Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1857-04-29

pendence before me. have The writ
ings of Jefferson, of Adams and of Frank
lin before me; in none of them do | find
an intimaiion that either of them, at the
time of singing the Declaration, or at
any subsequent period, ever expressed a
doubt as TO the right of every human
being 10 lis life, his liberty and happi-
ness. Many of those illustrious men
lived thirty, some forty, and others f!ty
years after they signed that immortal
instrument. but no man during their lives,
ever charged them or either of them with
expressing principles to which they
were nagraniIy opposed"
l have been thus minute in referring
to historical facts touching the Declara
ton of Independence, for on those facts
you and | agree that the character OF
our government depends; but the subse
quent history gives still stronger illuslra-
ton Of your error.
By the commencement of the war and
the Declaration of Independence. the
Tories were compelled 10 separate from
the patriots of that day. They believed
that those who had purchased men and
women from piralical slave merchants,
actually obtained an interest in the souls
and bodies of their victims, that they
had acquired right to scourge. hold
them in bondage and bruiaIize Them
That the slave actually owed obedience
to his master, and on the same principle
they insisted that The Colonies owed allie
glance 10 England but they were re-
garded as enemies of liberty, enemies OF
their country and of mankind. They
we're seized, imprisoned, scourged ard
hanged as unworthy OF human >ympathy
or human association. Many indivi1u-
ais sympathized with the Tories in their
denial of the equal rights of all nen 10
liberty, while they acted with the patri-
cts in behalf of Independence as mat
ter of policy. These men were most
numerous in the Southern States, and
after the adoption of the Constitution
they became majuriy and controlled
The State governments yet most of the
States moved forward for time appa
rently intending 20 carry oul in good fsi,h
the principles asserted in the Declaration
of Independence. Even South Carolina
in her first Constitution, adopted in l776,
not. only recognized the right of all men
to life, liberly and happiness, but she
added to their natural rights that of suf
frage and holding Office. TO the free black
as well as TO The fee white man.
Such too was the case with every State
Of The Union and il is among the most
extraordinary circumstances attending
your decision, that you should have over
looked the constitution, the statutes, the
rrcoIds of your own native State. On
the l4th of August, 1875, being only
forty days after the signing of the De.
claration of independence, the State Of
Maryland adopted her first Constitution.
ln her bill of rights she explicitly de-
clared governments TO be constituted
for the good of the UkOle people: That
the Inhabitants of Maryland are entitled
to the English Common Law and trial by
Jury: That every man having property
ought to have The right Of sgfrgge: That
all free men above the age of twenty one
years, having a freehold of 6itv acres of
land, shall be entitled to vote" &C.
Under this Constitution there was no dis.
tinction on account OF color; and the
black men of that State held the same
right to vote, and did vote upon the same
qualifications ia regard 10 residence and
property That were requisite to authorize
white men to enjoy that privilege. In
1901 the Legislature prohibited colored
men in the cities of Baltimore and An
napalis from voting for delegates 10 the
General Assembly; bat they continued
10 vote for members of Congress until
1909: From your age l am led to be.
lieve that you must for many years have
attended elections and voted with the
Africans of your native State.
Virginia and North Carolina adopted
Constitutions during the year 1776, in
which the right of suffrage was given to
free men of full age, having resided
certain time in the country and holding
certain property, but making no distinc-
ton on account of color. Without going
into detail, l will remark that in every
State OF the Union, the free black man
was not only entitled 10 life, liberty and
property, and his rights protected by the
same constitutions and laws, as were
those of the white people, but in every
State up TO 1778 he was entitled to vote
under precisely the same restrictions :;
and those States which remained faithful
TO the doctrines of the Declaration early
began to move in favor of the abolition
of slavery. Massachusetts gave liberty
to her slaves as early as 1777. But
South Carolina in 1873 exhibited dis
position rather to apostatise from those
doctrines. By her new constitution of
that year she limited the right of .uf-
frage to free aChites, but leaving to them
the same protection of life, liberty and
and every privilege which was