The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-03-25

4 know that II mas Deen the naDlb Oistnt
party TO which / belong to decry the
n adoption OF all these amendments. But
| / care not 10 argue with them upon this
point They arc the law In spite of what
we may say OF do Suppose YOU deny
the legal adoption Of the 14th and,15th
Amendments-what thenp Why, you
are compelled 10 fall back upon the plat.
form that they must inevitably follow the
fall Of slavery. By virtue OF their free.
dom they must have some rights bestow.
cd upon them. II you, could repeal The
14thIand 10Th Amen dmenls you would
have to re.cnact them tomorrow. u You
can't go back upon the events OF the past.
Until you can undo the 10Th Amendment
and remand them to slavery, the 14tl
and 10Th must follow. These arc my
views. And having shown that the negro
by virtue Of emancipation has become
part OF our body polite, why should he
be deprived of other rightsl / know my
own feelings, and the feelings Of d majori.
ty Of this body, rebel at the situation, hut
why should We put ourselves in opposi.
ton to the. unalterable decision OF fate,
and to what has been by n legal majority
declared to be the rightS
Are we superior as race2 Surely we
are. Yesterday our slaves, today our
voters and Office holders. Who made
them so I? 1Etts did not lolit. Ieit lSso
il has been done by the people; thenegro
is not 10 blanc for 1t.
Why should gentlemen magnify this
question into such gigantic proportions I
The negro Is but one TO one hundred Of
our population. Who then fears any real
danger in permitting them TO hold office
| Again, this State holds It's place today
in the Federal Union by but slight ten.
ure. We can DO returned TO Old VIZ.
GINA. Supposetye arc, returned to the
old Stdte ? there they have negro Office
holders, and in population the ratio is Us
one 70 two. Sir, there is not n wise
statesman In the mother State who docs
not accept the situation as right and but
the logical conclusion OF the war. No
man there declares any, intention or de-
sire to deprive negroes 81 voting or hold.
ing office, All my information from that
State is that there will be no change, and
that there will soon be nGdesire Tor any.
At first, amid the chaos of fallen con.
fedcracy, negro rule saw riot, but now the
white element rides, the storm and guides
the affairs Of State. \ = ~ 'GAB
Here but one TO one hundredT What
have We to fear? Can they elect candi.
date in single county against the will Of
the white racer think not. Insert
this word "whitc,p and I can sec innu:
merable evils that will follow. Striking
Il out, apprehend none whatever.
MrC Pendletop, of, Brooke,-I have
tried 10 weigh with Impartial judg.
ment the force of the arguments upon
this question, and it seems TO me that
this, like all new questions snust be set
tied upon the grounds Of right as well as
expediency. We cannot expect to move
smoothly in adjusting new issues ut all
times. In natural things, harmony often
comes out OF resultant siorces. And so in
political affairs, unanimity may succeed
10 the Earring interests Of party strife.
There are daily occurring events that
stir the lowest depths OF the human heart;
and il is idle 10 expect foreman as were
our fathers In IOldcn time. We must
keep pace with events as they progress.
| might sympathize with my friend
from Hampshire (NIr. Armstrong; inhi
views of social equality, if thought
there was any real danger in the ques.
ton. But 1t Is in my opinion but empty
fear. No man is obliged TO open his
door to any man because he isan office
holder, against his own wishes, even
though that office holder be the President
Of this great country; nor is he compelled
to allow them TO come into his family I'M
less hefreely chooses to dose. BE-
The right Of suffrage is restricted by
law, and SO with the right TO hold office,
We say the voter or the office holder
must be ola certain age, or birth, or resi-.
dGnCe. The power TO place restrictions
resides in the government, and that gov
eminent is the people. The power that
conicrs the right 10 vote should surely
have the right 10 hold Office. And thus
the holding OF office is but the logical
consequence Of the right Of suffrage
Where there is q restriction, there should
be a good reason for 1t. u y.
The holding Of office grows out Of the
government, is the property Of the peo.
pie, and as the creature cannot raise
higher thanlthe creator. society cannot
grant to any one holding office higher
powers than reside in themselves. Soft
seems to me that the right stohOld office
should be rs extended rs the right to
vote. Then are the reasons IN this case
sufficient to Justify us in q departure from
the general ruler =1s az
1t is said the negro has not the natural
capacity 10 hold office. But he has ca,
pacity to vote; theniwhy not to hold office
II his fellow citizens desire to elect himS
Do We make capacity one Of the pre-.
requisites for holding office by white
menS Do not many now fill offices who
are entirclyincompetent TO the trust?
Meleave the voter 10 Judge pl the ca
pNclty and fitness oil The candidate for
their snttaGcs. Let us adhere to princi-
pie and make our laws apply TO all alike;
and let us be careful in placing hefe a
clause of prescription, which, il fairly in
terpreted, would exclude many Of our
own race. ts, ..r,.,..'. ,.r.-o
It is said they will disturb the elections
by holding the balance Of power, but is
this good reason 10 debar men irom'lI0id.
ing office? -
Why, Sir, il is said the Irish hold the
balance OF power inINew York City; the
Germans tie balance oil power in Cincin-
natl, and many other places; but who ad.
vocates this restriction applied 10 them,
simply because they may chance to hold
in certain localities tho balance Of power
It amounts only 70 this, that majOrities
may object to these minorities because II
initiates against their continuance in
office and Tue, perpetuity Of their own
ascendeney, The principle isunsound,
and should never be rcsorted to in any
country; and in q republic like ours,
where the majority Of to day Is a hopeless
minority tomorrow, the proposition
Il NtrNNNI l.Ez = A