Year: 1869

Comma Back to R0ost.


That the furore which prevailed, and has
not vet died, for bestowing the privilege of
the franchise upon the negro, says the s. +.
Call. was a sincere one in the sentiment Of
many Of its advocates, and that they really
believed that justice to the race demanded it,
NAV readily be conceded. But that with
many of the republican leaders the hoped
for political advantages to accure to their
party or themselves through the negro vote,
overbalanced, even superseded, philanthroPic
considerations and sense Of obligation to the
liberated class, is undoubtedly true. They
expected to control through the negro vote
most if not oil, of the Southern States. In
some ofthe States the negroes outnumbered
the whites, and with large numbers of the
latter dropped out of the voting register, be-
cause Of their course during the rebellion,
it seemed no very difficult matter to wheel
the whole of the Confederate States into
line. For it was taken for granted that as
the republican party claimed to have set the
negro free, he would of necessity show his
gratitude by voting their ticket. At first,
when he had the opportunity, he did SO, and
it almost made the hair of those who thought
they understood the South, stand erect as
they read how State after State was carried
forthc party ruling SO generally in the North.
The republican leaders rejOiced, and all
seemed satisfactory for awhile. But now
comes the Winter of their discomfort, and
already some of them who are able to behold
the light through the fOgs of prejudice, ac>
knowledge that the giving of the privilege
of voting to the negro was great mistake.
Aside from other considerations, it made the
republican party in those States too strong.
A party is never stronger in this country
than when it is able, by great effort, to COM
qnand Just fair working majority. A very
large one is sure to initiate fraud and wild
schemes and almost certainly leads to con-
tending factions, which, sooner or later, sue
ceed in bursting the party. Tennessee is
good instance. There, under the almost
Robespierre rule of Brownow, the party be
headed was, for a time, omnipotent. 1t car
ried everything chiefly by negro votes, and
carried Brownlow himself into the United
States Senate from the Gubernatorial chair
where it had previously put him. Now,
Tennessee has heard and obeyed the order
tabout face and the republican party proper,
led by Colonel Stokes, is high and dry, like
a steamer wrecked on the Mussel Shoals.
The democratic party, although it had no
general ticket under the name of conservatives
elected nearly all the Legislature, and the
prospect is now that Andy johnson will be
sent to Washington to confront Parson
Brownlow in the Senate The republicans
should have been sharp enough to see that
the negro would soon turn toward his old
master rather than to the carpet,bagger, when
he wanted to know how to vote, and that
in making their party too strong they en-
couraged ambitious men to bolt, with the
hope of carrying winning force with them
Had the democrats OF the South been as
wise as formerly, they would have sooner
captured the negro vote. They have learn
ed at last, are winning them, and ere long
will probably carry every Southern State in
to the democratic fold. As in Tennessee
SO was it in Virginia, where the republican
wing which triumphed is SO near toe demo
cracy that it is not worth disputing about
And Mississippi will doubtless follow suit il
the nomination and election of mtn opposed
to the radical republican party. All thi
should teach men of all parties, especial.
those entrusted With the law.making power
that craftsmanship requires higher motives
broader views, and purer acts, than the dOins
of a wrong or enacting of doubtful law fO
the accomplishing of a mere temporary, o.
even permapant partisan asceudancy.