Year: 1869

The Value Of the Electoral Suffrage in


Theory and In Practice.


The extension Of the right of suffrage has
come to be regarded, not only in the New
World but in the Old, as the remedy for most
of the disorders to which bodies polite are
subject. In England, after long and thorough
agitation of the question, we have recently
seen the old rotten borough system exploded
and comparatively fair and liberal, though
still only partial, basis of franchise adopted.
In our own country we have been bestowing
on the blacks Of the Southern States-with
doubtful political advantage to the party con-
ferring 1.-THE right to vote at all elections for
public Offices, and we are proposing, by the
fifteenth amendment to the constitution, to
| extend that right to the same class of people
in every State in the Union. By and by the
same question will enter into our politics
apropos of the natives of China domiciled with
u.s. and whose numbers within the next ten
years will have increased by millions. And
even some female philosophers-few in num-
ber, but determined in purpose-are demand
ing the suffrage for women as remedy for
many Of the social wrongs and evils to which
they are subjected.


Well, If it were any remedy, if it were not
one of the popular deusions of the day, all
these schemes for making American citizens
out Of every man, woman and child in the
United States, whether belonging to the
Caucasian, the Mongolian or the negro race,
might command the sympathy and support of
all fair minded, thinking men. But when our
system Of primary ward meetings, democratic
clubs, loyal leagues, fictitious registration,
repeating, ballot box stufang and all the gross
frauds which politicians of all parties indulge
in with impunity is taken into consideration,
it appears of mighty little Importance indeed
who has or who has not the right to vote.
But 1t is not only by such means as those
we have indicated that the will of the people
in regard to its choice of candidates Is neutral
lied, defeated and made of no account. After
all these obstacles to a fair or comparatively
fair manifestation of the will of community
| are overcome it does not follow then, by any
means, that the man who happens thus to be
elected will ever be permitted to hold the
place to which he is chosen. II, for instance.
that place be seat in Congress, and if it be
contested, no matter almost under what friyol-
GUS pretences, by person whose politics are
those of the dominant party in Congress, the
chances are as ten to one that the claimant
and that the candidate whom the constituents
preferred will be turned out Of doors. The
history of the House of Representatives for
the last six years is full of instances of this
kind, where the expressed will OF constitu-
encies, not only In Southern but In Northern
| States also, has been ruthlessly set aside,
And now it has come to be an understood
thing that the decision of contested election
cases In the lower branch Of Congress depends
not upon the merits Of the question in the mos
remote degree, but on the political faith of the
respective parties to it.


With this double attack from high and from
low places thus made upon the purity of cleo


tions, Of what possible value to any one is tina
inalienable right Of freemen which orators and


poets have prated and sung 80 rapturously ant


foohshly abouta Or how much more or les


guilty Is the ballot box suffer or the repeate


Of the Sixth ward than the member of Con


gress who, for the sake of party, stabs t


death the very life principle of the govern


ment?


If our democratic institutions fall into con


tempt through such means, or if the right Of cleo
ton become, as it is fast becoming, mer


shadow and delusion, the blame will fall no les
heavily on the members of the national leqis