Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-11-08

ore fond of expressing the opinion that
somc OF the southern States have not
republican form Of government. They
argue that rs the negroes constitute ma
FORTY Of the voters and yet never secure
control Of the governments OF those states
Congress ought to investigate the matter
and IL necessary guarantee Ia them re-
publican forms of government. They pro-
,eed upon the assumption that the census
tables show how the vote Of each county
and State ought TO be counted. OF course,
then. thclc need be no elections held.
Tho reader knows, We take IT, that the
Constitution provides that the United
States shall guarantee to every State IN the
Union republican form of government.
Now. what IS q republican form Of govern
ncnt? We can Judge what the fathers
meant rs the phrase If We will recall to
Yn.ud. FIRST. that the same Constitution
which contained that phrase provided for
fho rendition Of fugitive slaves, and Tor
protecting otherwise the institution of
slavery: aud. secondly. that in l775, when
Tho Constitution was ratified, many OF the
Sfa-es allowed none bu. freehOldeTs to
vote. i thus appears that in the opinion
of iGe fathers the men who had property
interest IN the community had the right to
d.ny tie elective franchise to all the rest
of the mon iu that community. The thir-
fcorth. fourteenth, and fifteenth amend
rents leave this question where the fathers
lnt il. The thirteenth freed the ne
grocs: the fourteenth provided for Sc
curing certain rights 10 them, but alsOpro-
vlcI in effect that they might be excluded
from the ballot-box; and the fifteenth
provides thai, they shall not Toe denied the
right To vote because they are negroes, and
also provides by implication that they may
a. denied the right tovote for other rea-
SON.
II Is clear. thcn, that if all the negroes
were ly ihc State Constitution denied the
ueht % vote because they cannot read or
V,rte or because they own no land, or be-
Cause they uag uo taxes, that provision of
The Constitution would not be in conflict
With the Constitution of the United States.
All .iis might DO done and still the State
containing such provision IN her Consti-
tuition would have republican form of
government.
snou-,u-ical. therefore, to argue that
Louisiana has not a republican form OF
government because. though negroes con-
sluic minority Of her voting population
the whites keep the government of that
State in their own hands.
Hut as the noI thern malignants will insist
that Louisiana has not q republican form
81 government we call their attention to
New York and Iowa and Connecticut, where
white men are in effect denied the right to
vote, their voices being suppressed as eff
fcciunllv as if the constitutions of those
States kept them from the balot-boX.
New York State gave on Tuesday last a ma
Soritv of more than twenty thousand for
the Democratic candidates for the State
Offices and vet the Republicans will have o
large majority in the Legislature. What
sort of republican government Is thatl SO
a. 10 iowa. The Democratic vote is sup
pressed by partisan gerIymander. The
Democrats might carry Iowa by ten thou
sand majority and still fail 90 carry the lie
uislatnre. So in Connecticut, where in one
county or city half as many voters can
elect member of the Legislature as are
required in another city or county to elect
u member.
We conclude that the next Congress,
though both houses Will be Republican
bodies. Will hardly undertake to provide
the southern States with republican forms
OF government We said Yesterday per
haps before the facts justified the pre-
diction) that there would DO no national
election law passed next winter. The peo-
pie Of the United States have condemned
in advance all such partisan schemes as
providing election machinery and republ-
can forms OF government for the several
States. The States can much better look
after these matters for themselves. As it
j. now. "A little Democratic cheating in New
York is neutraliZcl by little Republican
cheating in Ohio; and so national House
of Representatives, for example. is rep
resentatiye body. But let the United
States Government put the election ma
chinery in all the States into the hands OF
one party, and the result will be that the
Republicans Will cheat in all the States,
and control Congress forever or until
there is regular revolution.
We are hopeful of other good results
from the late elections