The Portland daily press., 1864-12-03
Saturday Morning, Dec. 8, 1864.
The Negro.

Mr.. Seward is reported to have said, during
the campaign which resulted in the election
OF President Lincoln, that no man who spelt
negro with Two g's could be President. He
might say it win equal truth during the pres
eat campaign. No man who spells negro with
two gs now can be elected. There is no
blinking the rights and the wrongs of this me-
gro question, and no magnyfying or cheaper
ing It's importance. The TACT OF four millions
OF human beings, whose lot, when the war
commenced, was that of slavery, is to be de-
cided by the war, rightly or wrongly. 1t is
every human beings right to be free; and any
man, we care not to what party he belongs,
who treats these unfortunate four millions
with contempt, and is willing that their bond
ago shall be perpetual, must institute fight
, with nature, and with all his best impulses
and Instincts. The man who can say "nigger,"
and who really feels in his heart the contempt
for the race which the word conveys, is a
brute. There is more consideration among
the Shareholders themselves, than among
these low-iyed and beastly Northern men
who imagine shat they say severe thing of a
man when they call him by some name which
shows that he has respect for the rights of the
black man.
1t is quite the. habit of loyal and humane
men to speak of the necessity of destroying
slavery ia order to save the Republic. We
Il
this, who, in his famous letter to Mr.. Greely,
said that he held the negro question so far
subordinate to the Union that il it became ne
cessary, in order to save the Union, he would
save slavery. As President of the United
States, he did not feel at liberty to take any
other ground. ,
Since then, he has determined that the de-
struction of slavery is essential to the saliva
tion of the Republic. This Is q military judg-
n .,lst foaIo or n kafo
believe it to be thoroughly sound. It has
nothing to do with the rights or wrongs Of
slavery. 1t has nothing to do with moral prin-
ciple. IL has 10 connection with the humane
impulses of the nation, or with the Christian
teachings of universal brotherhood. 1t is
matter OF policy altogether, and the rebellion
now yielding under blows which the negro
arm ila7- ii1iPea e stlike, Is proyinEeyery DAY
that the pOiicy Is the trae -vue. s4rrrr is yIu-
doubtedly, respect for the rights of the ne
gro, and hatred of slavery in the heart
OF the President; bnt the decision Is a p0liti-
cal matter entirely, and must stand or fall
OF it@ merits as the policy OF war and states
manship.
AZ people, however, arc at Liberty to look
upon this matter in another light. They are
at liberty to respect the negro as man, to
couat his natural rights TO be those OF man,
to regard his slavery as 8 great personal So
GIi those couneeilors who treat him with per-
eisteut contempt. They have been trying to
learn the lesson of this war. They believe
that il has lesson, and that it has cost them
too much to be disregarded or lightly lost
They know that to slavery, and to slavery
alone, IS the war attributable, with all its hor-
rors. fBey know that the Slave Power Is the
only foe OF the Republic. They know that
the war was instituted in behalf of slavery; aud
4tt.s, NJ fo LODI
judgment on nation that has grown tat on
wrongs Inflicted upon millions Of slaves. They
have watched the negro as he has assumed
the position OF mans They have seen him
plunging iago the thckest of the fight, and
maintaining bis position by the side of his
white brethren, aud calamity defending the
Gag tbat defends him. They have learned to
spell his name with . single q.
What car. Chrjsu2a government hope for
from x-serof naesi WHO will learn IsOthing from
such a war as this? What can it hope for
from aren who glory in tfampling upon the
rights ot four millions of their fellow be-
ings? What can it hope from those who have
always been in league with the Slave Power
for whose success in this campaign the
Slave Power is praying, who have no word OF
cheer for the negro who has achieved his lib
erty, and is now fighting for the maintenance
OF the government, who count It calamity
Jnab slavery is TO Dc ulSLurDous VINO are Will
ing and anxious to have it remain for their
political benefit? A way has been made by
this war for the progress OF ideas. Slavery
has forfeited every right which it held under
the Constitution Of the United States. STA.
uery itself has no rights. 1t has throton Glody
eOery legal right 1t euer held. 1t has proved
itself the enemy of the Republic. 1t is an
open, bloody rebel It's hands are red with the
best blood Of this Nation. And now, polit-
ical obligation TO treat slavery tenderly all
gone, we have right to bring humanity and
Christianity into full play, and to declare that
slavery shall die-ihat it shall never have an
other opportunity to destroy our national life,
aud that those who spell negro with two g's
are not safe men to trust with the Govern.
ment. Contempt Of the negro has been the
crying sin of the North, for which the North
is now suffering with the still more contempt
uous South. Let us respect him and his
rights, and claim it as the glory Of the Repub-
lican party that it is struggling for the free
dom and the rights OF every man of every
color, in all these States, over which the stars
and stripes have hoated-over which in crown.
ing triumph they shall soon float again
[Springheld Republican.