People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-08-10

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enacted into law, and applied by such
1Od-sent men as Lincoln, Seward, |
Stephens, Cameron and Sumner. |
Peace be to their sacred dust, and
heavens joys to their immortal
spirits.
| should be glad if comment might
stop where this eulOgy ends. But
must begin where this word
Of praise dies.
The thirteenth, fourteenth and If
teenth amendments to the constitu-
ton were great and glorious meas
ures, carried out and enacted into
national laws by the republican party
but is the party NOW entitled to any
credit therefor? Can the party now
in reason and business claim the col
Ored vote, considering these amend
ments together with the bill Of
rights, another measure Of republican
craftsmanship?
In answer to these questions every
man who is honest and possesses even
limited information must reply in the
negative.
1t is certainly well known that
while the republican party was run
ming and had under complete control
every department Of the government,
that the very air breathed in Florida,
Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas
was perfumed with the OdOrs Of ne
gro flesh as they were tortured at the
stake.
At this the republican party just
winked and continued to wink as
long as they were in pOwer-thus con-
tinuing willingly to nullify and make
void the very laws they themselves
created, and the same conditions ex.
ist as to the bill Of rights.
l quote section Of the fourteenth
constitutional amendment prOmul'
gated by the secretary Of state on the
18th day Of July, 1868:
"All persons born or naturalized in
the United States and subject to the
jurisdiction thereof, are citizens OF
the United States and Of the state
wherein they reside. No state shall
make or enforce any law which shall
abrldge the privileges or immunitieS
Of citizens Of the United States, mol
shall any state deprive any person Of
life, liberty or property without due
process of law nor deny to any person
within its Jurisdiction the equal pro,
lection of the state"
With the government in the hand,
of the republican party, with a trifine
exception, since the inception of this
law, twenty-Six years from start to fin
iSh it has been failure, a nOnentity
and is today nullity on our statutes
In direct and open violation Of thi,
law the states Of Virginia, the Caro-
linas, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana
Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Ar
kansas and Missouri have been per
mitted to enact and enforce laws anC
by such laws have created caste. In
many of these states, il permitted al
all to travel on their stages, the col
Ored man must hang on behind like &
tar bucket or sit on top as a piece Of
baggage. In all of these states ne
grOeS pay the same for riding on rail
way trains as do the white people
but with restricted privileges.
Thus concludes my first reason fol
leaving the republican party-faith
lessness.
My second reason can be expressed
in fewer words. The war OF the re
belliOn came suddenly upon US: Sedi
tion had emptied our treasury ant
had moved our arsenals to southern
ports, making their capture easy
Without meney, arms or ammunition
we were rushed into the greatest wal
Of modern times. Thanks to the sa
gaclty Of the republican party, its
patriotism and wisdom were equal II
the occasion. 1t made greenback
money as good as gold, equal to gold
good alike to the bond-holder and
the soldier.
Capitalists soon learned that to en-.
able them to speculate in the blood
and tears Of the nation greenbacks
must be dlshOnOred, and then they
procured the qualifying clause, sex.
cept duties on impOsts and interest
on the public debt"
This was the first step in the scram-
BILE for gold. 1t was the first link
forged by legislation Of the great
chain that now gals the American
nation, and which at present so i'm
minentlY endangers American insti-
buttons. Under this legislation with
the war still pending, our greenback
money rapidly deprecated, running
as low as thirty.six cents; in other
words it required $500 Of greenbacks
to buy one Of gold. In this interval
OF time what was going on? The pa
triotic army was in the field nobly
fighting the battles patiently, hero.