Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-02-21
WHOLE NO. 593.

II is easy for us, while revolving upon our cush.
ioned oak chairs, refreshing our eyes with the
beautiful ornaments Of this room, and fecitatng
ourselves upon our white compexions, to imagine
that there is some race in the State that is not
naturally intelligent enough to share the privileges
Of citizen with us Such a form of egotism
seems naturally enough generated in room heat
ed by so expansive substance as steam, aud
lighted by so imponderable n substance as gas.
\ little wholesome contact with the peore some
times cures this amioble weakness and makes
wish that nature had given us more brains at the
outset and that we had used them to better advan-
tage since. | can assu'e gentlemen that the
colored youth OF the State are not behind any
other class in their natural capacity or in their
desire to learn. ] reside very near the head.
quarters of the sort Of philanthropy am preach
ing here and know that years since, be-
fore the present school law went into operation
there used to be appointed in our neighborhood
man who acted sort Of superintendent of
the colored schools in the State lie used to send
out teachers, both white and c0lored, to tako
charge of these schools. These teachers used to
report to him the most interesting facts in regard
to the eagerness to acquire knowledge which was
everywhere among the colorcd people. Some of
them for that reason became interested in their
work, although they were poor and received but
little compensation for their labors that they de-
yoteda great deal of time to that kind of insruc-
ton to the detrinent Of their private interests.
at the present time, not only are the mass If tho
Co!pTtu EGN PIC VClIulI'nS n common education DuN
a considerable number among them are graduates
Of colleges, thoroughly educated and are doing
shat they can to improve and elevate their people
In my own county, some Of our most substantial
citizen are colored men. They read the papers.
they are shrewd business men, and they arnass
property. They naturally exec! in all the mechan-
ical empoyments. Some of our most enterprising
house-builders Of this class. should say that
the colored people of our county. and they are nn.
as numerous they are in many counties of tbs
State, could not be worth much less than SIS ,00U
Bat we must not forget that, in oliecting to the
coored mans voting on the ground of his want of
intelligence, you have changed the issue To
object to n mans voting besduse he does not know
enough, is very different thing from obectiny to
his voting because he is black. Not all black men,
by any means, are ignorant Not all white men
are well informed; very far from it. If the issue
which you wish to make is one Of intelligence
then, put it on that ground and not on the ground
Of complexion. Call the thing by its right name.
Ii you will INTRODUCE bill requiring q reasonable
share of intelligence us condition of enjoying
the privileges Of an elector, | not prepared to
say would not vote for it. But | should wish
the bill to assume such form as would encourage
the ignorant man to struggle for removal of his
and admission to all the fran
chises of citizen at an early day. This, with
our system of free schools and numerous otnor
facilities for intellectual Improvements, would noe
be difficult to accomplish am utterly opposed
to any measure which contemplates the perma-
nert separation Of any class from participation in
the AFFAIRS of reEesprna ants R. q tha
lfHH iesI III bttcaigsit mi.ie Citizens, ".or
words 10 Tia effect instead OF "Ail ,ohite male
citizens" should have felt much less disposed
to have it amended than am at present. If the
coored man is ignorant, we should remember,
with humility, that it has been caused, in part by
the illiberality of our toward him heretofore
and that Of the most efectua modes of creating
within him q healthy ambition to improve him.
salf, is to make him an elector.
Q. Again. it is said that our delicate relations
so our Southern breathren forbid our favoring this
amendment. Tho meaning Of this objection seems
to be something like this. The United States con-
stitute one great nation. It's desirable therefore
that their institutions should be homogeneous !;
and as the colOred man is not citizen in tho
Southern States, he should nos be one here; other
wise there will be a conflict of institutions, the
system of Slavery will he insecure, and the peace-
lul relations of the dliereIt sections of our Union
will be disturbed. The principle which is assumed
the basis OF this OH ectiOn is from which dis
sent 1t Is that the great ruling, yiazing prin-
cipal of this government was intended to be, and
is, human Slavery. and that our institutions must
be made homogeneous by conforming them oil tor
its srequirements-that the great national keynote,
given out amid the din of the Revelation, is that
Of human bondage, and that harmony can be pro.
duced only by keeping all parts os onr policy in
tune with this. My principle is Il different one.
hold that the great national keytone is that of
berty-that we are bound nearly as possible,
to bring all our institutions into tune with this.
contend that the very soul of our institutions,
as our fathers left them, is freedom, and our
institutions should be adjusted to it and not IL
to them. | believe in the great doctrine, that
freedom is national and slavery sectional, and
not 10 that other and monstrous doctrine, that
slavery is national and freedom sectional. When
l have granted 10 slavery all that the Constitu-
ton requires, will grant no more. If any con-
asptns Ia sl,- l,r.,,
should he made TO freedom and not to slavery,
Sir, alarmed at this doctrine that we must
disirancbiso the cofored man in order to make
our institutions homogeneous with those of slavery
and provide for its security. Sir, where is this
doctrine OF homOSeneuufness to emo How
much more will it be necessary fur us to do in
order to free state policy from everything
that is Heterogeneous to slavery2 We have al
ready passed the Fugitive Slave Law and the
Kansas ebraska Act, and dsfranchised the
colored race. What VIII be demanded Of us
next? Why, We fhall next be asked to give
the STAKEHOLDER the right Of transit through the
state with his slaves--theu The right of tempo
:ary residence-then that of permanent residences.
and then we shall be asked to rednce the whole
colOred race to the state of slavery. All this would
make our institutions more homogeneous to those
lOf Kentucky. But am not sure il iwonld stop
here.
The leading Democrats papers of tie South
we're in tho habit of saying during the late
presidential canvass, that free labor has every.
where proved to be n failnre-.that the only truc
basis of Democratic institutions is q system OF
slavery-that the proper philosophical basis Of
slavery is not complexion, but conc ftion of
weakness and poverty on the ono hand and Of
wealth and power on the other-that wherever
this relation EXISTS, there is clear indication Of
Providence that Slavery is to be established
that slavery with such basis must yet be es-
tablished throughout the Free, as we'll as the
Slave States, in order to make slavery secure
where it already exists and to extend it's bles-
sings in this improved form over she whole land.
All this we shall probably be called upon TO
assist in doing, when we have been servile
enough to- submit to the demands which ] have
previously mentioned. And when all this shalf
have been done, and the laboring classes Of 0hie
all reduced to slavery, then suppose our insti-'
tutions would be considered homogeneous. Far
one, dechns attaining the merit of homoge-
neousness at such cost. feH tl s' z
g. Again, it is objected to extending the right
Of suffrage to the colored man, that il will lead TO