The Fifteenth Amendment to the National Constitution was not intended to confer suffrage upon any particular race or class of persons, but merely to place a limit upon the National Government and that of the several States in prescribing the qualifications of electors.  Whatever power the national or any state government may have had in prescribing the qualification of electors prior to the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment it still has, save that it cannot legally and constitutionally make race or color a ground of disqualification.  In other words, whatever qualifications may be prescribed and fixed as a condition precedent to voting, must be applicable to white and colored alike.  A few States, under the false plea of political necessity, have resorted to certain schemes of doubtful constitutionality, for the sole purpose of evading this plain provision of the National Constitution.  They may stand for a while, but, even if they could stand indefinitely, that fact would furnish no excuse for the party,—­a party that has stood so long, and fought so hard for liberty, justice, equal rights, and fair play,—­to enter into a political alliance with any other party or faction which would involve a compromise or an abandonment of those grand and noble principles.  The Republican party is still in the prime and glory of its usefulness.  It is still strong in the confidence and affections of the masses of the people, at least such was the case in 1908, because it had not up to that time allowed itself to compromise or abandon,—­so far as its platform utterances were concerned,—­the fundamental principles which called it into existence and which caused it to be placed in control of the National Government, and which have caused its continuance in power for so many years.  Whether or not the unwise and unfortunate southern policy inaugurated by the Taft Administration will result in disaster to the party is not and cannot be known at this writing.  We can only hope.

THE END