, 1879-02-17
NEGRO SUFFRAGE AGAIN.

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p'op'o' --.....---
NEGRO SUFFRAGE AGAIN
Tho forthcoming humber Of the NORTH
Amcrieati Repit,o for March contains a
"aymposium " on tho negro question md
wo present claowherc in this Issue sufficient
cxtrao|s from nll tho contributions to ciyo n
general idea Of tho drift Of the discussion,
Mr.. DA1rn has The first and the last word.
md ho nses l,s advantage woll. II Ia seldom
lhat keoncr piece of wrltfnRt m orc biting
In ita sarcasm or moro pungont in Its per-
sonnlitios, thau bis rojoindor, tlnds ita way
into print, The contributions of WxSp.x1,
PHILLIPS and MONTGOMERY BLAIR represent
cxtrome and opposite yiows Of tho question
but neither Of their arguments fs characteri..
tio OF any large political party. They nro
themselves political curiosities, md evan NJ
iliosynorasies hayo Of late bocomo tirosomo
by their frequent unnecessary nppoarapces
bsforo The public. WENDELL Pn111rs at-
tclnpta, In ono OF the omitted nortions of hin
argument, to Justify from experience his
plan OF reconstruction iu the old
days, in accordance with which tho
Altutto Va Ll9 NGDGlB WQulu QAYG GGHn C0ffs
flscatcd, aud tho sccodcd States held for an
indefinite poriod as Territories. blaine an-
swers this very forcib'y by showing that tho
adoption Of such plan would have been un-
constitutional, md would have endangered
tho perpstuity Of tho Republican party DO.
sfdos which it would hive beeu undesirable
both for tho negroes and for loyal whitos.
III similar why kr. BLAINE goes to the rvot
Of WADE HAMp1oNs argument that partial
ehtranchiscment Of the negroes through m
educational qualification would have boon
better. BLAINE observes TINT tho negro in
South Carolina, rs In tho rest of tho South,
when tho Fifteenth Amendment waa adopt
cd, WIS subjoct 10 barbarous md discrisn-
inativo poral legislation, and thai tho only
way to protect him against It was to put
tho bal1ot in bis hands.
All tho dobatcrs, with tho exception Of tho
ox"Abolltionist MONTGOMERY BLAIR, ag1ee to
these two propositions:
i. That the >disfranchisomont Of tho color
oa men is political iuposalbility.
2. Tint tho ballot in tho hand Of tho
blacks il n "dcfonao and On education"
and ought not to be withdrawn.
Tho fonoing comes when tho application
of this latter proposition to tho oircun-
stnncea Of oilher political party Is attempted,
tho Democrats contending TINT the colored
man has boon "eduoated" through the bal
lot to lovo md yoto with the Confederate
party. and tho Republicans that his "eduoa-
lion Inns boen stopped and defeatod by tho
fraud and violence Of tho Southern bulldozcrs,
The argument it, favor Of IN educational or
property qualification Ii disposed Of very
cfeclual1y by tho evidence tkat tho Southern
StatoB themselves, III which tho aysrara of
popular Intelligence and weaith ia low. would
be unwilling to disfranohiee 80 many wbite
voters "a would be Affected by law Of this
description. Wo are surprised that nono OF
tile debaters Inns insisted fully Oh the areu-
mcnt for negro suffrage derived from tho
theory Of our Government and tho nature OF
our institutions. In q free Hepubljo no eiti-
zon cali bo diRfrnnchiscd for racc.seasons
alone. If ono race could bo 80 disfranchised,
any might bo. Nor is it agreeable to auv
modern ideas of freedom that Intelligent
men and taxpayers should bo al.
lowed no voice in the disposition
Of thq money which thoy arc CON-
pellod to contribute for The support Of the
Government. Objections to tho vote Of tbs
negroes founded on their ignorance or their
poverty apply witt. equal force aRalnst n
largo portion Of tho white population; and
objections on the scoro Of raoa mr. na,;v;t.
Nulf3u. IL E{IOrtpH. fJ11a mt Il lHrryn ,,f
I'm ,vto1, ,,o1v If ,,o,ax. m,,. I1.o1. a1,
,,a,.o ~ 49, ,,at. - 49, no otaeA 7noula
'14o WV ~. 'nu e.Aiao toasohs anu on
ING sa1ae eona!tloha that tho white has tt !;
and ho Is oven moro entitled to the protoc-
tiou which 1t affords bccauae he needs 1t
more for his protection. Tn TIM ,yorda NJ
Mr.. oAnr,Enn. ona of t,,o most t,,,rah..,,1
tn ,,,;, doh,.,. s..r,,' ~! ...A