, 1865-06-13
GEN. SHERMAN on THE NEGRO
QUESTION.

The following report Is given Of Gen. Sher-
mans remarks upon the question of negro
suffrage, In one of his recent speeches In this
city:
.tAdvctttng tn the necroe., who had hccu msde
free, he teid that the government would require
u inftituse tnme eyetetn Of labor, in order that
plause.] he wantcd those Who had beeu in lie
ionih, to bear testimony 10 the condition Of these
freed negroet. His own personal opinion was,
franchise. Loud cheer. He wanted them to
ret fair price for their labor-to own and cu}tt-
vate the lands; but be did not think they we're d.
isd to take gatt n The legislation Of the county.
The sriiit Of slavery Institutes what it
cell" "Eystcms Of Labor" or "patriarchA1 In
stitutiona'' IN t'order that lands may be cul-
tiyatcd." The genius Of freedom leaves
every man free to cultivate the lands accord
ing to his own system, in order that mcn
may be developed. The former subordtna1es
the ti1ler TO the soil. The latter holds the
cultivation OF the soil to be only means of
educating the man. Gen. Sherman calls On
the Government to institute-{fatai word!
for two hundred years 81 institution has
meant slavcry''(-" some system Of iabor.''
We hare now no system Of labor Instituted
hy Government, except for paupers and con-
victs. So far as the negroes may belong to
either Of tEcsc classes they will need "eys-
tens Of labor" but no selfsupporting negro
need be tom from his occupation to be made
eubseryi.nt to any "s5stem Of labor.''
General Shernan's personal opinion is
that The freed negroes arc not fitted for The
exercise OF the franchise. This Is largely true,
but Il fitness is to BE- the test, how few Of the
whites can votes Did G neral Sherma1 ever
meet white Southern man who was not
rebel! Hundreds and thousands Ct them
cannot read and write. Their intense isno.
rance was principal cause OF the rebellion.
Whipping them has not enlarged the bounds
Of their knowledge, except upou the single
1k,iut that they have been thrashed. As to
all else. they are us ignorant as ever, and reb
els besides. Are intensely Ignorant rebels,
Just returned fnsm fighting against their
country, and who cannot read or write, bet
ter voters In General She,man's opinion than
educated, loyal negroes like Robert Small or
the ntgro who piIoted General Bnrnside's
Acet to tho victory Of Roanoke, or the negro
who ploted Mcclellan to his new has.
On the James, or to any Of the
black troops who have b1ave!y fought
On the right side in this war? has he ever
met Southern white man wh3 WAS not false
OF Southern black man who WAS not true
to The Union: If this Unionism be com.
bined, though under dark skin, with the
Iudlments Of education, so that the negro
who has fought for his country can also read
its Constitution, would Gen. Sherman deny
the 1,a1lot to such, and give It to 1eo
els 1eeking with the blood OF his own troops,
and who could neither read nor write. As
regards taking pat in the Legislation of their
country. no negro can do this until he Is
elected to the Legislature. To be ele:t5d he
must not onty bc preferred to his white CON-
pc.itor By great many black votes, but by
8 great many white ones. II he gets
\ msjo1ity Of both It only proves that he is
the 6ttest representative OF such con stitu-
eucY. five at the North can tolerate Bea.
Woods and Vallandiehams representing
white treason, the constituencies who may
elect them at the South will hardly sud.r
! from the Fred. Douglasses or Robert Snalls
| whom they may send to represent
| black loyalty. The intelligent sentL
ment Of the North is substan
TALLY united In favor Of granting the Suffrage
to ait at the South, whether white or bla:k,
who have fought for the Union, OF can read
snd write, arc loyal and are self supporting.
If it be said that this really admits no blacks
10 vote, We answer, very we'll, then 1t cen do
no harm. Why not unite with us in support.
ing it,
But apart from these views there Is an au-
thoritatiye declaration extant to whicA Gen.
Sherman, if no other, should pay some re-
spect. Gen. Sherman anticipated this ques-
tion year ago, when he wrote In one Of his
published letters:
aIf yon admit the negro TO this struggle for any
purpose, he has Right 10 stay IN for u and when
the light is overt the hand that crops ms Moa8et
cannot be derfed the bal1ot!"
Gen. Sherman having thus claimed In ad-
vance the ballot for the negro soldiers, his
present change Of position cannot but excite
surprise In the minds Of all interested IL the
question OF tie man.
THE ENGLISH ELEC rIoNs.
More than the share Of attention which
Englishmen have given to our recent strug-
Gle, will for come weeks to come be absorbed
by home demand, with the probability OF
It's similar employment for much longer
period. The dissolution Of Parliament is to
take place in July, anticipating by few
mtntds disappointed death by statutory limit,
| and new election Is TO be called immediate
ly thereafter. It Is noteworthy that this Is
| the first occasion since the adoption Of the
scptcnnial rule In 17l7, in which Parliament
| has come to m end by virtue OF having
! existed sevcn years. 6incc midsummer, 1853,
n,d palmerstnn hss been at the head Of the