On the record
It was a mere stroke of expediency to escape the prejudices which negro suffrage would encounter in a majority of the loyal States, and especially in Indiana and California, where a close vote was anticipated.
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gutenberg.orgJames Blaine: “It was a mere stroke of expediency to escape the prejudices which negro suffrage would encounter in a majority of the…”
Editor's note · Context
Blaine argues that the reluctance to support negro suffrage in certain states was a political maneuver rather than a principled stance.
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