St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1859-09-29
More ''Massaohuset ts!"

MASSACHUSETTS.
Negroes are permitted to vote in Massachu-
sets. runaway slave from Southern State
becomes voter after years residence. How
immeasurably above white foreigners do the
Black "Republicans place negroes! And
yet, they obtain the votes Of many foreigners!
We think, with a contemporary, that if natural
lzed voters choose to support q party which
thus deliberately ranks them below tho negro,
nobody has right to complain. If they do
not exhibit gself-respect, it is not strange, per-
haps, that Black "RepublicaIs,' do not respect
them. Let it not be supposed that the rule in
Massachusetts will not obtain in other States.
We shall see hereafter how many naturalized
voters adhere to a party which degrades them
below the negro.-Ptoneer 4 Democrat.
This is couardly, contemplate quib-
ling. In New York state both under
Democratic, Wing and Republican gov
ernments negroes have been legal voters
if they were possessed Of small amount
of property, 40 acres Of land or 4 Home
stead worths200.
When Democratic. Governor Seymour
was in office, this was the law, and ma
tive born black man voted as soon as ma
tive born white man; but any foreigner, no
matter whether he was black or white
must be in the country FIVE years before
ne could acquire vote. In Democratic
Pennsy lvania native born black men voted
on terms Of equality With native Dor.
white men; while :!tmea born in other
lands were required to remain ia the coun-
try tive years before acquiring the right
to vote. In 1874 new Constitution was
made DISTINGUISHING the black man.
la Massachusetts to day the'native born
white man stands on an equality with the
native born black man just as the used
to do in Democratic Pennsylvania. No
citizen Of any other State, no matter what
his position, Congressman, Governor,
Judge or day laborer can vote until he
has resided there one year. The foreign
born citizen who has been naturalized
in another state, and removes into Massa-
chusetts, must live there one year just as
the native born citizen m ust do, no matter
whether he is white, black, or copper-co1-
ored Now, why do not the native-born
citizens of New York; Vermont, and 9th
er States get up an oatcry because Mass.-
chusetts places them on a level with the
negro7
There is no government on the face of
tho Earth which does not make a distinc-
ton between native-born citizens and
those of foreign birth. A man born in
Germany has the birthright Of 4 native
born German; and he is mean man who
does not in his heart of hearts cherish the
memory Of his native land Is something
sacred, and in some way dearer than any
other land
:Is there man with soul 50 dead
Who meyer to himself hath said, !
This is my own, my native land?''
Have not all men, worthy of the name,
even the slaves of our Southern States,
some spark Of Low. for their native land;
and man might as well complain that he
cannot have two mothers-that he cannot
get young, handsome mother after the
old one gets ugly and urinkled, as that he
cannot have birthr;ghtin two lands.-
The constitution of the United States A.
bout which this great clustering Demo-
cratic party is making such an ado lest Re-
publicans should violate it, this same con-
stitution makes distinction between ma
tive and foreign born citizens; and 50 long
as Massachusetts Legislators set negroe,
down As their own political equals and tn.
political equals Of both native born and
naturalized citizens from other States-so
long as they do not say that foreign.
born black man shall vote, sooner than q
foreign-born white man, We cannotsee or
what ground demagosues assume that ma
turalized citizens are in any way insulteo
by a law, the exact counterpart Of tina
which has always been in power in th'
Democratic State of South Carolina.
Whatinjury can it possibly do any for
cign-born citizen that in some small por-
ton of our land a man is not prosecuted
for the color of his skin? H.. :, 49,. =
There is no European government il
which mans rights arc measured by tn
color of his skin. A negro born in Eng
land, Ireland, Scotland, .Gers,anyy:, N orway
Sweden, France or any other Earopee1
government, has just as many polite right
as white man, while no white man bor'
in another country, and removing into on
of these can acquire the full rights Of citi-