New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-02-04

make n people Truly Tree. LoSS eh"n '"e"'J
years ago this South Carolina lawyer may
easily have been a slave about that time joel
Parker was Governor OF great State. But the
volcanic changes OF the civil war were hardly
more remarkable than the transformations
silent but steady, like the invisible processes OF
Nature, which the general sentiment upon the
negro question has undergone since that Tune
Less than ten years ago, III October 1871
the Hon. Joel Parker himself advocated, IN
convention held at Freehold TO nominate
local officers, the adoption of the following
resolution. which he il said to have drafted;
Resolrcd That the Democracy Of Monmouth county
are in favor Of restoring IN legal node the govern
ment Of the country the white race ana 9eheVing
that two SO distinct as tho AnglO-ShNoh
and African cannot successfully govern together
believing that each State should control the elective
franchise within it, own bordcrs and believing further
that the so-called XVIII constitutional Amendment was
illegally aud frauduentY forced upon the country tncy
arc in favor OF amendment TO tho Constitution OF the
United States repeating and annUiing said ANth
Amendment
But the language in which Ex-Governor
Parker advocated the adoption of this rcsolu-
ton was still palmer and expressed without
reserve the logged BourbOuism which sti'l
rules a portion. mt least, Of the Democratic
party. Among other things he s0id
We intend 20 use all lawful means in our power to
restore the Government OF the country to the whte
race to bcqueat by Cur lathe r. To "ho
e rghtfully belongs. and from whom 10 WAS uHlaWub
wrestea The Democratic party should either treat negro
suffrage as fixed TACT permanently and say no more
about H. Or they sh0ud hang out everywhere upOn ber
banners that winch tho resolution OF TINS con-
yentlon boldly declares go" a constitutional amend
mont repeating and annuliing the XVII Amend
mcnt." Ills better that drop The question o.
negro suffrage, and acknowledge that We gro
unable to perpetuate the white mau's government
which oar forefathcrs handed down 70 us.
There is no doubt In my mind that the
policy iEaugursted by the radicals viii IN the end prove
disastrous the country, and the time VIII come per
haps not day when the white race either through
peacsable means through conflict. VIII again govern
IN this land Ifsuch be not The r'st, Uen cH our De-
lord Iamd oHo0 the donaegrd course 81 crioo G"d oe
nations ruled by a DOngrcl go5eTa"cL
How pitfully narrow and sh0rt-siGhted these
utterances seem, read in the light of to-day
How Tar the country has outgrown Joel Parker
and his theory of white mans Government,
for we give some Of his fellow Democrats the
credit of having learned the folly of his
wisdom. But this rtminiscence brings with
it an immediate political lesson Do we not
know that if the Democratic party had had
its way, this would still be a white mans
Government with slavery as its foundation
stonei Do we not know that il the Demo-
cratic party had come into power at the date
of this convention tfic great War Amendments
would have been repealed We do know that
many Democrats, including perhaps Joel Parker
himself, still hold these views, aud that though
the amendments are forever secure in the let
ter, the controlling section of the Democratic
party has nulli1ed their spirit, and rendered
them a dead law in ten States. Can we doubt
that if this party should come into full con-
troll now, the best fruits of the righteous war
fare against Slavery would be swept away