Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-07-04

From he Cincinnati Commercial.
The Negro Suffrage Question An North
Carolina --Caief-Justice chase Cross
Examined a. Ia Negrs suffrage I'm
Ohio.
The Wilmington. North Carolina Herald. re
Gently published an article abou, the candidacy
Of Mr.. PKSsiNsToS. editor Of the Raleigh Pro
gress. for seat - Delegate IN the State Con.
vsntion. The Herald said though Mr. PES-
sIxoroS vas out "sesarely aud boldly against
giving the baIlo, TO the negro. yet be had 'un-
Intentionally. Of course. not expressed himself
quite full enough on this poist." Presently the
editor Of The Herald says that 30 be more en-
plcis. Il will be awkward lor Mr Prs-
srsoroS 10 be called upon hereafter Tor in
formation regarding the understanding be
entered into with Mr. Chief Justice
CHAsK 10 this city in regard TO negro suffrage
a, the neat Presidential election" The Raleigh
Progress. Of the 23i Of June. contains Mr.. PES
sIssros's reply. tho material portion of which Is
a. follows
"Relative TO negro suffrage. We said 10 Chisi
Justice Chase substantially what NO have said
dozen times In the Progress; We told him that our
people would be opposed TO giving The right OF
sulifass 10 the freed negro, and that should the
General Government attempt 70 force IL upon
them, they would feel aggrieved and mortified
that should We be forced to accept II, We should
have the Union OF States. without union OF
heerts We told him that II left alone, we
thought the people OF North Carolina would be
generous to the colored man. and that IL here
after he should show himself worthy OF an ex-
tension Of privileges they would not be with
sfr ~
deny them the right to vote, We could not bind
or shane the action OF future generations We
expressed before Judge Chase. as We do on all
occasions a kindly feeling for the negro, and ad-
yanced the opinion that in educating, christian
king and elevating him, the people OF the South
! ern States would elevate themselves
"The free negroes voted in North Carolina up
to 1886 and We shall no more abuse our fathers
| for allowing them that privilege than We shall
censure them for Withdrawing 1t; and they may
vote again, but ii they do so IN the election re-
organizing loyaI State Government, or in the
next Presidential election. it shall not be with
| our consent. Freedom may, and We hope Will,
| prove a blessing 10 the negro. but II Will be Tor
! coming generations, and not the present, to en-
| ioy the fruits oft We were much pleased with
Judge Chase. but in justice to him, as we'll az to
1 ourself, we will say that no understanding was
! entered into between US relative 20 the matter
1
pose the Chief Justice hardly felt that he had
the General Government in his breeches pocket;
and we are sure we had no idea that North Car
| olina was in ours The next Presidency not
alluded. and nothing fell from the lips of the
Chief Justice calculated to induce the belief on
our part that he was aspirant, or. if so. that
he was calculating on the negro vote
when the negroes of any Southern State
shall satisfy a majority OF the loyal white peo-
pie of that State that they ought to be allowed
the right of suffrage. and that majority so de-
cides, then we shall say, let them have it; but
not until then And the coming generation OF
negroes may be able to do this, but we have but
little idea that the present ever will.
Judge Chase will not charge or insinuate
that we held up any hope to him that the people
of North Carolina would consent to the negro
| voting now or in the next Presidential election,
and il others so charge they do US injustice.
When we appealed to Judge Chase to know how
the matter of negro suffrage stood in
Ohio. he answered that the negro was only al
lowed TO vote when il could be shown that be
had more white than black blood in him. We
said to him, Then you give it to the white man
and deny it to the African. after ALI and he ad-
mtted that il was so; but he thought the State
would soon allow all freedmen to vote, regard
less of color. We replied Very well; but that
will the action of the State of OHIO, not of the
General Government; and if you will leave the
matter to the people of North Carolina. when
they think the negro worthy of suffrage they
will extend it, and not before. Now, to
whether he will ever show himself worthy of it,
is a problem yet to be solved among US. Many
of the Northern States, including Ohio, DO no,
consider the African worthy of the rights of suf-
frage, and they deny it; aud would be unjust in
them not to allow us to imagine this thing for
ourselves. as they do.
1--WE told Judge Chase, also, that it was our
conviction, that if the negroes were allowed to
vote. the bulk Of them would be influenced by
leading secessionists. to cast their suffrage
against the Government, and that for years TO
come they would be largely uDder their influence
as they would have to reside on aud cultivate
their lands. We gave him to understand, as We
have all with whom We have conversed on the
subject, that We thought it would be bad in pol
icy, as well wrong in principle, to open the
ballot box to the ignorant. uninformed and de-
paved slaves of the Southern cotton, rice and
sugar fields"