The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1865-07-12

Negro Suffrage in North g Carolina; 'l!''l
: The Raleigh (N. c. Progress, 10 spsakE: 8: I.
ing Of. conversation with Chisf : u.tiee .isl
Chase, on the subject t.of Negro Suffrage.
says: - >. y - IA :.t;';s t;f'F
,"Relative to negro suffrage, I've s,idf
to Chief Justice Chase substantap!
what We have said 5 dozen timesi in ;tae
Progress; we told him that our peopl. !:
would be opposed to giving therright| OF
suffrage to the froed negro, and that
should the General Government attempt.
to force it upon them, theysHould 5teci
aggrieyed aud mortified should 10.
be- forced to accept, it, We: should have
the union Of States, without union OF
hearts. We told him that if lott alone,
We thought the people Of North Carolina
would be generous to the co!ored man,
and that if hereafter hc should SHOW
himself worthy Of On %,e1ten.ion OF
privileges, they would not be wltnne!d-
that while tho present generation might
deny them the right to vote, We eou!os.
not bind or shape tho actions Of future,
generations. Wee1pressed before judge.
Chase, a, we do on all occasions, kind:
" feeling for the negro, and advanced
the opinion that in educating, christian:
izing, and elevating him, the people Of
the Southern States would elevate them them;
selves. -
g The free negroes voted in North Car
olina up to'1836, and We: shall no more;
abuse our fathers for allowing them that:
privilege than we shall censure them for 5
Withdrawing it; aud they may vote
again, but if they do so in the election
reorganizipg loyal State Government,n
or in the next Presidential electlon;ttS
shall not be With our consent. Freedom
may, and we,hope will, prove blessing
to the negro, but it will be for coming
generations, and not the present, TO en-,
joy tho fruits of it. g s;s-.,H&. +F'.'
When the negroes Of any! Southern p
State shall satisfy minority Of tho 10y.
al white people Of that State that they
oughtto be allowed the right Of suffrage,
and that majority SO decides, then We
shall spy, 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 over
will. ..'...t...
When we nppcaledto 70 j udge Chase 70
know how the matter Of negro suffrage
stood in Ohio, he answered that the no.
gro was only allowed to vote when 1t
could be shown that he had more: white
than black blood in him. ssThen you
give it to the. white man and deny it to
the African, after all 1? and he admitted
that it was 50; but he thought tho State
would soon allow all freedmen to vote,
regardless Of color. We replied, Very
we'll; but that will be the action of the
State of Ohio, not Of the General Gov,
ernment: and if you 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,
as to whether he will ever show himself
worthy Of it, is problem yet to DO solved
among US. Many yof the Northern States,
including Ohio, do not consider the At
ricuu worthy Of the right Of suffrage,
and they deny it; and it;would be un-
lust in them not to allow us to manage
this thing for ourselves, as they do. g,.,
We told Judge Chase, also, that twas
our conviction, that if the negro were
allowed to vote, the bulk of:them would
be Influenced by leading secessionists to
cast their suffrage against the govern :,
nent, for that for years to come they
would be largely under their influence;
as they would have to reside on and cul-i
tiyate their lands. We gave him to uu.
dorstaud, as We have all With whom 70 xey
have converscd on the subject, that, We
thought it would bo bad policy, a.'xell
as wrong in principle, to open tho ballot
box to the ignorant, xnioforued and de-;
PRAYED slaves of the Southern cotton,
rice and sugar fields. s:...., 49,. :: G:r