The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-02-25

and will soon be vacated. The inter-
.~vention by Congress against slavery in
the Ierritories, was as far as it was
thought prudent to venture in the late
canvass-but the war is Icing rapidly
pushed towards the States where Afri-
can Slavery exists, and in the Free
States the opposition are preparing the
hearts of the people for a demand for
Negro sufragel Could the most ultra
Abolitionism go farther?
But to the Times. While the editor
defends the policy of giving the negroes
equal political rights with the whites,
" he does not wish to be considered as
advocating the amendment sugges-
ted to our Constitution" Why ? sim
ply because he thinks " public sentiment
is not ready for such a movement
That constitutes tho head and front of
his objectionl Negro suffrage Is RIGHT in
principle, SO he urges. Now the right
is always expedient," said Gen. JACK
SON. You never find a Democrat, when
a new political question affecting the
public welfare is presented to him max
ing the enquiry, "will this measure be
popular ?" SIS public sentiment ready
for such a movement" But he in
quires, SIS this thing RIGHT? Will
it promote the A GOOD of the
GREATEST NUMBER ?" And being persua
ded that these questions should be an
swered a%firmatively, he does not hest
tate an instant, but enters the con-
test with his whole heart.
1t is urged as a reason why we should
adopt this means to elevate the African,
that we have among us degraded speci-
mems of our own race. True, and have
we Dot already enough of that class
should we add the black population to
the number? The besotted white man
may be RECLAIMED. He has intellect.
He has Anglo Saxon blood. God en-
dowed him with the attributes of a man
"a freeman. He may be a slave to
evil habits-but, brutalized as he may
be, ignorant at he may be, you can ne
YER make him the slave of his fellow
man! And this race-your own race
you compare with, and place in the
scale below the stolid African!
The color of the voter does mako a
Difference with us. We admit it. We
look upon the negro as belonging to an
inferior race. We would do him no in.
justice, and believe that we are a better
friend to him than those who are seek
ing to place him in q position, and i'm
pose upon him responsibilities, which he
is not competent to meet, and which
would only have a tendency to
bring into contempt the elective fran
chise, and degrade the white nan. The
Almighty hand has written upon the in
tellectual and moral characteristics Of
the Negro, as plainly as he has over the
whole surface of his body, the inferiori.
ty which distinguishes him from the
Caucasian. You cannot improve hi.
condition-you canno elevate the negro
by the means proposed. Nature has
interposed obstacles that human legisla
tion cannot overcome. Adopt your pol
icy, however, and you do degrade the
laboring white man to a position with
the negro.
But look at the tendency of this whole
movement. If it be true, as assumed
that very many of these negroes, "being
NATIVES Of america, are well posted
10 regard to our institutions, and could
Cast more intelligent votes than
WHITE MEN of the description CT
ted" then you must advance a single
step farther. It is only a step, and you
will reach the point without an effort.
You must recognize their SOCIAL
EQUALITY To this complexion it
must come. If negroes are SO "aOeA
educated" if they are so "qceU posted
IN regard to our institutions" if they
are capable of /" casting more inteMigent
Uotes" than some " aohits men," then
you must advocate their claims to a DO
sition of social equaltyl There is no
escape-there is no hating short of this
goall This movement At Columbus is
the entering wedge to a scheme which
contemplates a complete subversion of
our well-established politica! and social
polity. Are the People-the laboring
men-of Ohio ready for the question ?
If not, the soone they make themselves
SO, the better for them, because they
will be forced to meet it.
For ourselves, we are willing to de.
clare here, at the very Threshold of this
war between the races, that we are on
the side of the white man, his dignity
and interests. This is our position. and
we shall advocate it with all our inhu.
ence, including our cote, let the public
sentiment" be as it may.
e The rear end of Mr.. J. V. l.
| Pruyn's house at Albanv was comnletalu