The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1890-02-07
POLITICAL RIGHTS OF NEGROES.
Republicans Should See that the Provisions
of the Constitution Are Enforced.

Il nave lubI Iedu i'll iUltENHcW Ou tuC uc-
gro question" held with Hon. ID. p. Bald
win. a prominent Republican. and ex-At-
torney-general of Indiana. As a member
of the Republican party, l desire to express
my emphatic dissent from his views. in so
far as they indorse the old slave doctrine of
''non-intervention," and prescribe a policy
of Infinite patience" with fragrant and re-
peated violation of the organic law. If the
question of protecting the political rights
of citizens is put upon the narrow ground
of partisan exp~ediency. it Is well to remem-
Der that the Republican party has never
won any victories by pursuing a policy of
mastery inactivity Parties are a means
to an end. not an aggregation of place
hunters.
Judge Baldwin is deeply impressed with
the inexpediency both general and parti-
SAN of passing a federal election law. He
says This fence must be putarOundN North
ern. as well as Southern. ballot-boxes just
alike, and no discrimination shown" This
is not true. The laws of Congress need net
be of uniform operation. But if it were
true, cannot see the force of the
objection. Every government must have
the power to regulate its own elections. He
cODctQcS IDdt tile tUIOICcu1cHt vi tuc law
might result in IAN increased Republican
majority IN the lower house of Congress"
but says that this measure would arouse
such opposition at the North that the Senate
would probably become Democratic" He
thinks, however. that a debate in Con-
gress is very useful because it
turns 1.-The keen sunlight of pub
Lefty on the negroes wrongs"
Pray is it not better to remedy, a wrong
than to turn the keen sunlight of pub
licity" upon it? And what sort of a
spectacle would a party. present which
should use the negroes wrongs" as a
means to success and then, having gained
its end. should dishonor it's promises. and
refuse to use the constitutional powers re-
posed in its hands to vindicate the violated
rights of American citizensf Such a party
would be worthy of the contempt of men and
of the derision of women. think better OF
the Republican party than Judge Baldw in
seems to do. Perhaps he supposes that
because he has been infected with the doc
trine of ''non-interventiOn." as preached. by
the New York Evening Post and by other
many more like him. / doubt it.
/ believe that if the question of the
enactment of q federal election law were
presented to the people of the North Il say
the North, because at present there Is no
republican government in the South they
would sustain 1t by an overwhelming ma
jority. provided. of course. they were not
side-tracked upon some other ISSUE. Prac-
ticaily. they did sustain it in the last
presidential election. That election meant,
among other things: that the. political
rights of American citizens shall be- pro-
tected by the federal government where
the State, by commission or omission, re-
fuses to perform it's duty. At least il
meant that to me. | stumped the State
upon that theory. taking that doctrine as a
text What did Judge Baldwin talk abOutf
A protective tariff If not. what theng
The birth of the Republican party was
the death Of aInypry- The emanclDaflOn
and acknowledgements of the slave imposed
obligations upon that party which 1t would
be simply disgraceful to ignore. The
brotherhood of man, equality Of rights be-
fore the law, a free and fair ballot. are tho
cardinal tenets of an organization whose
fame is already immortal. The Republican
party cannot repudiate its past. Ii must
stand by its principles. There are no con.
stitutiOnal barriers TO the performance OF
its duty. Colonel Ingersoll once said in
this city:
The government claims the right, and IL Is con-
coded that the government has the right. to go to
side with your wife and children about you, and
the old lady knitting. and the cat playing with
the yarn. and everybody happy and sweet-the
government claims the right TO go to your fire.
side and take you by force and put you into the
army, take you down to the valley of the shadow
make you fight for your flag. Now, that being SO,
when the war Is over. and your country is vic
torious. and you 20 back to your home and a lot
OF Democrats want to trample upon your rights,
/ want to know il the government that took you
from your freside and made you fight for
it, want TO know IL IL Is not bound to fight
for you. The flag that will not protect its pro-
tectors is "a dirty rag that cOntaminates the air in
which 1t waves The government that will not
defend its defenders 10 a disgrace TO the nations
of the world.
Judge Baldwin says that this is ''one of
Boo IngersolPs fallacies!" And then he
continues: THE United States govern
ment can only legally attempt the regula-
finn .f fha in ~ sfr m a l1u ANAL nnrfinn IF
our rights called federal" Is the right to
vote for a member of the national House of
Representatives enthusiastically smallso
Congress may. undoubtedly. protect that
of Justice Miller IN ex parte Yarbrough
(l10 u. s., COZ that it can protect the cleo
ton of presidential electors. Is the right
to vote for such electors also "infinitesi-
81 doubt if you could enforce your la WI
He concludes by saying that the solution
of the negro problem has ceased to be pO-
litical or partisan. and has become educa-
tional and moral" and that an educational
bill. or SOME similar measure, would lay a
foundation that in time would make the
Southern negro self-protecting and self
sustaining" Would not a rigid federal
election law. such as is proposed by Chand-
Ter OF Sherman. help to make the negro
''self-protectingf" He cannot be ex-
pected to risk his life to cast a
vote. if he knows that that vote
Will not be counted. 1he government
may not be able to get all the votes into the
ballot-box. but 1t Is an immense gam If all
the votes deposited in the box are counted.
But says Judge Baldwin. violations of
federal statutes must be punished in local
United States courts. where all juries must
be taken from the States in which the
offense is committed. That has often been
tried and always failed. There is no way
under our Constitution, so long as trial by
jury exists. TO force an obnoxious law upon
49, -4.I@ @E &ha nfn rnn nrNa IN
posed to it," If juries will not convict.
there is the greater need for supervisors OF
elections appointed by the President. who
appeal to the courts unnecessary. The
statement. also. that the people of the
Southern States are unanimously opposed"
to q federal election law he must have de-
rived from those Democratic papers where
he says he gets his facts" In some of the
States half of the population are negroes.
Are they opposed TO the law And is ii not
fantaStical to assume that all the white
people are hostile to ita
1t IL quite time for Congress to act posi-
lively by the enactment of a w~ell-consid-
cred and comprehensive statute. The effect
of Judge Baldwin's anodyne would simply
be TO stupefy the public conscience. A fed
eral election law would probably cause
Irritation" ont irritation means agitation,
and agitation means the education of pub
lie opinion. Judge Baldwin says: Rather
than give the negro the ballot. the South
would submit TO the reduction (of repre-
sentationl. and appeal To the world as mar
tyrs TO sectional prescription That is to
say. that rather than have honest elections