Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1878-12-05

TIE SOUTHERN QUESTION.

THE SOUTHERN QUESTION.
THE PERMANENT PLCIFICATGON OF THE COUNTRY
by the complete protection Of all citizens in
every civil and political right cOtinucs to be of
paramount interest with the great body of our
people. Every step in this direction is well
coined with public approval. and every inter
ruption of steady and uniform progress to the
desired cunsummatiOn awakcns general uncls-
mess and widespread condemnation. The re-
cent congressional elections have furnished Il
direct and trustworthy test of the advance thus
far made in the practical establishment of the
right of suffrage secured by the constitution
to the liberated race in the Southern states.
All disturbing influences. real or imaginary has
been removed from all of these States. The
three constitutional amendments which con-
fcrrcd freedom and equality of civil and polit-
cal rights upon the cOlored people Of the
South were adopted by the concurrent action
Of the great body of good citizens who main
tanned the authority Of the national govern
ment and the integrity and perpctuty of the
Union nj such a cost of treasure and life. as a
wise and necessary embodiment in the organic
law us the just results of the war. The people
of the former slavc-holding States accepted
these results, and gave in every practicable
form assurances that the thirteenth, fourteenth
and fifteenth amendments, and laws passed in
pursuance thereof, should in good faith be
ENFORCED RGIDlY AND IMPAlrIAIIY
in letter aud spirit to the end that the hum
blcst citizen, without distinction of race or col
or, should under them receive full and equal
protection in person and property and i'll pO-
litlcal rights ana privileges. by these const-
tutiOnal amendments the southern section OF
the Union ont'lhed large increase ot polite
al power in Congress and in the electoral col
egc, and the country justly expected that cleo
tons would proceed as to the cnlranchised
race. upon the same circumstances ol legal and
constitutional freedom ana protection
which obtained IN all the other States
OF the Unlon' The friends OF
law and order looked forward to the conduct
of these elections as Offering to the general
judgment of the country an important oppor-
tunity to measure the degree III which the
right of suffrage could be exercised by the
colored people and would he respected by
their fellow citizens; but more general ENJOY
ment of freedom of suffrage by the colorcd
people and more just and generous protec-
tiOn of that freedom by the communities of
which they form part were more gener-
ally anticipated than the
RECORD OF THE ELECTIONS
discloses, In some of these States in which
the colored people have been unable to make
their oninio,is felt in the elections thc rrsult
is mainly due TO influences not easily measured
or rcmcdicd by lc"ll prntcction. bnt in the
Stotes of Ionisiara md Snntb Coreiino Mt lorgc
md in some particnor congrcssionni distriets
outside of tbnse state. the records of thc clec-
tions seem IN comnrl tbe roncmsion tbat the
rights of the colorad voters hive been overrid-
den and their narticination in the elections
not nerm;ttcd IN hc citbsr general mr. FREQ II
vii Vii b. s,r Tho congrcss res fer which these aloe
ham. ,,,ro b'Il ~ s,,,b sYs,,;'ar in
mine The validity Of the claims of ncmbcrs TO