The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1901-11-14

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shall exert controlling influence
then the more advanced race
has always exercised the right to
impose conditions upon those less
advanced.
Every race is capable of self
governmental would be an insult
to the Creator to assume that He
brought into existence race of
people incapable of self-govern-
ment and entirely dependent upon
some other race for government
but while every race is capable of
self-government, race may not
be capable of sharing upon equal
terms in the control of govern
ment whose blessings are enjoyed
by, and whose burdens are impos-
ed upon, several races differing in
their advancement. No argument
will justify one race in invading
the territory of another race in
order to force upon that race an
alien government and the evils of
colonial system, bu5 when con-
ditions force the two races to live
under the same government in the
same country the more advanced
race never has consented, and
probably never will consent, to be
dominated by the less advanced.
Whether the conditions in the
south are such as to justify the
amendments which have been
adopted is a question of fact which
must be decided upon evidence
not a question of theory which can
be settled by those far removed
from the conditions which have to
be considered.
Northern states imposed qualifi-
cations upon white men before any
southern state imposed qualificat-
ions upon black men.
1t must be remembered that a
qualification for suffrage, undesir-
able as it is, raises very differ
ent question from that presented
by a colonial system. In the first
place, a suffrage qualification is
temporary and those who are ex-
cluded today may qualify them
selves to vote tomorrow; the con-
dition is not hopeless. Under the
colonial system, however the dis
qualifications is permanent. There
are no means provided whereby
the subject may become citizen.
In the second place, the man ex-
cluded from suffrage because he
cannot meet the requirements Of
the law lives under the constitu-
tion and laws made by the voters
for themselves, while the subject
under colonial government lives
under laws made by the voters,
but not binding upon the voters.
Both of these differences are i'm
portant. The temporary charact-
er of the obstacle to suffrage above
referred to finds its parallel in the
probationary term prescribed for,
and the conditions imposed upon,
those who seek to be naturalized. {.
AS to the second difference,
every thoughtful person knows
that the danger of oppressive and
unjust legislation is infinitely null
tiplied when the man who makes
the law not only avoids the pro-
visions of the law, but finds prof
it in enforcing it's provisions
against others. This is the founda-
tion of all the crimes committed
by empires against their subjects.
The social phase of the negro
question has seldom been discuss
ed for the reason that no man or
party has advocated social equal
ity between the white man and
the black man. Mcclure, Phillips
q Co. have recently published a
little volume entitled "Abraham
Lincoln, His Book, facsimile re-
production of the original with an
explanatory note by j. McCan
Davis" This is book prepared
by by Abraham Lincoln himself
for the use of Captain JAS. n.
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