The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-01-29
THE NEGRO ACT.

Just as we expected and predicted. the Act
IL the present Legislature, admitting the tcs-
ttimony Of Negroes in courts Of Justice. con-
times to be assailed with increased virulence
a,rl bitterness by opposition p esses ami par.
tizan., for poll ical purposes II course. The
whole squad Of late denouncers and calrmni-
ators Of the Republican rsrty, having some
v hat recovered from he lioarseness engender-
ed by the vociferaticn of the maj e cry of
Abolitionism during The late canvass, are rails
ing heir voices again. pitched TO the same key.
and singing the same old tnne, TO wit: aboli
tionism, equality of the races, negro sympa-
thisers, &C., to the end Of the chapter. Just
as we told lou they say. these Republicans are
showing up their real drsigns-Gon't you see
what they are af err lit is clear as mud
they are determined to bring alb ut an elna'i-
tv of the races - he white man is as good a.
the neg o if he behaves himself, and so for h.
Now with this class Of politicians, it is al
most useless to attempt to reason. Argument rs
the last thing they desire TO have any hing to
do with. Prejudice is their staple in trade,
ard that is stranger tn reason. There is a
prejudice, deep seated and conslfu ioaal, em-
bed.ied by education and association in the
very nature OF la &c portion Of the people Of
the Free States, against the negro race, and i
is to this feeling that arful d.magogaes try
TO appeal, BY preten ing That the Republicans
haveiI view. by the act in question, the ulti-
mate admission Of that race to terms of poli.i-
cal equality with the white race; hat this Ia
a ep in that I'll ection. They don't att-inpt
to produce any reasons for tine p'e'ence, any
thing in the act leading in that direction. rot
at all. That would be f,reign to the r. plan Of
opera ions. Prejudice would not appreciate
l..
Now we maintain that the act permitting
negroes to testify i, courts If justice is in no
Just sence an act for the benefit of he negro
What benefit is il to that info tuaate c.ass Of
beings to be witnesses? d. witnesses testify
for their owa benefit? We do not so UNDER
stand it. We have snppo. ed TINT witnesses
were desirable and useful only to those requi-
ring their testimony and having Interests to be
promoted by he facts esta blishpd BY them
They are called TO vindicate rights ~ot their
own, for parties are seldom witnesses but she
rights of others. parties litigant. There may
be some exceptions 10 this, as there are TO all
general rules; but that az a general prop ST
non, it is true, no reasonable man " i'll pr. tend
to deny.
Why then should no. negr es testify, when
important facts en- BE- proved by them? We
can see no good reason why they should no.
Testimony has no particular co'or. and cannot
be affected by color OF the medium thro Ugh
which it comes, provided it be u.prejn iced,
and If that is the case then to that extern. / Is
not test Inony 1t is important to he best liz
terests If society that barriers which prejudice
has absurdly raised against the reception of
testimony should be removed as it has been in
this case. The urges, simonv caanot be-
too extensive. A. the best they are mited -
The interests of the white rae and Of hui
mainly. rights of person and of property. de-
maud that Jurisprudence hall ave fee ra"ge
II inquiry, whence to throw light upon the,
al best, confused, obscure AMI tangled web
of human character ard conduct.
Pee ically. this act can b eve little or no ef-
feet one way or the other in this region -
There ale very few. scarcely y negr es here.
The dangers which our alarmists conf IRE up
must therefore be matter of mere nm. gina
ton. There may be communities, however,
in the Safe, where the inconvenience f the
exclusion Of this kind of testimony has been
felt, and from those communities most likely,
has emanated the demand for this enact
ment
BIT say some, |: was impoltic in he Repub-
lican party in this early period its existence
to assume The responsible of such an enact
ment. Rut friends permit us 10 SAY that this
is no the question The question, aid the
only question is. is the &C. RIGHT, consistent
with republican principles, pronotiye Of jus
tice, ard likely TO be beneficial TO The best in
terests of society. We so think and hence
have no fears ds to the utimat conclusions t
which an intelligent people will 'm- in ref
erence to 1t.