The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1857-07-30

body knows that simply = matter Of Fac
this is not 20. Nowhere mi village Of 500
persons can you fail 10 had spruce little sris.
:ocracy, generally embracing the leaders Of
the Democracy, so nice, At least in their own
estimation, that they rarely visit or receive
visits from those who constitute nothing but
the rank and file. Bat recently this class
came near flaming, because an heiress in New
York had married man who was nothing but
a eoachman. The court, however, before
which the matter came, protected the right Of
both husband and wife, and popular feeling
sustained its decision. II necessary, too, il
would have given equal protection to upper :
tendon in its right to FAINT away. And this is
what it meant by equal rights. In the legal
sense, man has an equal right to be lawyer,
a merchant, blacksmith, a carpenter or even
a fop or snob. He has an equal right to be
protected in the possession of his moustache,
his finger ring, his saw, his axe, or his snvil.
though it by no means follows that these things
are equal h their value. He has an equal
right to this protection too, whether he be
rich or poor, high or low, white or black.
Surely black man, who is a national Demo-
crat, may soap and shave Office holders, Office
seekers. and voters generally, and demand his
dime therefor, with a fright equal to that of one
who has pale face, is politically Republic
can, and black only in great national sense.
So common sense daily decides, so il has ever
decided, and svit wil ever decide, and an,
court that decides otherwise will surely be
supreme in the contempt of mankind. All at
tenpts to confuse the mind on this subject are
simply ridiculous an | unworthy the dignity of
statesman or man.
And yet the Governor Of Kansas, In object
ing to negro citizenship "a subject which was
not question before him and with which he
properly had nothing to do) tells rs that IL cit
izens, they may be electei to all ofEaces, State
and National, including the Presidency IT,
self.n ''5
But the Constitution Of The United States
tells ms that 40 man can be President unless
he has been born in this country, snd has
reached the age Of IS years. Surely every cit
izen is not eligible to the Presidency, and those
who are so are not always elected, as Mr..
Walker, perhaps, BY this time has learned
We hope he does not seriously fear colored
competitor.
But the argument comss down with terri
BILE crash, when he tells US that if blacks are
citizens they must serve with the whites sin
The militia, on the bench. in the legislature,
vote IN all elections, meet us in social inter-
course, and intermarry freely with the whites y
Most Of US have been in the habit Of seeing the
better half of humanity excused from the ser.
vices and duties mentioned above, so that we
have never dreamed Of soldiers, judges, legis.
lator., or even voters intermarrying. Surely
the good Governor must have lived where the
doctrines Of the Abbs Kelly school were hav-
ing full effect in practical operation, or he must
be trying to transport as to land, that he has
See, in some horrible dream. We are afi aid
his digestion is not good, that the climate of
Kansas does not agree with him, or that his
social relations with the border rnfians and
he pauper emigrants are not agreeable. II
he is right it must be all mistake that Rich
ard M. Johnson, Of Kentucky, for whom the
unsullied democracy, in all the States IN the
Union, in solid phalanx, cast their votes foI
the vice Presidency, had colored wife and
colored daughter. or course it was not so,
because if colored people in Kentucky are moi
citizens how could they marry
The existence, too, Of hundreds Of thou
sands Of mulattoes in the slave States, of which
the United States census and numerous other
authorities inform US, must be purely fabulous,
for If blacks are net citizens in those States
of course, according to Walker, Dougla. &
Co., they could not intermarry with the whites.
We always thought, and perhaps Mr.. Walker
will think SO too If be will only read the histo-
~ Of Joseph, Bible illustration Of slavery,
that the right to decline marriage was one of
the most sacred rights Of the citizen, a right
moi unimportant to the President himself il we
may regard Mr.. Buchanan as an ilIustrious ex-
ample of citizenship. Surely then, il Mr..
Buchanan and Richard M. johnson are fair
samples Of the National Deficiency, the
American people will recognise some higher
law on the subject Of matrimony. We CON-
mend the Governor Of Kansas to careful
study Of the Bible (perhsps he can get one
Of those presented to Col. Buford's regiment)
and the Constitution of the United States to
impEoye rot only his mind and his morals but
t9hSed his manners.