Year: 1870




sion of Congress law will doubtless be


passed providing for the enforc ment of the


fifteenth amendment that is, In order TO


secure the equal rgh. to The black man to vote


in AL our political elections in every State and


Territory of the Union Meantime, IL is
reported from Washington that the Executive


Committee of the Union League Of America,


Governor Geary, of Pennsylvania, and ex-


Governor Newell, Of New Jersey, are engaged


in organizing plan Of voting under the IF


teeIth amendment, with view OF securing TO
the republican party the entire colored vote
OF the country, and that they have called upon
the President and the heads Of departments to
aid them in their work.


| But how is it with the democracy? Under
the present aspect of things, and from the
| results of numerous local elections in which
this new voting element has been admitted
| since the proclamation of the fifteenth amend
ment, the bulk Of the African vote of the North
is good for General Grant and the republican
party. Indeed, we think, that from the con-
spicuous part which he has played in behalf of
this amendment, and in behalf Of political
equality, regardless OF color, in his Official
| appontm cnts, that he is good as Presi-
| de itial candidate against any opposing
candidate for the colored voc Of the
| North and South, almost en- maSse. From
present appearances in the autumn elections


of this year for the next Congress it is probable
that the republican party representing Grant
as he represents the party will, with the aid


of the negro vote, carry New Jersey, make
some important gains in New York (if they do
not recover the State), increase their majority
| in Pennsylvania and hold their own in all the
other States of the North. Among the late


border slave States they may, perhaps, revo-
lutionizc Delaware and Maryland, and go
| great way even to UPSET the forty thousand
democratic majority which, on the white basis,
is given by Kentucky.


The late Connecticut election has shown that
the fifteenth amendment has caused no losses
TO the republican party of the while vote. The
republicans, in fact, are rather disposed to
court Sambo as an ally than 10 repel
him Us an enemy. But the question still
remains to be answered, how is it with the
democracy? They proved last summer in
Virginia what they can do with the colorcd
balance OF power in the South if they try. The
democracy OF the South, embracing the land
owners. planters merchants &C., upon whom
the blacks must rely for employment, have the
means in their hands for winning over the
negro balance OF power in every Southern
STATE in heir elections for the next Congress.
Nor can we imagine that they will throw their
advantages away in fighting such old Southern
windmlls as war oil races or negro
domination. We dare say that the Southern
whites have heretofore looked upon this thing
of ne ro suffrage as q temporary radical pun
ishm mt and nuisance, soon to be removed aiier
the restoration of each of the States concerned
to the full control Of its local aifara But this
fifteenth amendment extinguishes oil such cal
culations, and So with the fixed fact Of negro
suffrage before them under tho supervision OF
Congress, we expect that the Southern demo-
cracy will not be long in comprehending the
advantages Of political alliance with the
blacks.


Throughout the North we have seen, in the
colored celebrations Of the fifteenth amend
ment, that all parties and oil classes of the
whites gracefully accept the situation. This
is very remarkable fact, considering the late
widely prevailing and apparently incurablc
prejudces of even our Northern whites against
negro political equality. Among the first acts
in January last of our present democratic
Legislature at Albany was the resolution
resembling this States ratification of the tif-
tcenth amendment-a repeal which was passed
by strict party vote. The other day, how
ever, resolution making the election laws Of
the State conform to said amendment was passed
by the Senate with but one dissenting voice.
The amendment had become ''the supreme law
Of the land, and The democracy in our Legis-
lature, after fighting it to the last ditch, bow
to its authority as the law. We have
seen, from the recent action Of the democrats
in other places, that where chance is offered
for winning an election they are ready not
only to cultivate the negro voter, but to vote
for q negro candidate. From all these things
VIC may well exclainl, was there ever so great
difficulty 80 quietly settled as this late diff
| Guilty oil negro Snifrage3


! The Northern democracy, then, are already
| in fair way to win good share of the negro
vote, and as a political balance of power they


may ncutralize it in many districts in the
coming elections for the next Congress. But


until the party shall have adopted new


platform, in accordance with the new order Of


things, they will hardly be able to shake Che
| republican ascendancy North or to gain any


advantage South OF any practical value in


Congress. Tammany Hall, after her late


decisive and important victories in the recon-


struction Of our city government, is in good
| position to take the initiative for a national


reorganization Of the democratic party, look
/ "a thn Connrnaa nd Ehn ayt nraai-