The Portland daily press., 1900-05-12
THE FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT.

We are told that the most popular
proposition yet put before the Montgomery
COD vention which was called together to
con slider the race troubles at the South IL
one to repssl the fifteenth amendment.
Two speakers at least have proposed IL
amid cheers from this white delegates on
the floor OF the convention Indeed 1t Ii
the only proposition that has found much
favor. The fifteenth amendment declares
simply that no state shall abrldgs the
sc q rage by reason Of race. color or previ-
Gus condition of servitude. As mattsr Of
fact it has amounted to very little In
preventing what 1t was aimed against
the disfranchisemsnt Of the blacks Of the
South. 1t has compelled the southern
whites to resort frat to violencs and
fraud and mora recently to legislative
suttsrfugs, but ID has not prevented the
disfranchi semsns Of solitary black man
In the South. Almost every state OF that
section has contrivsd eonstitu Jicnal
amendments and statutes which have
effectualIy disfranchised the black man
without affecting the white man. Differ
ent devices have besn empioyed but they
have all had the same purpose. the
E inmate OF the black vote without
affecting the whits vote. All these con-
situations and enactments have not yet
been reviewed By the Supreme Court; but
some Of them have, and have been de-
clarsd constitutional though II was per-
fsctly well Understood that 1t was their
purpose to accomplish what the fifteenth
amendment declared should not be done
namely, the Acknowledgement Of the. black
man because he was OF different raos
from the white man.
IL the fifteenth amendment were re-
psaisd the South could make their dig
franchislng enactments more simple, lees
Ingenuity would be required to construct
them, hut they would be no more efeotise
than those are which now exist. The
repeal OF the amendment would be con-
csssion Co Sou thern sentiment, and for
that reason would be pleasing to the
wishes Of tbs people OF that section but
it co7ld be OF no practical value In set
ting the RAGS troubles. II may be urged
perhapa that the repeal Of the amendment
would put the sufiraye 30 completely out
Of reach OF the negro az to put 1t entirely
out Of his thoughts also, but he long ago
thoroughly learned that the fifteenth
amendment was utterly impotent to pre-
vent his Acknowledgement. What struggla
he makes for the suffrage he makes be-
cause he thinks 1t is his natural right.
ns man. and not because OF anything In
the fifteenth amendment. Whatever hops
Of protection from that he may have had
disappeared long ago. With the amend
msnt repealed he would still aspire TO the
suffrage and the race troubles would be
In NO degree aIlsviated. But even II the
repeal Of the amendment would tend to
settle the raes problem 1t could net be
brought about. The North will never
CONSENT TO its repeal. 1t toieratss Its de-
feat by indirsetion, just as people
tolerate the violation of the moral law.
but 1t will never declare that 1t believes
1t false In principle a. it would, praeti-
caIly, by repsaling 1t. II the Montgomery
convention has got nothing better to
offer nothing more practical and sffioa-
cious--than the repeal Of this amend
nsnt, 1t might a. well have not met.