The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-05-07
An Incautious Editor.

AN lncaut1ouS Editor.
The Philadelphia Press, in the fol-
lowing article, is, it seems to us, little
incautiOus:
The south has been so successful In an
nuliing the constitutional amendments
adopted after the close OF the war for
the union that it no longer seeks to hide
It's purpose or it's methods. 1t Is calling
things by their right names.
-, A few days ago The New Orleans
Times Democrat in discussing the dis
franchisement of colored voters by south
ern states said: 1.-THE chances are that
Georgia may also repeal the fifteenth
amendment" And Senator Tillman,. OF
before the students of Michigan university
last Saturday evening declared: we re-
pealed the fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments"
These are blunt expressions, but the
man and the newspaper that uttered them
have the merit of being more honest than
the United States supreme court. When
the question of validity of the suffrage
clause of the Mississippi constitution vas
brought before that tribunal it decided
that the clause, which virtually annuls
the fifteenth amendment. was not drawn
against race but against the character
stiles of that race.
Senator Tillman ard The New Orleans
TimeS-DemOcrat may not be very We'll
constitutional amendment has been re-
pealed they say so in plain language.
They do not pettifog.
The attack upon the honesty of the
United States supreme court comes a
little strangely from an organ which
went into q "conniption" fit over the
reference OF the democratic convention
of 1886 to that body, but then, why
should not a party which has the mo-
nopoly of being above the constitution
be equally above the supreme court?
The Press, while persistent in its
references to "annulling the constitu-
tional amendment" in the south, Is
strangely reticent about the effect Of
annulling the choice of the legal voters
in Pennsylvania. 1t almost renders it.
self subject to the very charge which it
acquits Senator Tillmon of-pettifog
glng.
Let us present once moro a case
which we have previously referred to
The Press. There are $4,000 fraudulent
voters in Philadelphia alone, and that
city is but the small part of a large
state. The benefit of fraudulent votes
always inures to the majority In Penn
sylvania as well as in Georgia. Penn
sylvania, by the aid of these votes, has
been declared to &c republican. Re-
publican congressman now hold their
commissions through tlsm. Why does
not The Press call upon these men to
give up their ill-gotten goods?
There is to be an election in Novem-
Der. The republican ward-heelers of
Pennsylvania will again rush in these
bogus votes, and thus create a repub-
lican majority. VIII The Press repu-
dlate the unclean gift? Or will it profit
by the crime in the presidential cleo
ton, and grow righteously but belated-
ly indignant when some insignificant
municipal election is In progress?
Ono OF the first principles Of good
housekeeping is for each housekeeper
to attend to her own house. If The
Press will sweep the rubbish out Of
it's own backyard and send the wreck
ace found back to its rlghtful owners,
we will then have mounted q platform
upon which we can all work together.