The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-10-30

nad Deen,glven 10 Inc freedmen. 1nls does
| not make him
A SOCIAL EQUAL.
Do you suppose that newly landed Irish
man becomes my social equal? Do | rush
| into his arms at once and ask HIM to be my
| son in law? How absurd to say that because
/ claim these rights for the black man there
| fore must like him. / confess | am so thor
oughly under the influence Of long time preju-
| dice, that have never felt the slightest in
clination to marry black woman nor do
| think it well that any sort of intermarriage
| between blacks and whites should be permit
ted. But, oh ! these southern men, how i'm
pudent is their talk about miscegenation.
They are never opposed to practical
NIscEGESATIoN
down there. Their blood is scattered all
over their plantations. We hold that this
should never be; but if it is to be, let it be
under the laws of wedlock. These things
are simply preposterous, and are not worth
serions consideration. These things granted.
| all difficulty would be ended. Without them
| troubles will arise, and they will mainly affect
the South. These four million men are at
the South, and if there are uprisings and diff
| fcuties they will be there, not here. l do
not know what the
PRESIDENTS MIND Is,
if indeed, he knows it himself. Much com.
plant has been made of his reticence, but
| confess that think his reticence admirable
in one who has nothing to say. In his answer
| to South Carolina delegauon-South Caro-
lima that before she was received again into
! the family sends her advice to Washington,
| and suggests to the President what he would
| better do. how refreshing-he lthe PRESIDENT
said we must be practical in our efforts, and
| | think his course is eminently wise, and we
| have never had a man in the Presidential
chair who has proven himself more wise in
| the solution of questions brought 10 him than
| President johnson. think his leaving of
these questions to Congress eminently wise
and much better than would be the Cmsarian
practice of deciding for himself, and BY him
self alone. But in regard to criticism and
advice, don't think we are SO very free from
censure. When black man can ride in the
cars, can appear in Court, can own property
can attain to the full stature of citizenship
here, we NAV turn to the lecturing of our
Southern brethren. confess that If want
to advise them, should speak very mildly.
because if they should ask me in what State
| was born should be compelled with bushes
to admit that it was the loyal State of Con-
necticut.
Let me express my gratitude to God that
He had appointed without our forethousht
and almost without our knowledge, man
singularly fitted to take up the work where
his martyred predecessor left off, Thus far
| cannot lay my hand upon an act which does
not seem apt, fitting and most wise. With a
clear eye, skilful hand. he has gone on
weaving most cleverly the robe which was to
cover the entire brotherhood of the States of
the Union. The extraordinary unanimity of
= l.
ing. We who voted for him and made him
our Vice President, of course, are proud of
him, but what most fills my heart with graft
tnde and is my unqualified marvel and thanks
giving, is the complete conversion of our en-
emies who opposed him at the date of his cleo
ton with such virulence and spite Let US,
however, be charitable let US hope and even
pray that this sudden conversion may be gen
uine, and that they viii never backslide. In
regard to the Presidents our President, the
country's President, think he believes that
all measures for the relief of the blacks mus,
have the cordial support and eouutenance of
the South. We here cannot aid them; they
are at arms length, and it is not wise for the
CENTRAL GENERAL GOVERNMENT
to attempt to regulate their affairs The
lars and interests Of the Government and Of
ourselres sciu prore If no araa If they are hos
tiie to the mhite menof the South. Oaths and
obligations won't help the matter, and if Pres
ident johnson is waiting for the adoption of
these plans by the people of the South, he is
acting with characteristic prudence and sa-
gacity. A colored mans testimony is to be
taken like any one else's for what it s worth
but let it be taken for just that thank God
the President Is a Southern man; he's just
the man we want if we are going to recon
struct. You can't manage hearts as you can
bricks and mortar. No New England man
could do as well as Mr. Johnson. although he
might know more He is of the South, he
knew them, and will, know, do more for
them than any one else. Now is the utaaiao
time; the time to make by affection on the
whole.
BELIEVE IN HIN.
never was more surprised than at Mr..
Blair's late speech. This acute, ingenious
man proposes to take four millions of men bv
the hair, tear them up by the roots and send
them out of the country. 1t is possible to
take wandering tribes of Indians from place
to place, but the African is entirely different
as is the vine from the bamboo. The In
dian grows straight as bamboo; the Afri-
can, like vine, embraces and entwines
about everybody he can. What the South
needs is labor. Is this a time, when the
1 A'ouAh 10 bShAak OH CfcBtiOu IUF WOIkiHHmcn,
to take away the acclmated, accustomed ne
groes, and put them away in the Western
country? 1t is question more absurd than any
ever asked outside of a lunatic asylum. Mary
land says at this time of duty, "Shirk, sneak,
sneak out OF your duty; act contemptibly !;
by no means act like men, Our hearts. |
say. should be turned toward all our heople.
Give money, clothes and education to the
whites-yes, yes and to the colored people.
We are to carry the church, the common
school and the academy to all the Western
States. and to all the people of the country.
Laws cant make men-you may call the me-
gro all the pretty names in the world, but un-
less they are intelligent, industrious, and de-
voted to the laws of labor, as are the people
of this part of the country, they won't be one
whit better off than now. We never can
deny men in this country long any civil right
for which he is well fitted. If the negro can
be proven fit for the suffrage, for the holding
of property, he will not long be kept out Of
it. As Q point of transaction, a property
qualification might be accepted-not as final,
but as transitory measure. Nor do be.
lieve that this nation would put guns into the
hands of 10000 negroes, and then deny
them tha right to yots.3s believe, With Sher-
man, that man who has carried q musket
has right to carry ballot Lat us have
this
FOR 4 BEGINNING.
lot fhnrn xrln have e., ,xl,< al. 4 -.