Litchfield enquirer., 1865-08-17
WING & sHUMWAY Proprietors.
Conn, Thursday, Aug IT, 1868
The Word t White. 7


 The question of enfranchising the freedmen of the South, which. is inst now being so thoroughly ventilated, has some knotty and perplexing features. The Southern. negroes have never been clothed with any public re- sponsibiity, have never been educated in the most simple principles of government, shaye. never had their intelIects cultivated or their manhood developed. The question regafaing them is whether their ignorance and simplicity is more precarious to the interests of the coun- try than the enlightened disloyalty and corrupt ion of their former masters. ss''s,9s ., , But the enfranchisement of ourcolored citi- zens in Connecticut involves no such expert
 ment our negro population is generally intelli-. gent it is industrious; it is thrifty its com posed of men of fair commercial education and of responsible business habits. It is in the interest of the opposition, in the discussion that is now going on in our State, and that is to be decided in few weeks by vote of the people, to burden the minds of tho public with hundred outside issues and irrelevent prob lems of policy and principle; but the question is really so simple, that wayfaring nan, though democrat, need not err therein. lsG
 We are called upon, on the first Monday in October, to vote to erase the word white from the present qualifications of voters. Now this certainly will not give every idiotic or ignorant negro the same privilege with intelligent and sane whites. The other qualifications which prescribe the degree of responsibility that the election shall possess, will apply to him as well as to us and if he is just as intelligent and loyal as white man who can vote, we claim for him the same privilege. Now the enemies of universal liberty say they are opposed to negro suffrage, because the race is so degraded and illustrate. But they can not oppose this movement in our State on that ground; for our constitutional amendment will not give degraded and 'illiterate' negroes the privilege of voting and if what they say is true, there are not a hundred men in Connecticut who would pass the necessary examination.
 But they protest against being placed upon social equality with the blacks. We are not going to attempt any such thing. A mans social position is a thing of his own choosing !; andAif our democratic friends will persist in associating with the negroes and cohabiting with them, as has been their custom, we can only regret it. Beside, a republican form of government is great social leveler, and if it mould for us black man of noble sonl and en- frightened intellect, and loyal heart he will sure ly take position above many of his depraved and plodding enemies. Wedo propose to put them upon politiGal equality with their white neighbors of equal intellect and loyalty. What is there very startling about that Because Q man votes at the same polls with you, you are not under any obligation to borrow a hundred dollars of him, or to marry his daughter, or to recognize his social equality with you in any other way. Every democratic leader knows that there are hundreds of his party with whom he will not teign to associate except upon the eve of an election. These objections against being placed upon an equality with idegra- ded' negro, are eshorn of their consistency when we remembes that they come from party that embraces generous share of our most disloyal, ignorant and vicious citizens.
 The real objection of our democratic neigh bors to the project of negro suffrage is not one of the above. Neither is it their widely pro claimed 'instinctive abhorrence of the color.'-- What investigation do they stop to make re- garding the color of the hand that drops bal lot fortheir advantage? It is enough if it be only green enough to vote for them at ale Just notice the crowd that always vote their ticket red, yellow, nankeen, brown, grey, black and blue, striped. speckled, everything but black. And why not black ? s9 sse Alter sounding the whole matter to the bot ton. the real and only objection that the ene- mics of the negro have to his enfranchisement is that he would not vote their ticket. They cannot deny that he has every other qualifca- tion. He is good neighbor, a temperate, in- !dnstrions and loyal man, and an intelligent and yirtuous citizen sail of which prN--s that he will maL- dgubtfuf democrat. They have the same objection to you and me. They have just as strong an sinstinctive adherence of the color ofsa Black Republican as of a black negro.
 One. thing more if we succeed in crowning our colored neighbors with the full rights of citizens. the democrats will immediately begin to see anew beauty in their complexion. We know man who would not be afraid to bet good sized hat that they would, at the very next election, solicit the votes of these same depraved creatures. But they need not try The eniranchisement of the negros will be the .5sackness cf darkness to the Democratic party, and they know it. Amen. 4 se ass9 aH asss --~> sss.sl
 IQ- The Washington Chronicle of last Fri day says. that by order of the Secretary of War, the Second Connecticut Heavy Artillery will be immediately discharged from the ser vice. fss Asaa ';ani l9 s 1G-The directors of the Naugatuck Rail- road have declared half yearly dividend of hve per cent, payable on and after the 18th instzsf E iI ! -a- e