The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-12-11
A FEDERAL ELECTION LAW.
The President Watts to Run Things Hi
l..

The President Waits TO Run Things His
Own w in the south.
The colored people did not intrude
themselves upon us; they were brought
here in chains and held in the commune
ties where they are now chiefly found, by
a cruel slave code. Happily for both races
they are now free. They have from
standpoint of ignorance and poverty which
was our shame, not theirs, made remarka-
BILE advances in education and in the &C
QUESTION of property. They have as a
people shown themselves to be friendly
and faithful toward the white race, I'M
der temptations of tremendous strength.
They have their representatives in
the national cemeteries where a CRATE
full government has gathered the ashes OF
those who died in its defense. They have
furnished to our regular army regiments
that have won high praise from their COM
handing officers for courage and soldierly
qualities, and for fidelity to the enlistment
oath. In civil life they are now the toll
ers of their communities, making their full
contribution to the widening streams of
prosperity which these communities are
receiving. Their sudden withdrawal
would stop production and bring disOrd er
into the household as well as the shop.
Generally they do not desire to quit their
homes, and their employers resent the in
reference the emigration agents who seek
to stimulate such desire.
But notwithstanding all this, in many
parts of our country where the colored
population is large, the people of that race
are, by various devices, deprived of any eff
fectiye exercise of their political rights
and of many of their civil rights. The
wrong does not expend itself upon those
whose vote are suppressed. Every con-
stituency in the Union is wronged.
1t has been the hope of every patriot
that a sense of justice and of respect for
the law would work a gradual cure Of
these fragrant evils. Surely no one sup
poses that the present can be adopted as
permanent condition. If it is said that
these committees must work out this
problem for themselves, we have a right
to ask whether they are at work upon it.
Do they suggest any solution? When
and under what condition is the black
man to have free BALLOT When is he in
fact to have those full civil rights which
have so long been his in law? When is
that equality OF influence which our form
of government has intended to secure the
electors to be restored? This generation
should courageously face these grave ques-
woe to the next. The consultation should
proceed with candOr, Calmness amt great
patience; upon lines of justice and hu-
manity, not OF prejudice and cruelty. No
question in our country can be at rest ex-
cept upon the firm base of justice and of
the law.
! earnestly invoke the attention OF con-
gress to the consideration of such meas
ures within its well defined constitutional
powers as will secure to all our people a
free exercise of the right of suffrage and
every other civil right under the con-
stitution and laws OF the United States.
No evil, however deplorable, can justify
the assumption. either on the part of the
executive or of congress, of powers not
granted; but both will be highly blam-
able if all the powers granted are not WISE
ly but firmly used TO correct these evils.
The power TO take the whole direction and
control of the election of the members of
the house of representatives is clearly
given to the general government. A par
tial and qualified supervision of these cleo
tions is now provided for by law and in
my opinion this law may be so strength
ened and extended as to secure on the
whole better results than can be attained
by law taking all the processes OF such
election into federal control. The colored