The Labor enquirer., 1884-12-06

thirtY-six states then in tho Union.
That amendment was promptly ratified
accordine 70 IN Official proclamation oil
December Is 1855
When the thift -nintA congress mel.
the republican leaders SCI their wits to I
work to utilize the enffanchised racs Is
an element Of party strength. Some q
the wisest Of them we're adverse to the
experiment but they gave way under
the etemptation Of. an indefinite lease Of
power. promised BY the managers ~ the
outcome Of the negro vote.
The fourteenth amendment, confer
ring suffrage and declaring that "repre-
sentatiyes shall be apportioned among
the several states according to their re-
spective numbers, counting the whole
number of persons in each state, ex-H
cluding Indians not taxed" was sub
mitted to the state legislatures by reso-
luton of congress june is, 1855, and
was ratified on Jnly %, 1868.
Supplementary to these amendments
were the reconstruction measures, in
Guiding the civil rights act, since declar-
ed to be unconstitutional by the repub-
lican supreme court, all designed to
crush down the whites of the south and
to solidify the blacks as republican
voters. Old Virginia had been divided
into two states in 1882, furnishing two
republican senator's and Nevada and
Nebraska we're subsequently, brought in
with the same purpose, so, as to keep a
two-thirds majority on hand.
To intensity this partisan policy, car
petbaggers were adopted as its admini-
strative agents, and with what effect
need not be told now. That foul chap.
ter in our public history reacted against
its authors. It provoked the anger of
the intelligent impartiality of the north,
and it was one of the many causes that
led up to the election of Mr.. Tilden in
1876 and to the defeat Of Mr.. Blaine in
1884.
The engineers got hoist with their
own petard, as might have been fore
seen Intending to degrade and to
weaken the white race. and to elevate
the black race above them, the republic
can leaders have conferred upon the
latter power which could never have
been attained without the fourteenth
amendment to the constitution. The
sixteen southern states would have been
entitled to representation for the num-
Der of free white persons and three
fifths of all other persons under the old
constitution. Emancipation has added
two.ffths to this capital. In round
numbers these states would have under
the present apportionment fifteen and a
half millions for distribution by the
original method, whereas by the thlr-
teenth and fourteenth amendments they
got three millions additional or pop
ulation only one fourth less than the six
New England states together. More
over, between 1850 and 1880 the colored
population of these states increased
nearly two millions, Notwithstanding
the rayages of a tremendous civil war
\ States like individuals, do not readily
rellnquish the possession of power. The
south has been advanced in strength
beyond all the most cherished expec-
tations of Mr.. Calhoun and his followers
and in direct contradiction of all their
theories. They compacted the southern
states on the basis of slavery to make a
minority powerful. Now, through the
freedom of these former slaves, those
states have become greater and WELD
vastly more power than they could have
done under Mr.. Calhoun's system. .-
In political rights the white man and
the black man stand on level before
the law and under the constitution. If
the south had the power to take away
suffrage from the negro, it is the very
last thing that would be attempted. If
the republican party had the power to
undo this privilege, it would be a part
Of their future platforms. The condi-
tions have changed through differing in
terests. The negro is indispensable to
the south for his labor, and he is i'm
menselY valuable as new factor in poll
tics. The south has therefore the first
interest in protecting the black man, not
only for the reasons given, but because
the increase of the colored population
will constantly reinforce its representa-
ton in congress, and correspondingly
in the electoral colleges. 4 !.
Mr.. Blaine ought to have rallied against
the policy of his party, which he sus-
tanned throughout, instead Of assailing
the south, which had no part nor lot in
bringing about the present condition of
things His defeat as a candidate for
the presidency was one of the fruits OF
that policy. The southern states could
not have mustered one hundred and
fifty three electoral votes if the thir
teenth and fourteenth amendments had
not been passed.-New York Sun. /
- Away with ShRllow-Pxtes.
Cen. Rutler will have plenty of time, and