Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-04-21


"Wby do you forever harp upon the
subject of the negro, snd dwell more upon
his prospects and capacities than those Of
the Whites9" ask our opponents. Because
we are in favor Of equal rights to all, and
because sou hs7e harped upon the negro
until you and your political associates
plunged the country into civil war
Your fellows from the Southern States
fed, clothed, and supported by the negroes
and the spoils Of Ofice,-came up to Wash
iugton to demand new guarantees that their
hold upon negro slavery should never be
loosened. You went from the Northern
States and faWned at the feet of these
shareholders and promised them all the
guarantees they wanted. When anti
slavery men were disposed to bury the
subject and to let it work out its
own salvation, you persisted in ag-
itating it, for the sake Of extending
the domain of human bondage. And SO
It was you who were forever harping upon
the negro until the present Administration
came into power. Then you and your fel-
lows took fresh start and harPed upon
the negro more and more. In the face
Of the Chicago platform and President
Lincoln's Inaugural, you declared that it
was the purpose of this Administration to
make war upon slavery. With this as a
pretext, the rebels opened war upon the
Union. They used all the weapons at
their command. When the negro could be
made serviceable, he was put to work,
whether growing corn at home, or handling
8 spade or a gun in the fortifoations. In
this, the rebels acted like sensible men.
II they were going to war at al, it was
wise in them 10 60 into it with q will
Halfway work is no work at ALL
The Federal Government should have
done the same thing. Both sides would
have put in their best lioks and the re-
bellien would have besn crushed ere this.
But the Border State men, supported by
your Northern cavilers, raised a hue and
CRY about the sacredness Of slsve-property:
and for eighteen months the Government
adopted your policy of endeavOring to
avoid "the everlasting niger" What
was the result? Did yeu avoid him? Did
he not come up at every turn2 Did he
not appear before every Commander and
loom up darkly before the eyes Of every
Colonel in the army2 What was to be
done with this ghost that would not
Hdown2" You have found that so long
as the negro is an element Of rebel insti-
sgutiOns, he will persistently appear and
must be abarped upon" You can't help
it, ifyol would.
As for us, we have never tried to do 1t.
We have believed in using the negro-as
we use white men, and everything else
sTailable-to put down the rebellion. But
the responsibility Of our people will not
stop here. After the rebellion is put down
the negro will still be among US. Some
thing must be done with him2 Shall he
be nuisance or benefit; vagabOnd or
a useful member of society2 1t is with
this question in view that we have "harp-
ed upon the negro" If evidence has ap-
peared that he is willing to labor, faithful to
his duties, obedient to the laws, or capable
Of education, we have gladly chrOnicled
it, as an omen of good to the coming years
and their generations. Continual remon-
STRANGE and argument was needed to over
come the unreasonable predjudice against
the negro race. We have endeavored to
contribute to that remonstrance and argu-
ment and have no cause to regret having
thus "harped upon the negro"