The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1857-09-23
Negro Equality.


The River Falls Journal, blatant adj
vocate of Negro Suffrage, Indignantly re-
peals the charge that its party is III favor
of placing Sambo upon social equality
with the white man. The Journal thinks
that political and social equality have no
necessary connection; that the argument
which establishes the right to the former,
carries with it no claim to the latter
'Policical equality it says, is the natur-
nj right of all men. 1t isl God-given in
heritauce which every color may claim
Social equality is limited. 1t is a thing
of birth and breeding, of education, talent
and culture"
If the Journal will carry the argu-
Inent to its legitimate conclusion, we rath-
er think it will be compelled to give Sam
bo place at his freside, his table, and
his domestic altar Nay, inore-he must
permit some lovely OMAHA slsase7s his
nuptal couch, and not reject the suit Of a
would-be son-in-law, because he happens
To have an ebon skin. Social equality
may be ga thing Of birth and breeding,
of education, talent and culture" But
suppose all these advantages to be poss-
esSed by the negro as well as the white
man, how is the Journal, consistent with
its position going to place upon him the
ban Of social accommodation?
Again, large portion of the negro
population of this country, so far as the
qualifications which the Journal enumer-
ates are concerned, find their parallel
among the lower and more unfortu-
nate classes of the Anglo-saNon race. Be
ing their equals in ''birth and breeding,
education, talent and culture" why deny
them the privilege of equal social commu-
Mon with that class of whites, if the ar
guinent of the Journal in favor of politi-
cal communion is sound? If distinction
of color and race is no bar to the claim
of political equality, it is very difficult for
us to conceive of any just rule by which
the negro can be socially prescribed
BY the argument of the advocates of
negro suffrage, he cannot be, provided he
seeks companionship among those whose
birth and breeding, education, talent and
culture" are of no higher standard than
his own. So far as he has any natural
rights" in the one case, just so far he has
them in the other. If the one is a ''God
given inheritance" the other is equally So
For ourselves, we deny the whole doctrine
an toto, and practically, so does the editor
of the Journal, and So does every other
imam who is not practical ANAL gamation-
iSt.- JTiScoRsin Patriot.
The above article is fair specimen of
the arguments used by most of the Dem
ocratic sheets against Negro Suffrage
At the risk of being esteemed more bat
ant still, we shall say few additional
words on this subject. The opponents of
Negro Suffrage confess the weakness of
their position, by harping 50 much on So
eial equaLity-by becoming willing vic
TINS of Negro-mania-by straiuing the
minds eye" to catch view ofsome
tawny Sambo nthe parlor, or some ebon
Dinah in the home circle. All this is en-
freely gratuitous utterly foreign to the sub
Jet. No one wishes to confer social
equality on the Negro, and no party could
do it if it wished to. We think we salts
factorily proved this in the article referred
TO by the Patriot. The fault in the loo:c
Of the P1friot, is in its making suppo-
s;tion which Is impossible. 1t supposes
that black man may be born white--a
stretch Of imagination rarely e9ualled.-
We sgain assert that political and social
equality have no connection with each 9th
eF, and comforting the former in no way
entities one to the latter, The most ig !