Year: 1869




The late General Assembly must have
determined to lesve a monument of its
meanness in its visible admixture bill.
BY our Constitution, white male cit
izens are voters BY decision Of the
Supreme Court of Ohio, made when
all the Judges were Democrats, per-
sons in whom the preponderance Of
blood is OF the white race, are white
citizens. Such is the Democratic fanat-
acism on the negro question, that in
Democratic counties, this constitution
al rule is set at defiance, and men who
are voters by law are disfranchised by
force.


This bill is to provide that such per-
sons, who vote in counties where this
rule is observed, and judges who
permit them to vote, may be seized in
any other county and prosecuted for a
fine Of thousand dollars. 1t means to
expose all the citizens who take part
in the elections in counties and pre-
cincts where the constitutional rule is
followed, to be seized whenever they
60 into Democratic county where the
Judge and other officers are convenient
to this purpose OF persecution.


Was there ever such a breaking down
of all the safeguards of law, or so vile
an attempt to drag the courts into
system Of partisan persecution? 1t
| gives the Democratic Legislatures es-
innate Of the integrity of Democratic
judges for it supposes that wherever
there is Democratic Judge he will
defy the Constitution and the law laid
down by the Supreme Court, in order
to persecute a Republican from any
county where the law is observed. In
all the excitment and peril of the civil
war, we had no practice by arbitrary
power which so set aside the protection
and principles of law as this infamous
act Of legislation.


But in case the judges are convent
ent-that is, are Democratic-in the
county where such vote is cast, this
act provides that if such person shall
vote he may be imprisoned FIVE years
in the Penitentiary. The impIison-
ment provided by law for illegal voting
by white persons is the county Jail for
from one to six months; but this inta-
nous Legislature has provided that per-
sons, for legal voting, may be impris-
oned in the Penitentiary five years.
And the same penalty is provided for
procuring, aiding or advising such a
person to vote. These indefinite terms
are intended to expose all the bystand-
ers, ticket-holders and the whole party
to criminal persecution.


On its face this act does not violate
the law in its description Of the ofense;
for it provides this for any person who
votes, not "being a white male citizen
Of the United States" but the inten-
tion is that Democratic judges shall de-
fly the constitutional rule, and shall con-
vict men for illegal voting who, by de-
cision Of the Supreme Court, are white
male citizens. Infected still by the
poison of secession, it proposes to put
all the Democratic counties i'll state Of
rebellion against the Constitution and
the decision of the Supreme Court.


We doubt if Democratic judges viii
assume the infamy and the risk that The
Democratic members of the Legislature
have imposed on them as insolently as
if they were dogs to do their bidding;
for there is higher tribunal to which
these judges may have to answer fol
such oppression in office, and such de,
fiance of law. Cincinnati Gazette.