The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-06-10
1.-THE New Departure.'


further opposition to the new amendment Is
virtually decided. it may not be amiss sto
consider the nature of the situation" which
the Democratic party accepts" Nes can
best describe it by a COMPARISON. Suppose
that in the trial Of "a civil suit. there is
mixed panel of white and colored jurymeE.
John Doe, one of the parties to the ssuit,
challenges every coored juryman whose
name is drawn from the box, but, IN spite OF
/ his opposition, the jury as actually sworu is
Enally composed Of niue white and three
| coIored citizens. Would John Doe act like
4 man of sense if he should thereupon petu-
/ lentIy give up bis case and refuse to produce
/ his witnesses? ? The merits of his suit are
not altered by the composition Of the jury.
/ The presence Of the black iurymen cannot
/ change either the law or the facts; and
! since his case must be tried by that jury,
! he will. if a wise man, direct his counsel 10
! take even more pains than usual, and care
! fully avoid insulting or affronting the black
iurymen. There they are, on the jury
! benches and whether be like or dislike
them he cannot get them away until they
! have rendered their verdict.
Quite similar to this is the situation since
! the establishment Of negro suffrage. The
political question remains decidedly the same
as if they were to be decided by the votes OF
!
really important thing is to have these ques-
tions rightly decided, according TO their
| true merits not whether the decision is
mode by larger or a smaller constituency
of voters. The point for the jury to try Is
not whether their own body is properly COM
posed, but the question Of fact between the
plaintiff and defendant in the suit before
them. We only muddle and confuse puliti
| cal controversies if we fail 20 distinguish be-
tween the questions to be decided and the
persons who are to decide them. By accept
! ing negro suffrage we increase our chances
of candid hearing on political issues. The
negroes are Of little account If we can control
the Judgment Of the white voters. There
are ten white voters to one negro voter,
! taking the country at large. In twenty two
of the thirty seven States there are thous-
ands of whites entitled to the elective fran
chise to every negro, and those twenty two
States contain over two thirds Of cur popula-
tion. 1t is Meir public opinion which we need
to influence, which We can most easily do
| by Withdrawing their attention from the de-
cded question Of suffrage, and fixing 1t upon
pending questions of public policy. The
misrule of the last ten years has been the
| fruit of misguided white voting. Its chief
support hgs been white maorities in the
| NOrthera States, in most of which negroes
! have not voted at all until within the last
| fourteen months, since the fifteenth amend
ment was declared adopted. 1t is not negro
voting but perverse white voting that has
! so nearly ruined the country.
Now, on the question whether the right
Of suffrage shall he continued to the negroes
| the Republican majorities would be great
as heretofore. Nay. they would be alto
gether larger, for most Democrats do not
! wish to arrest the experiment. 1t is too OBJ
| viOus that for the Democratic party to make
negro suffrage a political issue would be
counting inevitable, overwhelming defeat,
because a preponderant and constantly grow
| ing ma jority of the people are unwilling to
disturb what has been done. 1t is high
time, then, for us to accept the settled COM
| position of the jury, and proceed to argue
! our case on its merits We therefore must
heartily rejoice in the declaration of the
ONO Democracy that they .'recognizs as ac-
aompltShed facts the three amendments to Tie
Constitution recently declared adapted, ana
consider the S4nle as no longer political issues
before the country ;" and we feel equal salts
faction in the further unequivocal, emphatic
declaration that the Democratic parry pledges
itself to FULL. FAITHFUL, AND ABSOLUTE
EXECUTION AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE Con-
sTITUTIoN AS 1T NOW IS, SO AS To SECURE
EQUAL RIGHTS TO ALL PERSONS UNDER 1T,
WITHOUT DISTINCTION OF RACE, COLOR, OR
CONDITION"
The WORLD long ago foresaw that this
policy was inevitable, and the continued
existence and future triumphs of the Demo
cratic party were staked upon its adoption.
For a time we stood almost alone and in-
CURED no small suspicion and cbloquy from
persons who now take up our views with
the zeal of new converts. We are too glad
of this cooperation, and have the welfare
and success of the party too much at heart,
to reproach anybody with slowness or incon-
sistency. We have tried to be faithful to
the light which was given us, and the strong
endorsements we are receiving from the
whole party atones for the detraction and
distrust of which we were the object before
the sober second thought which is gener-
ally wise aud always efficient" had matured
the views of the party. We claim no other
merit than fidelity to our sentiment of duty.
The irrepressible tendency Of things opera
ting on popular good sense and rectitude of
feeling, would have brought the party sooner
or later to the same position if THE WORLD
had followed the party instead Of leading it.
| The sun shines first upon the mountain tops,
but they are not therefore the cause of day.
The earth has but to revolve little farther
on its axis for the light to penetrate every
valley and illuminate the darkest ravines.-
We suppose it will now be conceded that
THE WORLD foresaw the tendency of events
and correctly estimated their consequences;
but the only credit it claims is that of an
unshrinking declaration of its sentiments
when it thought them timely and useful. at
some expense of popularity.-N. Y. acorld.
A HORRIBLE SCENE IN PARIs-A late
Paris letter. giving details of the terrible
magazine explosion on the Champ de Mars,
says the loss of life was much greater than
at first renort When the catoctrOnba NJ