Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-07-31

: them to buiId Upon and we SnOuIU CuItIVatt De
/ tween them and ourselves closer commercial re-
atons which will bind all together by the ties OF
] friendly intercourse and mutual advantage. Fur
/ Their than this, being small commemorative, IN
! the military and naval sense of the European
/ powers, they look to as. at least, moral de-
fender against a system of territorial and other
encroachInents which, aggressive in the past has
not been abandoned at this day. Diplomacy and
! intrigue have done much more to wrest the com
! merce of Spanish America from the United states
/ than has legitimate commercial competition
! Politically we should be bound to the republics
/ Of our continent by the closest ties, and commu-
ncatiOn by ships and railroads should be encour-
agee the fullest possible extent consistent with
! o wise and conservative public policy. above
ali, should be upon such terms OF friendship as
to preclude the possibility of national misunder
! standings between ourselves and any of the mem
/ berS of the American republican faIniIy. me
| best method to promote uninterrupted peace be-
| tween one and all would lie in the meeting of q
general conference or congress whereby an agree
ment to submit all international difficulties to the
peaceful decision of friendly arbitration might be
! reached
| An agreement of this kind would give to our
errepublcs confidence III each other and in Us,
| closer communication would at once enSue, re
! cjprOcally advantageous commercial treaties
might be made. whereby much OF The commerce
! 1Ilich row flows across the Atlantic would seek
| its legitimate channels, and inure the greater
! prosperity of al the rseric4n commonwealth.
/ The full advantages of a policy OF tniS nature
could not be state1 in brief discussion like the
/ present.
FOREIGN POLITICAL RELATIONS.
representing more than fifty million people, and IN
every sense, excepting that Of mere naval power,
is one OF the first nations Of the world. As such,
its citizenship should be valuable emitting its pos
SCISSOR to protection in every quarter OF the globe.
[ do not consider it necessary that our Govern
ment should construct enormous fleets of approved
! lrCn-cladS and maintain commensurate BODY OF
seamen in order to place ourselves on a war foot
ing with the military and naval powers Of Europe
| Such a course would not be compatible with the
peaceful policy of our country. though it seems
| means
! repel q wantOn invasion of our coast and give
protection to our coast towns and cities against
| any power The great moral force of country
| is so universally recognized as to render an APP
| peal to arms by us either in protection of our
| citizens abroad or IN recognition OF any JuSt IN
| ternatiOnal right. quite improbable. WHAT we
! most need in this direction is firm and vigorous
| assertion of every right and privilege belonging
! to our GOVernm1nt or its citizens, as well as an
equally firm assertion of the rights and privileges
! belonging to the general family of American
| Republics situated upon this continent, when op-
posed, if ever they should be, by the different
| systems of Government upon another continent.
! An appeal to the right by such a Government
as ours could not be dlsregarded by any civilized
nation. In the treaty of Washington we led the
! world to the means of escape from the horrors Ct
war; and it is to be hoped that the era when all
| international differences shall be decided by
| peaceful arbitration IS not far OF.
EQUAL RIGHTS OF CITIZENSHIP.
The central idea of a Republican form of Gs,'
eminent is the rule Of the whole people as
posed to the other forms which rest upon Pr
| LEGGED class.
Our forefathers, in the attempt to erect a
| Government which might represent the advanced
thought of the world at that period upon the
| subject of governmental reform, adopted the idea
of the peoples sovereignty and thus laid the basis
of our present Republic. While Technical lily a
| Government Of the people, it was in strctneSS
only a Government of a portion Of the people,
| excluding from all participation certain other
portion, held in condition of absolute, despOtic,
and hopeless servtnde, the parallel to which, for
tunatelY, does rot now eXist in any modern chris
| tan nation.
With the elimination, however OF another cycle
/ of advanced thought, the American Republic
! suddenly assumed the character of a government
| of the whole people, and four million creatures
| emerged from the condition OF bondSmen to the
full status of freemen, theoretically invested with
the same civil and political rights pc SeSSed by
| their former masters. The subsequent legislation
which guaranteed by every legal title the citizen
ship and full equality before the law in all respects
of this previously disfranchSed people, amply Gov
| erS the requirements and secures to them so
far as legislation can, the privileges of American
citizenship. But the dSagreeable fact of the case
is, that while, theoretically, are in the enjoy
1nent of a government of the whole people Drac-
tically we are almost far from it as were i'll
the antebellum days of the republic. There are
but few leading and indisputable facts which
cover the whole statement OF the case. In many
Of the southern states the colored population IS
| in large excess OF the white. The cOlOred people
| are republicans, as are also considerable
| portion Of the white people The remaining por-
ton of the latter are democrats In face OF this
incontestiba truth these states invariably return
| democratic
| south the cOlOred people, although not in ma
10 ity, form q very considerable body of the pop
! ulation. and with the white republicans are nu-
mericay in excess of the democrats. yet precisely
the same political result obtains the democratic
party invariably carrying the elections. 1t is not
| even thought advisable to allow an occasional
UnimpOrtant election to be carried by the repub-
licanS a " blind " or as a stroke of fneSSe.
| Careful and impartial investigation has shown
these results to follow the systematic exercise of
physical intimidation and violence, conjoined with
| the most shameful devices ever practiced in the
name of free elections. SO confirmed has this
result become that we are brought face to face
with the extraordinary political fact that the Dem
ocratic party of the South relies almost entirely
upon the methods stated fOrits success in national
elections
This unlawful perversion of the popular fran
chse which desire to state dispassionately and
| Of the occasion, is one of deep gravity to the
American people-in double sense.
First. Its in violation open, direct and tagrant
| of the primary principle upon which our Govern
ment is supposed to rest viz. that the control of
the Government is participated in by all legally
| , - ~ II -. -S+ - =,
the decisio6 of all questions
| Second, 1t is in violation of tie rights and in
terests of the States wherein are particularly cen
tered the great wealth and industries of the Nation
and which pay an overwhelming portion OF the
| National taxes. The Immense aggregation OF IN
| terests embraced within, and the enormously
| greater population of these other States of the
Union, are subjected every four years to the dan
gers Of q wholly fraudulent show of numerical
| strength.
Under this system minorites actually attempt
to direct the course of National affairs and though
up TO this time success has not attended their
efforts to elect President yet success has been
so periouSly imminent as to encourage repetl-
ton of the effort at each quadrennial election and
to subject the interests of an overwhelming ma
jOrity of our people, North and Sonth, to the haz-
ards of Illegal SubverSion.
The stereotyped argument in refutation of these
plain truths is, that if the Republican element was
really in the majority they could not be deprived
of their rights and privileges by minority; but
neither statistics of population, nor the unayoida-
BILE logic Of the situation, can be overriden or
escaped. The colored people of the South have
recently emerged from the bondage of their pres
ent political oppressors; they have had but few
of the advantages of education which might en-
able them to compete with the whites.
| As have heretofore maintained, in order to
achieve the ideal perfection Of a popular govern
| ment it is absolutely necessary that the masses
sAould be educated. This proposition applies
itself with full force to the colored people Of the
South They must have better educational ad-
vantages and thus be enabled to become the intel.
lectual peers of their white brethren, many OF
chem undoubtedly already are. A liberal school
system should be provided for the rising generation