The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1860-09-14
rfroHs the Chicago Pres Gsd Trs$HHS.
who are for s. Negro Equality 3"


The Democracy of Illinois are pretty !
much bankrupted for arguments, but they |
have one last resource when everything else /
fails-everlasttng niger equality" Of |
course there will be no "nigger equality"
where there are no "niggers," and as the |
Republican party propose to save the Ter
ritOries for free white men, while the DEM
ocracy leave the way open for their intro
duction, it is difficult to see how the slang
phrase here quoted applies to any other
party than themselves But there are few
facts in this connection which have a more
special significance, as fixing upon the Dem
ocratic party the responsibility of all the
negro equality which prevails in the United
States.
In the State of Maine the negro is a citi-
zen. The State of Maine, at the time when
the laws were enacted comforting citizenship
upon negroes, was Overwhelmingly Dem
ocratic, and the Democratic party enacted
that negroes should be citizens
In the State of New Hampshire negroes
are citizens. The State of New Hampshire,
at the time when citizenship was conferred
upon colored persons was Overwhelmingly
Democratic, and the Democratic party
| enacted the laws which gave them the right
of suffrage
In the State of Massachusetts negroes are
| citizens. The rights of citizenship and of
| the elective franchise were conferred upon
| them by the Democratic party of that State
at the only time when they ever held the
| reins of government there
| In the State of New York all colored per-
sons who own $3.50 worth of property are
allowed to vote. The Constitutional Con-
ventiOn which conferred this privilege
upon them was largely Democratic-was
presided over by Martin Van Buren,, then
| tie great Democratic leader of the State.
and the same Martin Van Buren, was subse-
| quently elected President of the United
States by the Democratic party ofthe nationl
And at the same time Richard NJ. Johnson
of Kentucky, who had actually married a
colOred woman on the most approved prin-
| ciples of amalganation, was nominated for
Vice President, by q National Democratic
| Convention, and elected to that high Office
by Democratic votes
In the State of Ohio persons of less than
one-half negro blood are allowed to vote
At the time this privilege was conferred up
on them the Democratic party were in pow
er, and they framed the Constitution which
extended the right of suffrage to persons of
color
Some years ago, the Legislature of Wis
consin provided for popular vote on the
question of allowing negroes to vote at all
elections, the same as white people. AT this
time the Democratic party was largely in
the majority in Wisconsin, and they are re-
sponsible for the attempt to establish negro
equality in that State
Now, let us see what the Republican
party has done in the way of negro equali-
ty Will any gentleman Democrat put his
finger on the act which couples them with
that doctrine? 1t is most true that the Re-
publican party are opposed to the ensave-
ment of any who bear the Divine image and
likeness. 1t is equally true that no man can
be a good Democrat in these days, unless
the first article in his creed is that he
; " don't care whether Slavery is voted down
: or voted up" But here are five States
which have introduced negro equality into
their laws and constitutions and a sixth
where they proposed TO do so, though the
people failed to ratify the proposition. And
not only so, but the Democracy of the United
States elevated to the Presidency one of
the champions of the doctrine and to the
Vice-Presidency a person who was actually
married to q colorod woman, and who, in
the event of the Presidents death, would
have been mistress of tue White House
Quite likely she would have lent grace to
the Presidential levecs. Quite likely she
would have received the foreign Ambassa-
doris with dignity and suavity; we have
always heard her spoken of as an accom-
plished lady. But oh, what a comment on
the Democracy and negro equality
, We know of nothing more utterly
swinish than this incessant cry of "hegro
equality" 1t is fair to presume that the
persons who are so greatly exercised on
the theme are suffering in social position
from competition with negroes. 1t is the
t most natural Inference in the world that
Jim Allen and the editor of the State Regis
r ter are some in danger of changing places
with their cOlOred neighbors. 1t is not i'm.
: probable that they require additional legisla-
ton to counteract movement in nature and
society likely to elevate the negro at their
expense. And we cannot say that they are
far wrong. For if anything in free State,
: a civilized country and an enlightened age,
8 is thoroughly debasing and degrading, it ia
l the habitual defense of slavery the part
t of one whose every interest is on the side OF