Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-03-10

| e'o bioNtn ~ our people In all the better
elements of life has vindicated the wisdom of
the founders and given new hope to their
descendants. Under the Constitution our
people long ago made themselves safe against
danger from without, and obtained security
for their mariners and flag, and equality OF
rights on all seas.
Under this Constitution 25 States have
been added to the Union with constitutions
and laws formed and enforced by their own
citizens to secure the manifold blessings of
| local self-government The jurisdiction of
| their constitution now covers an area SO
times greater than that of the original 13
States, and population 20 times greater than
| that of 1880.
The supreme trial of the Constitution came
at last under the tremendous pressure of civil
| war. We, ourselves, are witnesses that the
| Union emerged from the blood and fire of
that conflict, purified and made stronger for
all the beneiicient purposes of good govern
| ment And now at the close of this first
century OF growth, with the inspirations of its
history in their hearts, our people have lately
reviewed the condition of the nation, passed
| Judgment upon the conduct and opinions of
| political parties and have registered their will
concerning the future administration of the
Government. To interpret and execute that
| will in accordance with the Constitution is
the paramount duty Of the Executive.
Given from this brief review, it is manifest
that the nation is resohtely facing to the
| front and resolved to employ all its energies
IN developing the great possibilities of the
| future sacredly preserving whatever has been
| gained to liberty and good government dur
ing the century. Our people are determined
/ to leave behind them all those bitter contros
versies concerning things which have been
irrevocably settled and the further discussion
OF which can only stir up strife
and delay their onward march.
The supremacy of the Nation and
| its laws should be no longer a subject of de-
bate. That dissension. which for half CEN
| tury threatened the existence of the Union,
was closed at last in the high court of Wal, by
| a decree from which there is no appeal. That
| the Constitution and the laws made in pur-
| suance thereof are and shall continue to be
| the supreme law of the land, binding alike
upon the States and the people. This decree
does not disturb the autonomy of the states
nor interfere with any of their necessary
rights of local self government, but it does
| fix and establish the permanent supremacy of
| the Union. The will of the Nation shouting
| with the voice OF battle and through the
amended constitution has fulfilled the great
| promise of 1776 by proclaiming liberty
| throughout the land to all the inhabitants
| thereof.
| The elevation of the negro race from
slavery to the full rights of citizenship, il the
most important political change we have
| known since the adoption of the Constitution
of 1776 No thoughtful man can fail to
appreciate its beneticent effect upon our insti-
| tutions and people. 1t has freed uH from the
| perpetual danger of war and dissolution; it
has added immensely to the moral and
| individual forces of our people; it has liber
| ated the master, as well as the slave from q
relation which wronged and enfeebled both;
| il has surrendered to their own guardianship
| the manhood of more than five million
| people. and has opened TO each one of them
| of ,I,,,,, f,,I, Ia
| given new inspiration to the power of self
| help in both races by making labor more
| honorable to the one and more necessary to
| the other. The influence of this force will
| grow greater and bear rich fruit with the
coming years. No doubt the great change
| has caused serious disturbances TO our South
| ern communities. This is to be deplored,
| though it was perhaps unavoidable, but those
| who resisted the change should re-
member that under our institutions
there was no middle ground for the
negro race between slavery and equal citizen
| ship. There can be no permanent disfran-
chised peasantry in the United States Free
dom can never yield its fullness of blessings
| 80 long as the law or its administration places
| the smallest obstacle i'll the pathway of
| any virtuous citizen. The emancipated
| race has already made remarkable progress
| with unfaltering devotion to the Union, with
| patience and gentleness not born of fear They
| to.see the light. They are rapidly learning the
material foundations Of self-support,
widening the circle of intelligence,
beginning to enjoy the blessings that
gather around the homes of the industrious
poor. They deserve the generous encourage
ment of all good men. So far AZ my authority
can lawfully extend they shall enjoy the full
and equal protection of the Constitution
and the laws. The free enjoyment of
| equal suffrage is still in question and
frank statement of the issue may aid its
solution. 1t is alleged that in many COM
munites negro citizens are practically denied
the freedom of the ballot. In so far as the
truth of this allegation is admitted it is
answered that in many places honest
local government is impossible if
| the mass of uneducated negroes are allowed
| to vote. These are grave allegations. So far
us the latter are true, it is the only excuse
that can be offered for opposing the freedom
tainly a great evil, which ought 70
| be prevented, but to violate the
freedom and .sanctity of the suffrage is more
| than an evil-it is n crime which if persisted
in will destroy the government itself. Suicide
| is not remedy. If in other lands it be high
| treason to compass the death of the King, it
| should be counted no less crime here to
strangle our sovereign power and stiile its
voice. 1t has been said that unsettled ques-
| tions have no pity for the repose of nations.
| 1t should be said with the utmost emphasis
that this question OF suffrage will never give
| repose on safety to the nation until each
within its own jurisdiction makes and keeps
the ballot free and pure by the strong sane
| tion of the law.
But the danger which arises from ignorance
| in the voter cannot be denied. 1t covers
| field far wider than that of negro suffrage
| and the present condition of that race. 1t is
u danger that turks and hides in the sources
and fountains of power in every state. We
have no standard by which to measure the
disaster that may be brought upon us by
| ignorance and vice in the citizens, when Joined
| to corruption and fraud in the suffrage. The
voters of the Union, who make and unmake
| constitutions and upon whose will hangs
the destinies of our government, can transmit
supreme authority to no successor
save the coming generation of voters, who
are the sole heirs of sovereign power. II that
generation comes to its inheritance blinded
| by ignorance and corrupted by vice the fall
| of the Republic will he certain and remediless.
| The ccnaus has already sounded the alarm
in the appalling features which mark how
dangerously high the tide of illiteracy has
risen among olir voters and their children.
10 the South this question is of supreme
importance. But the responsibility for the
existence ofslayery did not rest upon the South
alone. The nation IL responsible for the
extension of the suffrage and il under special
| obligations To aid Ill removing the illlteracy
which it has added to the voting population
For the North and South alike there is but
one remedy. Al the Constitutional power
of the Nation and OF the states and of
MI the volunteer forces OF the people should
be summoned to meet this danger by the saw
ing influence of universal education. II il
the privilege and duty OF those now living to
educate their successors and fit them by in
tolligeuce and virtue for the inheritance
which awaits them. III this beneh-
cent work sections and races should
| be forgotten and partizanship should
be unknown. Let our people find new
meaning i'll the Divine oracle which declares
that "A little child shall lead them, for our
little children will soon control the destinies
of the country My eountrymen, We
do not now differ in our Judgment
concerning the controversies OF past genera
tions, and fifty years hence our children will
not be divided i'll their opinions concerning
our controversies. They will surely bless
their authors, and their fathers God that the
Union was preserved; that slavery was over
thrown, and that both races were made equal
before the law. We may hasten or we may
retard. but We cannot prevent the final recon-
ciliation. Ii it not possible for Ills now to
make II truce with time by anticipating and
accepting its inevitable verdict? Enterprises
of the highest importance to our moral and
material well-being invite us, and offer ample
scope for the employment of our best powers.
Let all our people, leaving behind them the
battle fields of dead issues, move forward IN
the strength of liberty and the restored
Union, with the grander victories of peace.
The prosperity which now prevails is with
out parallel in our history. Resumption of
specie payment, so successfully attained by
| the administration of nv predecessor, has