The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-05-24
Ghe9ntellt9surer.
OFFICE; No. Is Quincy Street.
WEDNESDAY, MAY n, 1871.
INC color Elhie, ofDemOeFaey.

The Chlgl distress OF tHS
p,pers Of the State just now arises nom
the Gct that our Constitution Is sun us
G,prcd with the word white It's very
cprious, the feeling these fellows have
.Iort that word white" So long as II
WA, used to define the voter and limit
fine suffrage to the white citizen, 1t was
very well; but when they suddenly DIS
cover that II also limits to the white
citizen in the same way the correspond
Ing and equally glorious privilege ofpay-
ipg taxes, itbecomes horse OF a very III
ercpt color The word is very odious in
deed. And there must Bono delay about
striking it out
The State Constitution, made Gl''Hy "
Democrats who were very careful Il"
rvclude every color hut white land thai
f. mn color at all from the rights anu
privileges Of citizenship, provided Tor a
capi,ation taxof dollar year on each
"wbite. male adult That provision has
hccn in the Constitution eight years lack
inc one month, and yet no lynX'eyed
Democrat ever saw it till since the 2'lh
or Inst month All once the abomina'
bic outrage Of denying the negro 'he
privilege Of paying Il capIla'Ion TAX mas
hurst upon the Democratic consciousness
and wall of anguish goes up in chorus
from all their penny.whistIe newspapers
in the State. Yet we are not aware that
there was any such surprise and indigna-
ton because our Constitution for near
eight years denied the negro the ballot
although the Democratic party processes
to hold that representation and taxation
are reciprocal and inseparable.
UnquestiOnably, wherever the word
"whitcn occurs in the Constitution rs u
discrimination in the rights or obligations
Of citizenship, it ought to come out. But
Is the evil so uncomfortable and the neces-
sity so pressing and immediate that a
Convention must be summoned to eX.
pungcitg That is the point of the con.
troycrsy,
If the negroes pay no Capitation tax, the
State loses some $1,000 year in conse.
quenCc. Now would it better to lose that
for a couple of years, while an amend
ment goes through, or to call u ConVen
ton and spend 100000 under prctenct
Of saving $3,OOOY II our Democratic
friends endured the presence of this Oh
noxious discrimination eight years, with
out one word Of complaint, couldn't they
endure 1t couple Of years longer for thu
sake OF that economy and retrcnchmen
to which they are so profoundly devoted
But the lact IS that the negroes do pay
IL oaptation tax Just rs their white lel
low citizens do, and they have done
ever since slavery was abolished
and the negroes previously free wer
~ taxed from the time the first assess
mcnt law, enacted by the legislature {
1868, went into operation. The legisln
ture taking warrant Of the fact tina
the laying of II was not directly fol
hidden, laid the same. capitation on til
adult male negro MS on the adult NAL
white; and one has been just as REGULAR.
collected aud paid into tho treasury MS tn
other. And this several years before tn
negro was invested with his correspond
ing right, the ballot We taxed him sew
eral years before we let him vote; ant
now we really cannot remember that any
Democratic editor ever protested agains
the injustice oil ii, or demanded COnyen
ton to strike out "whltc' from the sui
lrage section of tho Constitution.
II we assume that the capitation Ia,
now laid on the negro is unwarrantct
by constitutional authority, the onl!
question Is whether we can stand II for
couple ofyears to tux the negroes withou
direct authority in the Constitutional
we have done several years-Or whether
we must have u convention to remove al
constitutional doubts few months Garlic
than 1t could be done by amendment
That is, after all, the only question in
volved