Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-11-30

title clearer tc those who have not
given their attention TO political F
matters before the war. When the
Constitution of the United States
was first adopted, universal suffrage c
was rather the exception than the ,
rule. a considerable number of citi- l
gems in most of the States being ex- !
cluded from the suffrage by property
qualifications, ETC., and in the South
the slaves were of course excluded.
The first proposition was that the
basis of representation in Congress
should be the whole number of the
population in each State, voters and
non-voters, men, women and chill
dren, and that the Legislature OF
each State should determine who
was to vote and who not as ques-
ton belonging exclusively to the
several States. This rule was carried
ont in the original Constitution, eX-
cept in the case of the slave States,
those States claiming that their
whole population should be counted
as the basis of representation, While
the Northern States claimed that
the slaves should not be counted at
all. Controversy rose high on the
question, and for some time this
was one If several differences which
made it doubtful whether the Con-
stitution would ever be adopted at
all. Finally the dispute was settled
by compromise, and it was agreed
that in the slave States the basis OF
representation should be the whole
free population and three-fifths OF
the slaves. In the free States the
whole population was counted
whether they all voted or not.
When slavery was abolished, all
this had to be changed. The change
was effected by the North entirely,
r which held theswOrd, the conquered
: South being compelled to submit to
the terms imposed upon her. The
/. principle was adopted that no classes
g who did not vote should be counted
II in the basis of representation, bu'
the suffrage being conferred on this
negroes, of course they were counted
Q The result Of this was that the mum
her of members sent by the Soutl
p to Congress was largely increased
e, since the whole negro population
was now counted instead of three
ii fifths only as it was before the war
- 1t may seem strange at first that
y. party whose adherents were eXclus
in lively Northern men should thu
O. increase the voting power OF tn
in South, but they intended and eS
ct pected that these Southern Vote
should be exclusively used to CIV
ie. strength to the Republican part
lie North, as indeed it did for eight
MS ten wears. The white men WEI
n DISTINGUISHED in the South and II
ur negroes, recently enfranchlse'
is oked upon their Northern frient
&c. as the authors of their freedom an
he their status as citizens, and natural
lis voted under their direction, so tn
~, US the continuance of the Republ
,ur cans in power seemed to be base
no upon the support OF solid SOtH
And so it was and when the jealo
vigilance of the Northern Peep
began to awaken to the fact tn
they were again ruled by sta
'i po,eer, welded now by a faction
" their own men instead of by
III Southern predominant caste,
e0 reaction set in and the support
- the Republican party grew thlnn
- and thinner in the North. b
"S they were for a while able to de
III" this reaction in the North by cali
81 up to their support that solid Sou
-. which they had so ingenious
od based upon the negro vote. /
:. now another reaction sets in. L
IN colored voter began to discover II
,.v the Republican party, for the 81
;+nI port of which he was given the
49, frage, had become Il machine
tho robbing both black and white
-, the South for the benefit OF Northt
- adventures. Slowly but surely
an has opened his eyes to the fact Il
- his interests and those of his WI
49, neighbors are identical, and Il
go both are trampled under foot
tho this same Radical party. One al
faro another they change their fro
and now a large number of tn
,,.o vote with their white neighbors
con- preference tosupporting their MOI
:, ern plunderers. Hence a SoHd,SO
,,oir with quite a different result fr
LIT that for which it was created fo
NH. undoubtedly was created by
-bov Radical party, and intentions
edo made solid by them. Hioc itto
-inr 1ynlr. The solid South, sOlidi
O9 as it was by the Radical party, VI
- Democrat instead of Radical.
The result is another chang'
,,tcan front in the Radical party. II
'f fran programme, not very obscurely
t the dictated in the extract we gave Fl
leases eisas the Cleveland Herald at the C
i 40, mencement of this article, is frs
qpare make a desperate efforts at regain
5 ana the control of the negro vote; fai
The NE that, to abolish the negro vote wi
,a9 IN they themselves created, and
ealing it to abolish the negro pOpulatio
-. . the South as a basis OF SOutl
- =, representation in Congress.
% M sectional struggle this would
.ontb well worth contending for.
CO. would make the Southern quot
- =, representative not only less tn;
:. is now, but less than it was bt
tio,.d the war. Then three-fifths of
heir negro population counted in tn
lqding sis of representation under the
isctors posed arrangement it would
,, In, Ine count at all. The means upon W
: OF a they rely TO accomplish this arr
nhabi- results of the late election real
tss S', or n solid Democratic South, and
p reE. alleged method by which that
in the oass was ACCOMPLISHED. These