The Placer herald., 1865-09-23
Discussing the Real Issue.

DOon hoiH speecu uel''eTeu Oy IeheTdl
George w Morgan, at Mount Vernon, Ohio,
on the 4th of July. If every Democrat in
the land would take hold of the subject in
the style of the following arguments, we
should soon reason the Aboltionsts out of
existence:
They say that all men are created equal,
and quote the "Declaration Of Independence"
to sustain the assertion. Now, the phrase
"al men are created equal" either applies to
the whole human family, or else it was used
in limited and restricted sense meaning
people Of a common origin, as the descend
ants of Europeans. If the phrase he true in
a general sense, then the "Root Digger Of
The Rocky Mountains, who has no INELIGIBLE
language, but chatlers like an ape is the
created equal of the Englishman, the Ger
man, the lrishman, the Scotchman or the
American. And if such is true of the Root
Digger" it is equally true of the Hot,entots
of South Africa. Does any sane man believe
that such is the fact? If so, why is it that
the Root Digger" and the "Hottentots'
have never risen above the lowest grade Of
East Indian is the created equal of the Bri-
ton? If so, how happens it that more than
one hundred millions East Indians were
crushed and conquered by less than sixty
thousand Brtons! And the American In
dian, is he the created equal of the White
Man! If so, why is it that all attempts to
civilize him have proved melancholy failures?
And the negroes of Dahomey and Congo,
from whom the negroes OF the United States
have descended, are they, too, the equals of
Americans? The King of Dahomey has at
this moment his human sacrifices, and lux
uraes in his bath of human blood. If the
negro race was equal to the European, or
even to the Asialic race would they not, at
some period since the birth Of Ham. their
first progenitor, nave emerged from the barr
barism which enshrouds them2 After the
overthrow of the Roman Empire, religion
civilization, literature were obscured by the
centuries known as the dark ages; but the
intellect of the white race at length broke
forth, dimly at first but afterwards with an
etful gence which illumined the world. Not
so with the negro, for relatively as he was
thousands Of years ago so is he now, and ST.
must he ever remain, for such is the law of
his being. But it may be said that the ne.
gro must be taught to read and write, and
thus be made good citizen. Education isa
good thing, but where there is native intelli
gence is it indispensable to constitute good
citizen? When the sturdy barons forced
King John to grant them the Great Charter,
not one among lhem could write his name
yet they laid the foundation of English lib
erly. And where there is not native intelli.
genre, knowing how to read or write are not
sufficient qualifications for citizenship.
7 am not arluaed by any feeling Of un-
kindness, and trust by higher motive than
vulgar prejudice, when | oppose conterring
the rights of citizenship upon the negro To
be a citizen, is not alone to have the right to
vote, but to become judge, juror and legisM
tor, for these are rights which belong to cit
zensbip. But it will he said that if the ne
gro is not competent for these high duties be
will become so There are free negroes now
living in the United States, whose grand
fathers were free before them, but the grand
child of to-day, like the grand-parent of a
past generation, is inferior to the white man
Before the rebellion, there were half mil
lion of free blacks. Tell me, he who can,
the names of dozen who have become re
markable as mechanics, farmers, poets, paint,
ers, or orators? An emigrant ship, on the
other hand, arrives from Europe, perchance
with persons on board who can neither read
nor write. Mark the effect of single gen.
GRAFTON. The child is an American, it learns
to read, to wlite, to think, to act like an
American, and, in fact, is an American.-
Such was the case with Andrew Jackson
His father was poor ignorant and desIitn'e
necessity drove him from the shores of Ire
land, and his first born boy after reaching
the United States, not only became P'esi-
dent but took rank among the first states.
men of the age. But it is said the war has
proved the capacity Of the negro for self
government-his right to become citizen
In what does the proof consist Is it in the
fact that negroes, free or slave, could not be
found of sufficient intelligence to make lieu
tenants, and that all commissioned officers OF
black regiments are white men9 Does that
fact prove the equality of races9-the right
Of the negro to become ctizen9 Was bis
capacity for selfgovernment proven by the
conspiracy at Charleston, TO murder their
white officers, and all white citizens, out Of
gratitude for being made free9 Or is it to
be found in the mulny of the negro troops
at Memphis. Norfolk and Portsmouth,
The capacity of man for self government
has long been fruitful subect of discussion;
and seIf-government is still regarded as an
experiment. In Great Britain, with bel
thirty millions inhabitants, the entire real
estate is owned by thirty thousand persons
who within themselves consli ute the gov
ernmenl, and yet that government is regard
ed as, and perhaps is, the most liberal in
Europe. Yet the great mass Of that popnla.
ton have no more to do with legislation
than have the cattle which browse on Eng
lands green meadows.
Free institutions cannot be more surely
overlbrown than by the degradation of the
ballot Debase suffrape and il will be ejthel