The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-12-11
The Presidents Message.

| like AL his previous Official c0mmu
nications, is characterized by clear
ness of statement, frankness of opin-
ion and soundness of argument. 1t
is couched in plain, yet forcible Ian
guage, and is addressed to the UNI
derstanding of the general public.
The absence of rhetorical display will
particularly commend it to the bust
ness community, which abhors high
sounding, but meaningless, phrases
in proportion as it admires straight
| forward and incisive utterances.
Possessing the merit'of conciseness,it
is apt to be attentively read and ac-
lively discussed.
1t is occupied, in part, of course,
with recommendations Of minor inn
portance based upon the reports of
department officers; but it also treats
of matters of the highest national
concern. Taking these up in the
same order as they are approached
by the President, the first that invites
consideration is the statement that
continued opposition to the full and
free enjoyment of the rights of citi-
Eenship conferred upon the colored
people by the recent amendments to
the Constitution still prevails ia sew
eral of the late slave holding states"
manifested not so much by violence
now as by fraudulent practices at
elections. he President, we are glad
to perceive, approaches this subject
in the spirit of true craftsmanship,
INDUCING in no partisan reflections,
but treating il as question in which
the welfare of the whole country is
bound up. Inasmuch as the Demo-
Gratis of the cotton States themselves
admit that they resort to fraud to
overcome the colsred vote,an boldly
assert that they are justified in so do
ing by the necessity of preventing
what they choose to call NEGRO
domination" we do not presume
any well-informed person will guess
ton the accuracy of the facts upon
which Mr.. Hayes bases his declara-
ton that "the paramount question
still is as to the enjoyment of the
right of suffrage by every American
citizen who has the requisite qualifi-
cations to freely cast his vote and
have it honestly counted;" and in
terest will centre chiefly, therefore,
in the means which the President
would have adopted in order to Sc
cure the peaceable enjoyment of this
right to those who are at present de-
prived of it. 1t is the Executive s
opinion that the House and Senate
should see to it that every case of
violation of the letter or spirit of the
Fifteenth Amendment is thoroughly
investigated, and that no benefit for
such violation shall accrue to any
person or party +; while it should be
the duty of the President, with sufi-
cient appropriations for the purpose,
to prosecute unsparingly all who
have been engaged in deprlying citi-
zens of the rights guaranteed to them
by the Constitution. We heartily
concur With the President on these
points; but it is well to remember
that there are serious obstacles in the
way of carrying out this programme.
If,as he evidently contemplates, Con-
gress should send the election back
to the people in all cases where the
returns were tainted by fraud, their
action might dishearten the Repub-
licans and indispose them to renew
the struggle, with ali the personal
suffering that it might imply while,
ell the other hand, ii might reconcile
the Democrats to the idea of going
without represation rather than allow
the opposition to secure the contested
seat. 1t should not be forgotten that
the people of South Carolina, for in
stance, care much more for local than
national power, and would regard it
as only species of pleasant mar.
tyldom to be deprived of representa-
ton in Congress. No method of
enforcing the Fifteenth Amer dment
should he adopted that does not pro-
vide for this unhappy state of things.
Equally should it be borne in mind
that the failure of the courts to pun
ish violations of the Fifteenth
Amendment in the past has not been
due to any leniency in prosecuting
offenders. but simply to the fact that
in sections of the South where these
violations have taken place it is prac-
tically impossible to secure juries
that will render verdict in accor-
dance with the evidence. SO long as
the trials of ballot-b box suffers are
conducted in district where the SEN
timent of the community justifies
ball9t-box stuffing, it is useless to un-
dertake the prosecution Of fraud. We
have no such reservation to make,
however, in the case of the Presi.