Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-10-19

Mrl A. ). Holtngsworth Is the Santa Ana agent |
the HERALD,
Further of the Late Deeision-A
True Emancipation.
Thus far, in considering the effects OF
the recent decision of the Supreme Court
Of the United States on the Civil Rights
bill, we have merely had regard to its
judicial and constitutional aspects. II
is proper that we should also indulge in
some remarks as to the political bearings
Of the original enactment and Its most
important modification by so august and
conclusive tribunal. Even If the Dem
ocratic party had not earned the undy-
ing gratitude Of the people of the United
States by its addition TO our originally
modest domain Of the Louisiana pur-
chase Of Mr.. Jefferson, and by the sue
cessive acquisitions Of Texas, California
and the intermediate territory, embraced
clear to Salt Lake; even II, in addition,
the Democratic party had not, inthe per-
son OF President Polk, struck the fifty
four-forty. fight attitude, which as
sured us Oregon and Washington Terri
tory, Its spirited and sagacious stand, in
the first years which followed the war
entitled II to the undying gratitude OF
the people. The Reconstruction legis-
lation drew its breath and being from
Thaddeus Stevens, a brilliant and per-
emptory statesman, who was personally
a social Pariah. In all his worst
moods, in which he delighted to
trample upon the Constitution of
the United States, Stevens was
heartily seconded by Charles Sum
ner, IN egotistical doctrinaire who lived
to bo repudiated by his own party. of
the two we are inclined to think that
Thad Stevens was by far the more virile
and respectable. This latter worthy
never hesitated to say that he was glad
to trample upon the Constitution OF the
United States--upon that Constitution
which William Lloyd Garrison did not
hesitate to characterize as "league
hell and covenant with DEATH" The
Civil Rights legislation of an entirely
irresponsible Congress, dominated in the
one branch by Stevens and in the other
by Sumner, bore the earmarks of both
these febrile statesmen. 1t was designed
to give expression to views far more
radical than could have been engrafted
in any possible amendments to the Con-
stitution Of the United States. 1t was
vitiated, besides, by the fact that to
make the amendments upon which it
was based possible, States, nearly to the
number of tho whole original thirteen,
were disfranchised.
50 much by way of historical resume.
The pleasant political aspect of the situ-
alton is that Supreme Court OF the
United States, which consists OF nine
members, and which is composed,
with the single exception OF
Mr.. Justice Field, OF Republicans,
has been obliged to nullify the excited
political legislation engineered by Stevens
and Sumner, following the heats of the
war. To our disgruntled colored fellow
citizens the Democrat can reply, in the
language of Macbeth, "Thou canst not
say did it." Out of their own mouths
is the distempered Republican legisla-
ton which followed the war condemned.
The whole scheme of the legislation
which had its birth in the brains OF
Stevens and Sumner is pronounced, on
the highest Republican judicial testi-
mony, to have been rs unfounded rs
was the murder Of Mrs. Surratt for the
crime of having had mere personal nc
quaintance with the assassin John
Wilkes Booth.
There is minor political phase to the
matter which we should not overlook
There is no reason to doubt that the
colored citizens of the United States will
be greatly incensed by this decision.
They will see that it has been made by
a judicial body which is almost entirely
Republican in its personal constitution.
Having failed to receive the forty acres
and mule which were supposed TO be
incidents of voting the Republican ticket,
and seeing now that no special distine'
tion, above their personal and individ-
ual merits, is accorded to them by q
Republican Supreme Court of the United
States, it is quite likely that they will
no longer find special satisfaction in
voting the Republican ticket. In a
larger sense than he has ever known be-
FORE the negro will discover that he is
disenthralled, and that he has been
emancipated in better and wider spirit
than he dreamed OF as possible. That
is to say, he is emancipated from the
Republican party. We should not be
whit surprised if. in consequence, he
should eventuate as very steady votel
of the Democratic ticket, both as to the
States and the nation.