The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-15
LET US CARRY THE COMPARISON

government had, by the last census, pOpu-
lation Of 9,50O,0O0, OF which, IN round numbers.
800, 900 were white and 100000 colored. On
| this aggregate population seventy-three Rep
representatives were apporttOned to those
States, forty-two or fOrty-three OF which
were by reason Of the white population and
thirty or thrty-one by reason Of the colored
population. At the recent election the white
Democracy or the South seized seventy Of
the seventy-three districts, and thus secured
o Democratic majority in tho next House OF
Representatives. Thus It appears that
/ throughout the States that formed the late
| Confederate government $1,000 whites-the
very people that rebelled against the Union
are enabled to elect Representatives Ina Con-
gress, while In the loyal States it requires
| 1872 600 Of the white people that fought for the
Union to elect n Representative. In levying
| every tax, therefore; In making every appro-
priation OF money, In fixing every line OF
public policy; in decreeing what shall be the
fate and fortune Of the Republic, the Confcd-
| crate soldier South IL enabled To cast q vote
that IL twice as powerful and twice as iniluen-
| tial rs the vote Of the Union soldier North.
But the white men Of the South did not ac-
qnire and do not hold this superior power by
reason Of law or justice but In disregard and
defiance Of both. The fourteenth amend
| ment to the constitution was expected to be
| and was designed to be q preventative and
| corrective OF all such possible abuses, The
reading of the clause applicable to The case is
| Instructive and suggestive. Hear Il:
| Representatives shall be aI'portioned
among the several States according to their
| respective numbers. counting the whole num-
Der Of persons In each State, including Indians
not taxed But when tho right TO vote at
any election for the choice Of electors for
President and Vice President Of the United
| States, Representatives In Congress- the exc
cutive and judicial officers Of State, or the
members OF the Legislature thereof, Is denied
| to any of the male inhabitants Of suck State,
being twcnty-one years Of age, and citizens q
| the United States, or in any way abridged
| except for participation In rebellion, or other
crime, the basis OF representation therein
number OF such male citizens shall bear to the
whole number OF male citizens twenty -One
years Of age In such State
THE PATENT UNDENIABLE INTENT
Of this provision was that II any class OF voters
were denied or I'm any way abridged In their
| right of suffrage, then the class so denied or
abridged should not be counted In the basis
| OF representation or In other words, that no
| State or States should gain O large increase 81
representation in Congress by reason Of count
| ing any class Of population not permitted to
take part In electing such representatives.
But the construction given to the provision Is
that before any forfeiture Of representation
can be enforced the denial or ahridgmcnt OF
| suffrage must be the result Of "a law spcciii-
cally enacted by the State. Under this con
| structiOn every negro voter may have his
suffrage absolutely denied or fatally abridged
by the violence, actual or Threatened, OF ire
sponsible mobs, or by frauds and deceptons
| OF State officers, from the Governor down to
| the last election clerk, and then, unless some
| State law can be shown that authorizes the
denial or abridgment, the State escapes all
penalty or peril OF reduced representation.
This construction may be upheld hy the
courts, ruling on the letter of tho law.
(which kileth," but the spirit of Justice cries
aloud against the evasive and atrneiouS con
clusion that deals out oppression to the inno-
cent and shields the guilty from the lcgiti-
mate consequences Of willful traHsgrcsSon.
THE CoLORED CITIZEN
Ia thus most unhappily situated; his right OF
suffrage Is but a hollow moCkcry; 1t holds to
his ear the word of promise but breaks 1t al
ways to his hope, and he ends only In being
made the unwilling instrument Of increasing
the political strength Of that party from
which he received evertightening letters
when he was a slave and contempttlouS refu-
sal of civil rights since he was mace free. He
resembles indeed those unhappy baptives In
the East who deprived OF their birthright, are
compelled to yield their strength to the up
building Of the monarch from whose tyran-
MES they have most to fear, ard To fight
against the power from which aloae deliver
anco might be expected. The franchise in
tended for the shield and defense of tho negro
has been turned against him and against his
friends and has vastly increased the power OF
those from whom he has nothing to hope and
everything to dread. The political power
thus
APPROPRIATED BY SOUTHERN DEMOCRATS
by reason of the negro population amounts
to 50 Represe natives IN Congress. 1t Is |
massed almost soldly, and offsets the great
State of New York; or PennsyEvania and
New Jersey together; or the whole p New
England or Ohio and Indiana united or the |
combined strength Of Illinois, minnesota, |
Kansas, California, Nevada, Nebraska, Col |
orado and Oregon. The seizure ofthis power |
is wanton usurpation; it is llagraflt outrage:
it Is violent pervcrsion OF the Whole theory OF
republican government. 1t inuras solely to
tho present advantage, and yet. believe, TO |
the permanent dishOnor Of the Democratic |
party. II is by reason OF TINS trampllng
down of human rights, this ruthless. seizure
of unlawful power, that the Democratic party |
holds the popular branch of Congress. to-day,
and will In less than ninety days Fave control
OF this body also, thus grasping the entire
Legislative department Of the government
through the unlawful capture o. the South
ern States. II the prescribed vote OF the
South were cast as its lawful owners desire,
the Democratic party could not gaia power.
Nay, II it were not counted on the other side
against the instincts and the interests, against
the principles and the prcludice5 81 Its law
full owners, Democratic success would be |
hopeless. 1t IS not enough then, for modern
Democratic tactics that the negro vote shall
be silenced; the demand goes further, and in
sists that it shall be counted on their side,
that all the Representatives in Congress and
by reason fof the negro vote shall be 50 cast
and so governed as to secure Democratic sue
regardless OF justice, in defiance of law
And distinguishes IS wholly unprovoked. / |
doubt If it be in the power of the most search
ing investigation to show that in any South
ern State during the period CT Republican
control any legal voter was ever debarrcd |
from the freest exercise Of his suffrage. Even
the reyenges which would haye laaped into
life with many who despised the negro We're
buried out Of sight with magnaniraity which |
the superior race" fail to follow, and seem
reluctant to recognize. | know il is said in
retort of such charges against the Southern
elections rs am now reviewing that unfair |
ness Of equal gravity prevails In Northern !
elections. ] hear. it in many quarters and
read it in the papers that In the laie exciting
election in Massachusetts, intimidation and
bulldozing, if not 50 rough and rancorous as
in the South, were yet as widespread and
effective
/ have read and yet refuse to believe that
the distinguished gentleman. who made an
energetic but unsuccessful canvass for the
Governorshp of that State has indorsed and