The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-02
4 DANGER SIGNAL.


it contains nothing new and valuable, for
what is new is not valuable, and what is val
liable is not new. Whatever of good there is
in it is stolen from the Republicans. Where
| it is original or Democratic, it is wholly bad.
| It is alike remarkable for what it says and for
what it omits to say. It is noticeable that it
nowhere, with emphasis, recognizes the equal
| ity of all men before the law. 1t nowhere
recognizes the equal right of all citizens to
vote without any discrimination on account of
race or color. Its silence in this
regard, considered with reference to
some things it does say, is most ominous.
Danville and Copiah go unrebuked; nay, in
ferentially stand approved by the Indiana
Democracy. 1t is not forgotten that repre-
sentative Democrat in Congress boldly pro-
it should get control of the government, ITO
wipe out every yestige of war legislation
The Indiana Democracy, in their State plat
form, have revived and renewed that purpose.
The Thirteenth Fourteenth and Fifteenth
amendments to the Constitution, and the laws
enacted under them, constitute what is called
the war legislation
The seventeenth plank of the Democratic
State platform favors the control of all
national elections exclusively by State laws
and expressly demands the repeal of all fed
=
eral laws which in any way give to the gov
ernment any control over its own elections
It is the most dangerous doctrine announced
by the Democratic party since the war. In
principle, it is reafirnlation of the Virginia
and Kentucky resolutions of 1898 and 1799
and the extreme State rights doctrine of the
South.
In the ku-klux cases recently decided by
the Supreme Court, this same position was
taken by the defendants. The defendants
were Democrats, who had ter
ribly beaten colored men for
attempting to vote at congressional election.
The colored men were qualified voters, but
the fact that they wanted to vote the Repub
lican ticket was considered by the Democrats
of the State of Georgia as crime, the pun
ishment of which they took into their own
hands. When brought to answer for wound
ing these colored men, under the federal laws,
the Democratic bulldozers rested their de-
Tense upon the principle embraced in the
seventeenth plank of the Democratic State
platform. Justice Miller in delivering the
opinion of the court, said:
''That government, whose essential char
acter is republican, whose executive head and
| Legislative body are both elective, whose
numerous and powerful branch of the legis-
| lature is elected by the people directly has,
| no power by appropriate laws to secure this
election from the influence of violence of
corruption, and of fraud is proposition so
startling as to arrest attention and demand
the gravest consideration. If this govern
ment is anything more than mere aggrega-
ton of delegated agents of other States and
/ governments, each of which is superior to-
| the general government, it must have power
to protect the elections on which its existence
/ depends from violence and corruption. Ii it
has not this power, it is left helpless before
! the two great natural and historical enemies
Of all republics, open violence and insidious
| corruption"
The language of Justice Miller should be
read carefully and considered long. The Ian
guage Of the Democratic platform upon this
subject-matter is revolutionary and treasona-
BILE. Shall we go backwards Was the war
fought in vainR The result Of the policy de-
manded by the Indiana Democracy is patent
L
It means the Acknowledgement Of the colored
voter in the South 1t surrenders the colored
voter, bound hand and foot, to the tender
mereies of the ku-klux. The doctrine now
boldly avowed in their platform is a surrender
of the Nation to the States 1t is the first
step in their announced policy of wiping out
all war Legislation.
The people, for some time, have been labor
ing under the happy belief that the war had
settled some things, and that these things
would no longer yex the peace Of the country.
But the Democratic party will not have it So
They propose to revive and reopen these ques-
lions that were settled by the arbitrament of
war, and thathave already cost so much Of blood
and treasure. The Democratic party is q dan
gerous party to the peace and well being Of
the country, The danger signal is up, and
the people are forewarned And, the Demo
cratic party notwithstanding the people still
believe, and will have it 50, that the war set
tied some great questions and settled them
finally and forever One thing settled beyond
the power Of the Democracy to disturb is the
grand fact that this is Nation, and that its
powers are adequate for its own protection,
preservation and perpetuity.