The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-08-09
Henry $ FoO'e on Nesro suffrage.

III Henry ROOie on Negro Suffrage.
Henry s. Foote, the well-knOwn e1
United States Senator, and ex-Oonfederat
Senator, now an exile in Montreal, write
to Hon. A. o. p. Nicholson, of Tennessee
ssensible letter fsvoriDg negro suffrage
from which We make the following ex
tracts:
We must, in order to assure our own re-
turn to liberty and happiness, not only
recognize the colOred denizsDs of The
South as now fres, but we must allow then
the same means of preserving our freedom
shat We ourselves desire to possess. They
4 must be freemen in fact as we'll as ia name
We must consent TO their being vested
with the elective franchise; and this must
be done, too, no matter what cherished no.
tions we may entertain in regard to the
mental inferiority Of those whom some of
US have heretofore regarded as the doomed
posterity of Ham. Nor can we now safely
talk about carrying them through course
Of special tutelsge and probation, such ss
l understand you TO recommend, ere we
mske them our own equals before the
law Of the land. These are not all mat
ters for our regulation, but are to be
attended to by those who hold in
their hsnds exclusively the sword and ths
purse OF the nation. tell you, my dear
cir, and through you, wish 10 urge upon
the whole mass of my fellow countrymen
Of the South, that these things must be done
by uF, else our States will not be allowed TO
have Representatives and Senators in Con-
gress, or even be permitted. without hesita
t1n, TO administer their own municipal
concernS This, say TO you emphatically,
is q settled matter; il lie res jaGdicGta, and
there is no appeal for Us in the case. We
may regret this state of things as much IS
it is possible for US to do; we may bewsil
il SIS eloquently as we choose; we may rea-
son against irrevocable destiny with all the
logical power Of an Aristotle, Bacon, or g
Locke, and still the irTemovable fact will
stare US in the face; we must consent TO \
the carrying into effect Of the compact ex- /
isting between those who now WELD all the
governing power Of the country, and those
whom beloIe God and man they have sci |
emnly taken under their protection and |
patronage.
The people of the North are not willing 4
to trust Is Of the South with the exclusive |
control of this affair, because they believe 4
and we cannot possibly convince them to /
the contrary, that should they permit us
TO become represented again in the two
Houses of the Federal Congress, before we
shall have carried into opersti N fully the
which they have heretofore
stipulated in behalf of the colored race, we
would sfterward openly resist the ez ecution
of the compact, or st least attempt 70 eVsde
its provisions and some impTudent move
ments which have recently occurred in
the South have greatly tended, l fear, to
aggrRvate this unfortunate feeling of dis
trust. Moreover, the p-ople of the North
are almost the exclusive holders of the
bonds which represent the vast debt which
has grown out of the prosecution of the
war, and they are sppreheHsive that if the
exercise of the elective franchise is limited
10 the white population of the SUuth, the
whole voting power of our section may be
hereafter welded in favor of repudisIing
.hSt debt. We shall never be able 70 sat.
sfy them that this debt will be safe with
)ut the counterpoise of negro suffrage.
The feelings of the whole bondholding
lass are deeply excited on this subject,
md nothing can give them satisfaction but
he formal adoption of the constitutional
amendment pr0pounded. II we fail not
0 be equal to the demands of the present
.riiicsl exigency, we shall in few short
years, at most, find ourselves once more
lsppy, and safe, and prosperous. For l
IN not among those who at sll doubt the
omplele success of the new system of Ia
'or now being introduced in the South;
Ior do 1 agree with those who apprehend
ny great injury of any kind is likely to 7
rias fsOEa-LhA proposed extension of the
lective franchise 70 both classes Of our
louthern population alike. doubt not at
II, that with proper judgment, diligence
nj thrift, Southern pisntstatioRs will be ss
prosperous under the new system Of sgri-
ulturAl labor IS they ever were under the
Id one; and am decidedly of opinion
hat there will be IS little Of fraud and
n fairness in our elections hereafter in the
outhern States, and upon the whole as iu-
icious and beneficial an exercise OF the
ight of suffrage, Us there has ever here
Otore been. Demsgoguism and corrup-
on will not be more likely to obtain q
sngerous ascendancy among us than in
primer days; and since il is fixed fact
nat persons of African descent are here
fter to be free, it will be far better TO
lake friends, and neighbors, and breth. 4
sn of them, than to retain them in our
lidst as pAriahs or helots. Our true in
,rest is in sssimilating our whole Southern
opulstion in political rig hts, in settlement,
mental culture, in just and affection
70 neighborship, and in q true and loyal
rOtherhoOd. - ser