The Indianapolis journal., 1891-01-12
THE BALLOT MUST BE FREE
Though Temporarily Defeated, the Prin-
ciple Of the Elections Bill Survives,
And the Republican Party Will Be False to All
Its Teachings and Traditions if 1t Fails
to Give 1t Effective Support. >

The Democratic party is congratulating
itself upon the temporary defeat of the
force bill, and the parliamentary finesse by
which it was accomplished. But the end is
not yet If this bill is dead. the idea back
vail. 1t was this idea, this principle of
equality of citizenship. which was fought
by Democracy with malevolent and tireless
energy, rather than the particular bill that
was up for consideration. There is nothing
new or strange about this hatred; it means
Bourbon Democracy, pure and undefiled.
The present Democratic leaders in Congress
are neither better nor worse than those Of
thirty years ago, who enacted more or less
serio-comic parts as they drew their sena-
torial togas about them, and with much
fuss and feathers went to the defense of
their States. They have forgotten nothing,
they have learned nothing. but are Bour-
bons still. They hate the elections bill be-
cause they hate liberty and equality; how
could it be otherwise with the r. f. Vs.
the first families of the South, sahs" Shall
the former slave have equal political ri ghts
with his master, or that masters children?
Never, with the Bourbons.
This position-foughJ for with frenzy,
gained by the blood of thousands, and held
with Observation-Disclosures and implies nec-
essarily the Modification of the Constitution
throughout the South. 1t is no longer per-
that the solid South has gained the saddle
by a systematic course Of fraud intimida-
tiOn and murder; by prostituting the term
free government into a blistering sarcasm:
and by violating the fundamental rights OF
Republicans both white and black. These
defended by many of the Bourbon leaders
on the stump, in the press and in Congress-
Come what will the South shall belong to
the white man"-when he is q Democrat!
This is the beginning and end of their argu-
ment; and this brings the people of the
country face to face with the great prob
lem of this neutrality-suspicious. by the
Republic of every son of the Republic. at
home or abroad. in his constitutional rights.
Will the Nation allow in the future, sit has
in the past. some of the plainest and most
important guarantees of the Federal Con-
stitution to remain wholly imperative,
overturned, dead letter, in one-half of the
country Or w. will these guarantees be
ties" and the black man be deprived in law
of Iwhat he has already lost in fact
his political manhood? Or will
thee only remaining course De taken
the Constitution and enforcing every right
guaranteed by it with all the power of the
Nationf One of these three things must
and will be done: drift as we are around
thelcivil-rights amendment to the Consti
Which shall it bel Which horn of the di-
lemma will the Republic takef Where lies
the duty of good citizenship No question
is settled until it is settled right. and
somebody Is very, very wrong on this issue.
1n WHY RIGHT SHOULD PREVAIL.
The strongest argument ever made against
negro suffrage was that he was ignorant of
the duties of citizenship. That reason had
tefifold more force when the franchise was
given him than it can have now, after
twenty-five years of education. At best it
was weak and inconsistent plea, because
ignorance was no bar to suffrage by the
,Ip no part of the country was there more
white ignorance than in the South. and the
value or the propriety of the citizenship of
The ''poOr white trash" has not been called
in question there to any alarming extent.
But giving the argument of Ignorance" as
urged against the first grant of Suffrage
to him its strongest possible force,
there yet remained the overwhelming
reason of his dependent and defenseleSs DO
sitlon. impelling, if not compelling, patri-
otto government to place the ballot in the
hands of the black man as partial prOtec-
Iion from a serfdom but little better than
his former slavery. The latest argument,
however, against federal election law,
and one that has found favor with the Re-
publican silver contingent, who Joined with
the Democrats in the Senate in opposition
to it's preferred consideratiOn-is that it
cannot be enforced In the South where it
Is needed, on account of the opposition of
the Democratic party. which is in power
there. while some of the Democratic lead
ers are at the same time vexing the air with
bewailings and bellowings because, as they
say. it will have only too much force-sO
much as to interfere with the sovereign
rights of the States and local self-goyern-
ment, and q consequent violation of the
Constitution.
The truth is the proposed bill did not
provide for any force, but simply for dayf
light, for furnishing definite and reliable
information to Congress as to the methods
used by the party in power, Democratic or
Republican. North or South. in conducting
ers see back of all this the shadow of
an iron hand. Taking counsel from their
guilty fears. based on guilty knowledge,
they protest as hard against daylight as
they would against bsynnets. Perhaps
they know in their hearts that daylight
means bayonets or reform. Nothing could
be more humillating or exasperating to- q
patriotic Republican than to read the can't
fOrce-lt argument of Senator WOIcOtt and
other would be leaders of his party. Because
minority of the people of q certain section
of the country have by force and fraud
usurped the power, and because the federal
laws and the commonest and dearest rights
of the people are alike trampled under foot.
and because the proper enforcement of these
laws and rights would be resisted by revo-
lutlonary force, therefore, these peace-lov-
ing doughface. money-bag Republicans
would ask the national government to sur
render Its rights, to desert its citizens to
furl it's flag and stultify it's honor in ad-
vance! Will the Republicans-will the
loyal people of the cOuntry--consent to
such a degradations Is this miserable
travesty on a republic. then. the only rec.
ompense for the civil warl Is that glorious
garment of more perfect Union to be
naught but q cloak of hypocrisy TO hide
| our shame and cover our moral rottennessi
AN APPEAL FOR JUSTICE.
Is the public conscience satisfied to allow
such invasion of popular rights without a
protest? Has the moral sense of the Amer
| lean people become so paralyzed by the
| race for riches and the corrupting power oi
money that it no longer recognizes an issue
of princlples Has the discussion of ques
| tions of finance and tariff-questions to bt
| decided wholly from the standpoint of ii
! nancial self-interest-so dwarfed and mar
rowed the voters patriotism that he care.
nothing for the evils that others suffer-
Must we fight in the future for materia
| things and never again for the rights o.
mani Will we involve the two greates
| governments on earth in war for the pro
| lection or ACQUISITION of somebody's seal