The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-07-26
The Apologists Of Wrong.

- .ss-..
- o. The ApOlogists Of Wrong.
The attempt to Justify the political
enormities which have been and are
practiced in some of the Southern States,
on the plea that the negroes are unfit to
exercise the right of the elective fran-
chise given them by the Constitution, is
a most fimsy, illogical and vicious piece
of augmentation. In very many of the
counties and parishes of these States the
colored voters are largely in the major
ity, and in South Carolina where, lately,
the most execrable specimen of gerry
Wandering ever recorded in the history
of politics has been perpetrated, the vot-
ing population is 604, 1872 colored to
391. 105 white voters; yet it is claimed
that some method must be instituted,
through violence. or fraud, or partisan
intrigue, to deprive this large ratio of
the voting population from having any
voice in the choice of their rulers and
representatives, unless, indeed, they will
distribute themselves about equally be-
tween the two parties or vote the entire
Democratic ticket, because, forsooth.
they are ignorant. and if allowed to vote,
and to have their votes fairly counted,
the result would be the choice of incom-
petent public officers and mal-adminis-
tration of the public affairs. 1t is
now claimed by the Bourbon leaders.of
South Carolina that they have so dis
tricted the State that out of the seven
Congressional Districts, Bourbon Repre-
sentatives viii be chosen from six of
the Districts, and all this in the face of
the fact that there are more than third
more voters in the State who are natur-
ally and rightfully opposed to the Bour-
bons than of those who choose to fight
under the Bourbon banner. The methods
which haye been used to disfranchise
the large constituent of colored citizens
of which the voting population of the
South is made up-the murders, the in
tiinidations, the tissue ballots, the
prostitution of the ballot-boxes in every
conceivable way-are all well-authen-
tieated, undeniable facts in the political
history of those States, and in one
phase or anotherit is proposed to still
keep these methods in active operation.
If there was a mistake made in the
Reconstruction acts, in conferring
upon colored citizens the right to
vote, of all things in political ethics,
these methods Of correcting the mis-
take are the most reprehensi5le.
Actual revolution would be far
more justifiable. The very spirit of this
Government is the extension of the
elective franchise to its utmost limits.
The most ignorant European, who
knows nothing of our language and in
stitutions, can come to Wisconsin, de-
clare his intentions to become a. citizen
of the United States, and after a resi-
dence of one year, can have his name
registered upon our poll lists and be-
come regular voter, and the man who
should challenge the right of this pro-
cedure would be tainted as being pros
pective Know-Nothing. But the men
who have been bora and brought up un-
der our institutions, because they were
kept in Ignorance under an inhuman
code which made it a crime to offer
them any instruction except how to
serve their masters, are declared unfit
ted to vote, and the methods used to de-
prive them of their political choice are
justified by the apologists of political
crime and intrigue The negroes may
be acknowledged to be very poor materi-
al out of which to manufacture Demo
Gratis So long as that party ruled
supreme there was no hope of their en-
franchisement. Slavery propagandism
was practically one of the leading arti-
cles of their political faith, and it would
be unnatural and absurd if, after this
servile class had been set free, they
should be inclined to fraternize politi-
cally with their old oppressors. But
this is what troubles the Bourbon lead
ers. With n Democratic vote in his
hand, every colored man would be well
coined by them to the polls. and is is
only because they are so strongly and SC
naturally inclined to be Republicans
that all,these obstructive measures and
intrigues are Instituted and carried ou.
and this is the reason why these corrupt
leaders find ready apologists in States
where the sanctity of the ballot-boN is
not habitually violated. Wisconsin, Statt
I journal