The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-27

iional power. instead Of gradual emanc,pation:
and whatever NAV be Thought Of the expedency
OF at once hestowing on the blacks the right OF
subr ee, as di1tate proceeding from con
quering power, We are not TO lose sight OF the
tact thht these things have become nxed and
fastened In the fundamenia al law OF tho land,
and that no party and no executive tdministra-
ton OF the national Government can unnx or
unfasten them. I do not attach any supreme
Importance to the declarations OF party "plat-
forms;" but some importance ia to be attached
to them on some subjects, ecause thew are good
eviuence OF what public oplnion demands Of
those who aspire to govern the country. In this
aspect the declarations of the st. Louis " plat
form" concerning the binding char cter " the
constitutional mendmenls Is very high evil
dence Of the hxed and irrevocatle sense when
the public opinion Of the whole country attaches
to the results which those amend me nts EN- body
ihey are established and indi.putabe condi-
lions OF American society now nd forever; and
wheth. they were originally app owed or disap-
proved by the Democratic psrty, no Federal Ex-
execute them when necessity arises, accord.
TO their letter and their spirit. That Gov
lilden 80 regards them has been maze evident
Passing by, then. the expediency or inexped-
ency OF sudden smancipaton aud forced eie-
va'ion OF the blacks To political power wi bout
previous training or education, let us come ut
once 10 the wrong that has been done by the
Republican party since those two results were
accomplished, a wrong that was as unnecessary
M II his been disastrous alike to the blacks and
the whites OF the Southern states, a wrong
witch calls for redress, and which a change in
the national Admtnistra Ion ctn redress. The
reason that has been no igned for negro sufYr ,pe
Ia that II was necessary, Notwithstanding their
gross ignorance, to give the bl tcks tue right OF
suffrage, "a without It they would be exposed to
some Kind OF Reinforcement, or { least to very
harsh trea ment. Admitting for the arguments
sake the validity II this plea. although It could
very easily tie shown to he untrue, there IL still
a wrong That has been done by the REPUBLICAN
parry on which any man OF sound he d and q
GOOD heart eau lay his finger with certainty
mat ne Will do no injustice. We to remeIn-
Der that after emancipa ton, after tn blacks
mad received the right ~ sufr .ge, there was ana
there now Ia. no longer any South " composed
OF single race domineering by right OF property
or by any other RI. hit over another tce. In the
days OF slavery. the only "South" that ex isted
WIS population OF our own white race ; and any
poltical party in the nation tbat desited To have
the political support ~ the south md only ~
conciiate that race OF wbites. Tho constitu-
tonal amendments came, and made the south
to consist Of two races, marked by the strongest
dNersities TINT obtain through any two of the
races OF mankind, but possessing individually
equal ohtical power, and both together constl-
tuting IN law aud reason and interest one leo-
pie. hut neither the letter nor the spirit " tho
amehuments made II necessary or reasonable
,of me f,puoiican party OF the North to Agra
the negroes feel that 1t was for their interest or
their s'fety to become the political antagonists
81 The whites In all national and all local con-
Germs. a true statesmanship, humanity
public policy, and respect for the great
tionsl amendments, alike required That
the negroes aud the whites should be IN ade to
The eroVidence Of Goe tee una IA
u their respective races could not be oblit-
Grated, ana their possession of the
was an Inevitable fate, they we're and
are all citizens Of that country. with
est misfortune tn 4 could befall them would
he the combination OF the mempers OF Ell her
race IN political action AGAINST the other. But
ms cad OF this hum ane aud ess initial policy, die
tated bv tie amendments thems.lyes and hv
every consideration oi the welfare Of the blacks,
Tue Republican party Was at once seized with
all ius"ue purpose to make the negroes their
political altes, bv teaching them to use their
newly-acuuired suffrage against their white TEL
low citizens, as II the division OF those COM
munities by lines OF race WIS the only way IN
which they could be governed. The conse.
anence has Oeen that 10y this policy the Repub-
nc ms have indeed obtained vast amount OF
they have also inflicted almost irreparaUle so
- and politic"le,ils upon the Southern states
VINO can wonder that the constitution amend
henencent results which tue people Of the
United states eX9ected to follow from their
adoption, when the ruin. powers Of the Federal
nuIctnnent nave ueen 50 untrue to their spmit
ana their great purposes wnen tue grand prin-
eipie OF tue social cnanses which those amend
mehts contemplated, the equality of q people
homo geno"us IS To all personal rights. has Ueen
sacrificed by party policy when has simed to
MAKE OF the inferior the superior race, has
subjected The whites to the domination
Of the blacks. and has taught the lat or
70 regard the former as their natural ensmie-3
hat else cOulh have been expected from sucn
policy but discord. Jealousy. confusion. the
destruction OF kindly feeling, the ayyravati0n
Of all tho oistinc ions wlicn nature mas made
be wsen the ~ o races, the almost entire frus
traitor 81 the principle witch colid alone nav.
aiy tendency 10 harmonze those races by max
ms the colof of the skin no test Of civil rights
aud no measure Of tue inoivdual's weight in
political Affairs Had our political rulers IN tue
national Government, after the adoption Of tue
amendments, left the people OF the Southern
states To work out their own salvation under che
restraints and requirements which the amend
ments imposed upon tneu, there would have
been some chance for the operation Of ina, old
tie OF good will and ersonai affection which had
DESCENDED from the ancient relation OF the two
f ,ss ana which ne anendm.ut- had
" impaired. But II all ingenuity that ". . devil
ish Ia Its spirit and It's aims, mad set to work to
dsvse means for rendering unav liable 10 any
public benefit the natural operation Of all tnat
was goou and amlaole and Uenehcent and pro-
tective in the old condition OF master aud ser
want, II cOuid not have inyenie ed ANYTHING more
misc hievOus tnau the party policy Of using the
freedmen arace, IN political antAgonism TO
The whites as another race. but let MT thls
DISASTROUS result he charged upon tne cons itu-
tlonal Amendments. They ought TO have been
results. They ought to have been and might
have been supplemen.ed 10y Federal policy
that would have produced very different fruits.
Iuey ougnt To nave been and might nave been
made the means OF excluding from the political
feelings OF that people the very distinctions OF
race wnlch they Undertook to exclude from the
law OF tue land IheI ought to have gone aud
might have gone very far 10 produce people
one IN spirit and one In destiny, uy teaching
them that however Nature had drawn indeliule
lines between them, II is In he power OF human
Institutions ana human law, wnen rl.ntly adj
mlnistered, to make them equals In civil lights,
hut all this splendid object this magnificent
St,tes set before themselves In theory, ana
fOndiy believed could be made practi 81 nss
been nearly frustr by party greed, that
could not leave the negro to the penencent effect
OF The national policy, out must needs capture
MIN as voter for the purposes OF party, by per-
Auading him that II he did not vote always
az inst his WHITE neighbor, tbs benefit Of his
emancipation aud Of his suffrage would be lost.
hut great and uifhcuit AS is the prot lem which
the present condition OF the Southern States
presents TO the statesman, the evil that has been
done can be undOne, II the people OF this coun-
try Will thst It shall oe. Let there be national
Authorization that will set Its face firmly a. a
Nut against the idea OF ruling the southern
states through the antagOnisms Of race; teat
Will beslow none OF its rewards upon loo poll
ticians because they can command negro major
tiles against white minOrlties, or wnite n njOri
itles against negro minOrties; that VIII c,rTyI
power aud It's influence 40 far AZ under our COM
pick system OF government they can he rrIed
toward tue making Of one people; that Will
teacn men 10 regard poll les not az a scramble
Tor the superiority Of one race over the otuer
Oul de civil contest ABOUT the methods, the
aims, and the measures OF Government that
concern alike he interests OF all Races and all
Conditions OF tue people. In short, let II 10 an
Administration that Will be faithful to the sprit
and tue great purposes OF the constitutional
ana that will not seek TO extract
from them the means Of frustrating those oo-
Jects Tor the sake Of party advantages. Such an
Administration we cannot nave, without taking
Tue executive power out OF tue hsnds OF the
parry that has used 1t To govern the Southern
States Nv political division OF the two races.
All = raj 1 hava