The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-08-05
Negro SUFFRAGE.

| The Republican state conventions OF Mas
| sachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Iowa, and
Rhode Island have already, and before
November the same party in the remaining
northern states, will have endorsed aud pre-
scented the issue of forcing resro suffrage
upon the South at the poirt of federal
| bayonets.
! As this question is therefore to be the
great issue before the people ut the approach
ing autumn elections, it is as we'll to look it
at once in the face and take a stand on one
side or the other.
The party who propose to force this II, ,as-
ure upon the South confess that It is net
because they mean well to the whites of those
states, but that it is to punish them. They
admit that the negroes are ignorant and
degraded, unfit in most cases either to vote
or hold office This admission is fully in
volved IN the fact that the same party are
unwilling to fierce the same measure which
they advocate fer the south upon their own
states in the north.
Let US how this punitive measure will
affect the South. We copy from an able
article in the Albany 1ry,s on this subject ::
Taking the census of 1860 as basis, It
will be found that in twelve Of the saye
states, embracing. eight hundred and eig'y-
six counties, there is two bundled and forty
four of them an excess of negro population
Alabama contains 6lty-two counties, in
twenty of which there is an excess of negro
population.
Arkansas has Fifty FIVE counties, with an
excess of negre population in SIX.
Florida has lwenty-one counties, with an
excess of negro population in six.
Georgia has one hundred and thirty-two
counties, with excess Of negro population
in forty-three.
Louisiana has forty-eight counties, with en-
excess of negro population in thirty -:hree.
Mary land ha:i twenty-five counties, with an
excess of negro population in five.
Mississippi has sixty COUNTIES, with
excess Of negro population in thir'y>one.
North Carolina has eighty-seren counties,
with an excess of n gro population in twenty.
South Carolina has ibirty-iiee counties, with
an excess of negro population in twenty.
Tennessee has seyenty-fve counties, with
an excess of negro population in three.
Texas has enc hnndre'i and fify-one coun
ties, with an excess OF negro population in /
thirteen
Virginia has one hundred and forty-eight !
counties. with All excess of i.egro population |
in forty-lour.
This would give the negroes majority in /
the states OF Louisiana, Mississippi and (
South Caroliua. In these three states they
could elect negroes enough to control the
Legs ature and elect six negroes to the
United States Senate, and three or four times
that number of Representatives, to Congre 5.
In all the southern states they could send
negroes to the State Legislatures, and in Two
hundred and iorty-iour counties control the
local oiiiccs. These figures present the uni
versai negro outrage question in a social
aspect. Garry out the scheme of the aglta-
tors, and what can prevent The sending OF
cOlored REPRESENTATIVES to the Halls of Con-
gress? These are deductions from the
figures of the CENSUS of 1850, and the proba
5lii'y is that the excess of black population
IS greater at the present time than it was
five years ago. The war has doubtless swept
of larger number of whites than blacks.
Besides, 1t must be remem 1ered that, TO start
with, The negroes viii have another decided
Advantage from the fact That a large class Of
whites are excluded from the right Of suf>
rage ~ the exceptions i'll President john
;On's Amnesty Proclamation, while with the
legroeS there are no exceptions whatever.
his is the measure OF Specification re-
pabiicanism offers the South-this is VIVA;
means b. restoring the Union
bringing back to us the blessed reign of
peace and fraternity between all sections of
he Union This is the great panacea for
hc ills of cur country which the republican
loctors prescribe, and, in the advocacy of
which, Chief Justice Chase has soiled the
judicial erm;ns, degraded his high Office, and
5 now pcrambulati1g the country and
making stump speeches.