Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-04-01


men, constituting Common Council of
nine members. From these figures 1t
appears that in the city there are 1880
colored votes and /, 1850 white votes-two
black to one white. The only legitimate
way in which the white voters Of Will
mington can exercise more than mi
nority influence in the government Of
the city is to conduct themselves so as
to induce colored voters to unite with
their white party organization; provided
such an organization exists. The colOred
voters, If they choose to vote uniedly,
are entitled to shape the policy and con-
troll the affairs Of the city. They are
men and citizens possessing, under the
Constitution of the United States,
all the rights enjoyed by white
men and citizens. Now how does
the act of the North Carolina Legislature
affect the colored voters of Wilmington?
1t completely nullifies their political in
tluence, as absolutely, indeed, as if it de-
prived them of the right to vote. 1t
gives to / 100 white voters six Aldermen
and prohibits 1880 colored voters from
choosing more than three Aldermen! In
other words, it gives to every white voter
Oh S1uoi w tuat vi ioui NoIOlSu
voters! A more monstrous political
iniquity was never perpetrated in the
name and under the sanction of free
government The act is no more Just
from property point of view. The
property of the Third Ward, which con-
talns more than ten times as much terri
tory as the First and Second Wards com.
bined, is assessed at $2,093, 405, while the
aggregate assessed value of property in
the First and Second Wards is only 81
0Sl, $50. Thus the property in the First
and Second Wards has twice the alder
men representation of that in the Third.
Disregarding the color line, and con-
sidering only the question of the fran
chise, we find that the act of gerryman-
der gives to a little over one-sixth, double
the representation accorded to the
other fivesixths of the voters. If the
monstrous enormity is sustained by the
courts and permitted to go unchallenged
by the public opinion Of the country
every colored voter in the South may
and will be DISTINGUISHED to all intents
and purposes as completely as if the race
still remained in slavery. But this is
not all Of the act. 1t defeats the will of
the people in the choice of Mayor as
etlectually as in the election of Council
men. 1t takes the election of Mayor out
of the hands of the people and contides
it to council chosen by one sixth of the
people. Sec. 6 provides that
At the first meeting of each and every Board
of Aldermen elected under the provision OF
this act, they shall proceed to select one Of
their own number to discharge the duties
now prescribed by law for the Mayor of said
city during the term of Office Of said Board OF
Aldermen.
Sec. 8 names Registrars to perfect
a registry of voters and Sec. II re-
quires that every voter proposing to reg
ister shall be required to p,oDe 10 tie sat
istaetion Of tie Registrar the fact Of his
being If ta,ntW age 10 cote, the fact Of his
residence for twelve months in the State
and for ninety days next preceding the
election in the lot, in the block and in
HE ward in which lac claims to residc.n
Thus it viii be seen that the right OF ev-
cry legal voter in the city of Wilmington
rests solely in the discretion of the sew
eral Registrars named in the act. Sec.
Is names the Inspectors of Election
and Sec IL provides that there
after both Registrars and Inspectors
shall be appointed by the Board of Alder,
men. 1t will be seen that. by an
act of the Democratic Legislature of
North Carolina, the supreme control of
The government of the city of Whining
ton is placed in the hands of one sixth of
its legal voters and by the same act it is
so contived that no power can wrest it
from such control so long rs the Demo
cratic party dominates the State.
We insist that the whole course
of events at the South points to the con
clusion that Southern Democrats propose
TO nu)lify the amended Constitution; that
the National Democratic party is secretly
| pledged TO support the treaohCrouS pur-
| poses Of its Southern wing and that to
| surrender the control of the General
| Government to the hands of the Demo
| cratic party is 60 abandon to the care of
| traitors the Union which was preserved
only at The cost of oceans of blood and
millions OF treasure. Inter. Ocean.