The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-05-08
The Question Of NEGRO Suffrage.

The Question Of Negro Suffrage
The Democratic papers, though nearly all op-
posed to the enfranchisement of the negroes
do not agree in the reasons urged Against
this demand Of the age and political economy.
The New York World recently expressed the
opinion that. ia the next generation, the
Southern whites would think it wise to admit
the negroes to the elective franchise, either
with property qualification or a qualification
founded on intelligence. sG6H rtQ<s !,
This very chary aud prudent statement of
the case brought down upon the World the
anti-vatican thunders Of the .Erpress-the
quondamsKnow Nothing organ Of New YORK;
after this style; rs jill
In all Of which there is little Of logic. and
nothing Of Democracy If of anything else.
lift The negro Is unfit for suffrage onty1rota
poverty and ignorance, this you'd disquatJJ
too thirds Of our Irish and German eDt5
grants, and one half of our native bornaP0pp-
lation, so that the government itsef would
soon fall exclusively into the hands of pro
perty oligarchy. We thought that the terse,
& pithy logic of old Ben Franklin had settled
all this seyenty-five years ago. s
The objection to negro suffrage is not iq
norGnce or poverty, but race The two races
cannot be thus equalized or fraternzed, with
out the common destruction OF both. God
never made us to be ffuterhized, aud where 1t
has been attempted, as in Mexico and Central
America, the destruction of both races has
ensued. Equality and afraternity Inevitable
lead to amalgamation, and wherever this
amalgamation has taken place, the negro race
loses its physical vigor, and the white race its
capacity. 81. $3.50
iof inf :.
nection, that this ignorer OF a race becaus
of its complexion, is an apostate son of New
England, q former resident of this city, where
for several years he Illuminated bis anti.slav-
cry thunders, denounced slavery and defend
ed the rankest development OF abolition,
through the columns OF the Aduertiser. o.
course we refer to james Brooks man who !
denounced slavery as the "sum of all villain
les" and as the plague-spots and cufee upon
our national character, and the clog and
nightmare upon Southern prosperity till.
whenP What wonderful political chemistry
proved sufficient TO dissolve hisghatred of des-
potism and to crystalline the mike human
kindness in his New England heart into hat
red Of q race bearing Gods image, and the
superscription Of the common Father? What
a'did it? Ask that widowed owner of plan.
tation OF negro slaves, whomhe married. and.
she can reveal the mystery of this singular
slid diabolical metamofphosis, and tell why
his soul-ready to mingle, mix and fuse with
the dirtiest scum Of Europe-revolts SO
against Gods image in ebony, though CHS
eled with classic elegance, and adorned With
all the graces and accomplishments that refine
ment andeducation can furnish. But enough
Of this depression, Fl bsa sss.zsa
To this wholesale condemnation Of a race
the World-bitterly Democratic as it is, and
hostile to universal freedom as it has shown
Itself to be-replies: aiag lisiea ~
VIII the Express pardon us for saying that
we do not shareits disparaglng opinion OF the
indulgence Oh our emigrant population?
We find, at present great deal OF sound and
well-expressed Democratic sentiment in its
columns; but this leftrhanded compliment to
our German and Irish felIoW-citizens smells
Of the dark lantern. Sis eea 70t
lyon may break, you may shattor the vasei you.
But the scent Of the roses will hang round it stil
The perfume, however, is not very grateful
to Democratic nostrils. 4 4 ggv AMIN
Our opinion that guarded negro suffrage
is not very Objectionable may, indeed, be Lack
ing in sense" and "solidity," but this tinsel
and fashy notion must be admitted to have
q some little weightof authority on its side Tn
. the New York Constitution of 1921, there
was this proviso on the subject of negro SUI
trage, which is repeated, IN the same identical
words, in the Constitution OF 1876: Every
male citizen, &C., &C., shall be entitled 10
vote, DC, &C., DC; but no man of color, uii-
"a laol H.. r 49,.
zen OF this State, and for one year next preced
lag any election, shall be seized and possessed
OF freehold estate OF the value Of two hun-
dred and fifty dollars over aud above all debts
and membranes charged thereon; and shall
have been actually rated and paid tax there
on, shall be entitled to vote"
The James Kents, the Martin Van Bureus,
the Daniel y. Tompkinses, the Rufus Kings,
the Ambrose Spencers The Samuel Nelson's
the Erastus Roots, the Samuel Younqs. the
Michael Hofman's, the Charles O'Connors.
who took part in and assented to this regulatr
ton OF negro suffrage in the State of New
York, apparently did not hold the doctrine oil
the Express, that the bar to negro suffrage is
not the lack of property or intelligence, bull
disqualification inherent in the race. Much
as we respect the opinions OF our contempo-
rary, we are not yet carried so lar by our re "
erence that we can cOnscienciously initiate
the enthusiastic scholar who said he would
rather err with Scalager than be right with in.
ferior men. The statesmen we have mention.
ed may, indeed, have had but litale OF the
cool sobriety of Hsolidity = authority, weight.
andrsense, OF thepress which .arrogates 40
much more of these qualities than the Worth
dares lay any claim to but we trust we may
be pardoned by law abiding citizens for our
laundering respect for the Constitution Of the
State In which we live, and forsname which
many honest people have been simple enough