The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-22
NEGRO SUFFRAGE.

Messrs. Blaine, Wendell Phillips and Garfield
on the other, Mr.. Blair taking part as a sort
OF free lance, and differing with both schools.
The questions propounded 10 this "sympo-
stun" were: 1. "Ought the negro to be dis
franchised?" 2. Sought he to have been en-
franchised? AS might have been expected,
the negative OF the first proposition and the
affirmative Of the second s taken with Singh
lar unanimity by all the parties to this dis
cussion, though the processes OF reasoning Oy
which the same conclusion Is reached are as
diverse as possible.
The second of these questions belongs to
history. and has no political significance
whatever and from the unanimity with
which both the Republican and Democratic
leaders have agreed that the franchise OF the
negro should not be disturbed, we hardly
think that the first Is of any more political
Importance We do not suppose that any
intelligent negro has any misgivings as to the
perpetuation Of his political rights and privi-
leges yet, If there be any who has, he should
certainly be treasured by the views ex-
pressed by these dialecticians, who are regard
cd as among the greatest as well as the
most sincere, Of their respective political
schools.
The truth Is that negro suffrage, manhood
suffrage, or whatever else 1t may be called,
has become principle of our constitution, as
firmly fixed as any other enunciated in that
instrument. and with the advantage over
many others Of having behind Il o positive
element of power that is self protecting. and
which party leaders will be exceedingly wary
OF provoking to open hostility.
Really, the only scholarly production elicit
cd Is that Of Mr.. Lamar, and his argument
upon one side and that of Mr.. Blaine ON the
| other embody the opinions Of their respective
parties at this time. The people will align
themselves, naturally, with one or the
other. according to their political bias. Blaine.
speaking for the stalwart Republicans, of
which he ID the shining light urges
| that the ballot is essential to the negro as a
protection against the constant and natural
| aggression OF his former master who will
constantly endeavor to recover In politics the
actual control lost by the emancipation acts.
Following out this idea. Blaine contends that
the negro is an essential integer In the for
nation of public sentiment and that II he be
deprived Of his vote he Is RENTED to the con-
dtion of moral responsibility from which
he had been raised by the influence con-
ferred upon him by his acknowledgements.
Blaines purpose all through appears to be
simply to vindicate, or rather to excuse, the
resolutions introduced by him In the early
part of the present session Of Congress, out of
which the Teller committee was evolved. Mr.
Lamar, on the other hand, devotes himself to
the implied proposition made In Blaine's
speech that the black vote at the South Is
merely an echo and repetition Of the white
vote. The following extract will sufficiently
indicate the tone Of Mr. Lamar's reasoning:
Il will indulge In neither invective nor de-
nunclation. | will simply take he late govern
ment Of South Carolina or OF Louisiana Or Of
other States under similar rule 1ad Us, prl9e It
When he has told its history | will ask him
whether he would willingly as patriotic Amer.
lean desire to see his own ate. or any other of
the free States. reduced to such level2 | am
not afraid of his answer. or that Of any man
who has been bred under the traditions. Of a
vlrtuous civilization Then | will say TO him !:
This. II is true. is a painful result; but when
you put the ballot in the hands. of an ignorant
majority as b means means o1 ba tao ana
| their lesson. We Of the South have borne all
this because we knew that the reaction must
come, 1t has come. The results which you see TO
| be 80 bad the negro has seen also. He has come
| back to US with the same blind impulse with
which few years ago he fled from US. He may be
| as ignorant q Democrat as he was an ignorant
| Republican. but years must yet prss before tue
ba lot Will have educated him fully into self;
| reliant, temperate citizenship. and what we of
the South have borne our friends Of the North
| must bear with US until the negro has become
what we both want to make him. This is part
while the ballot has been educating The negro.
He has learned that he was power between
Republican and Democrat. He l. now learning
| rapidly that at the South he Ia q power between
| Dem crat and Democrat and In the late cleo
tim be made that prower felt in the, result.
but. such as it is. It has been paid for. and if
Mr.. Blaiue will patiently trust his own theory
he will find the ballot Ia the hands Of the
Gator. But. as the South has been patient,
50 muet be be- patient. a. the South
has ehqe sss bsr yh Tstn thai vote
VII he chats s ioesctaaly w When l. L p,a,n
admits that d. franchisement is mpos-i ble and
= at thu ballot has been. in spite of oil draw
bacps. "a benefit to the negro he really proves
that thee ie no organic question affecting
great national interests. but simply the subnr-
dinate question, How RAPIDLY Is the ballot 1T
ting he negro Tor the full enjoyment OF bis cit
izenship. and what Influence does his vote ex-
otheri national politics. This latter may be
an intefestlng dnhetion out not ,o one Wh n
ment or ert at natiol al Interest,". do not pro-
pose to iscuss It.. am Of opinion that to make
the negro free citizen it was necessary first TO
take him from his master. Then it became
necessary to take him from the party which
claimed his vote as absolutely as his master had
claimed his labor. The next step will be &c
take him as a class from either party and
allow him to differ and divide Just as white men
do"
MIR. Blair, differing from all the other dis
putants, took the position that the Negro
should be disfranchised. He saw in him, sc
long as he held the ballot, nothing but al
: element OF disturbance, and one which had 6
tendency to lower the moral and politica
standard of public opinion in America. HI
would be perpetual source and provocatior
OF Federal interference in local politics. The
tendency of which was all towards centrali
cation. There Is certainly force In all tha
Mr.. Blair says, but the views he expresses
: are utterly beyond attainment, and are, there
} fore, merely suited to speculative discussion
We ourselves can readily understand nov
: matters would be simplified if the negro wer'
eliminated from politics, leaving the South