New-York tribune., 1879-01-01

telligent suffrage; and IN the second place II
| they should come North and visit the strong
| Democratic wards in the large cities, where
| they could see what intelligence and culture
| they are allied with in the governing classes
| of the great party that aspires by their hclp
| to govern the country. We apprehend that I'D
| their own section they would hnd niue
TO choose on the score of intelligence between
the whiskey- drinking nght-ridtr and bulld0Zcf
and the low est of the black men whom they hunt.
And we are quite certain that they would Tina
full as much ignorance and more sol
tishness. and wee, among their allies at
the North than III the most unenlight-
ened of their black parishes. But We do not
hear of any effort making here to hinder the
dangerous classes, the Ignorant and vicl"us'
from &" f0oing with politics" 1t is not I'M
likely that intelligent citizens of the North are
as anxious for good government, ana "a
hostile to the control of the mlcttereo
and incompetent, rs any Mt the Son'"'
They probably feel rs much the disgrace
of having 20 submit to the ruic OF Incompe-
tency and dishonesty; they know rs wen tue
misclnefs and evils OF our almost uniNelSai
suffrage They, as well is the respectable
white men of the South, would like to see
the test of Intelligence established as Il quail
fcation for the electoral franchise. But they
do not propose to bar any voter however Ig-
norant who has the legal right to vote, from
the free aud unob, ,tructed exercise of
that right. They recognize the fact
Of free suffrage with all its draw
backs and disadvantages. and wait pa
ticnty for it to work out better condition
of things by and by. They certainly have
never dreamed OF keeping any of these brutal,
bc-otted and ignorant Democrats from " fool
ing with politics" And they certainly have
aS mnch and as good reason for it as the
Democrats of Louisiana.
These gentlemen seem 20 forget that the
people of this country mt tie close of long
and costly war. OF which Southern treatment
of the negro was the cause, gave these black
men the privilege of the ballot, with iull
knowledge of their ignorance and lncapaclty,
because it was the onl Y weapon OF defence
against outage and WRONG and rcinthlaI-
mcnt that could b. placed in their hands IL
was one OF the tOrIeituTe] thar these LOUIS
i,ril gentlemen incurred with the risks OF
rebellion and chances OF war, that their
former slaves should not only be freed. bat
thar they should he PIT on political equality
with their masters, and ~olcmnly endowed
with the right Of political action. II is their
right to fool with politics as much as they
please and it is Grim" upon any prctcXt 10
hiudcr them in it. They may not be wise or dis
erect, jhcy may be tricky and dishonest or the
tools of ufc';y and shonc,t white men; that
comes largely Of the condition m winch III"
white men who complain Of them kept them
80 long; but whatever they aIc, they have
the rights of American citizens. and their
exercise Of them Is no more "fooliug with
"pohtics" than il the party action Of any
vmte Democrat in Loui.i,nn. Thcrc is u,
present monopoly Of the business OF "iool-
ing with politics" that We know oi, and we
suspect thai the Democrats OF Louisiana will
hardly succeed IN establishing one that shall
lave anything like pcrmancuce.