to the courts. If the SUI
preme Court of the United States shoult
pronounce this amendment no part OF The
Constitution, it would be treated as nl'i
and void, and would thus perish IN th'
only proper mode in which it can DC dc
prived of force. That court is opcu to us
Let us suppose that Congress should de
clare this amendment of no force, ana THE
Supreme Court should nevertheless decide,
us it would still have the right 10 dcclde'
that 1t is part of the Constitution Clearly
we should have to be governed hy lhe
opinion Of the court, and not hy " mere
declaration Of Congress, which has no
power to reopen such Il question. Or Tue
other hand, If d new Congress were 10 re-
peat the forms which have already Deen
gone through, and again declare the amend
ment to be part of the Constitution, the
Supreme Court would It'll have the right
to decide that such was not the fact.
Where, then, is the wisdom Of crusade
against negro suffrage? Why should we
thus cmhayrass our northern friends? In
what possibly way could We be hcpetiIcd
If Senat or BLAIR, the brlde>t OF war Demo-
Gratis, the representative Of southern
State, the man who speaks for the ircad>
Of STERLING PRICE and the Thousands OF
c,lant Missourians who took sides with us
in the late war, is unwilling to reopen the
Question of negro suffrage, how can we en-
poet HOFFMAN, or HENDRICKS, or pEHDLE'
TON, or THURMAN, or HANCOCK, or ADAMS
or any other prominent Democratic canul
dste for the nomination for the presidency
to undertake such work? Ii we are point
IT, construct platform for the purpose o
securing our total defeat, and would rathc
remain under Radical rule than surrende
an idea, let us require the northern Dem
ocrats to acknowledge the right of secs
sion, and ask them to undertake to con
vince our cOnquerors that we were on tn
right side, and they on the wrong one, i
the late unpleasantness." We stand n
good chance Of success in the one case Il
In the other.
We do not believe that the southern
people are SO blind as to sacrifice their bcs
Interests in Quiyotic determination +
accomplish impossibiltles. They are il
favor of doing the best they can. Ant
surely they can do better than 10 adop
h such measures MS will inevitably result il
y the election of another Radical to the presi
y dency Of the United States.
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