The Portland daily press., 1865-04-11
LOYAL Blacks OF Disloyal Whites,

of battle against the rebellion. Black ballots
are needed to preserve from defeat the power
whose constancy and fidelity to liberty has
crushed the rebellion.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED..
But the negroes are ignorant and degraded.
Perhaps SO. But if they will vote our ticket,
do they not arrive at the sane result to which
the whole of our intelligent thought and study
has brought us? When we are securing our
ward or our school district to find the one
man to turn the scale against our Jealous po-
litical opponents, do we care to know what
his religious opinions are, or his social status,
or the extsnt of his literary accomplishments,
provided he is sound on the question of the
day?
Concede that negroes are ignorant, why
should we not have our following of ignorant
numbers as well as our political opponents P
For twenty years the political debate has been
conducted on the stump, and in the public
press, with the intellectual victory, by the &C.
claim of all the intelligent public, decisiyely
on our side; and yet our opponents, thus
worsted, have stepped into the cellars and
grog-shops and rallying to their side men that
neither understood nor heard the argument,
nor formed an opinion on the question before
them, have despoiled us OF the advantages of
our victory.
While fastidious Republicans turn their
noses from the black man, the better politi-
clan, if not humaner man, takes the hand Of
the raw emigrant in his, with eondescension
that goes far towards making genuine the
democracy he processes, and turns all the
prejudice that Grams and strains his little head,
in favor of slavery aud the domination ofmas-
ters.
ACTION OF THE FREE STATES.
But the republican States of Indiana, New
York and Connecticut do not permit negroes
to vote. This may not be political justice,
but that is consideration foreign to the tone
of this article 1t is not political insanity, as
it is to forbid the negroes of Louisiana to
vote. In those States the black population is
Insignificant. 1t is not certain that they
would even be disposed generally to vote with
us, nor would their numbers determine a
doubtful election. But in Louisiana, where
we have a State, we lack constituency. We
c,nnot take rebels-not now-because they
refuse to come; they have not given up the
hope of setting up government foreign to US.
We cannot exclude them after they have
given up that hope and claimed amnesty and
made peace. Rejecting the negroes, who are
loyal, and who will vote for our candidates
and our measures in peace and in war, we
have a constituency too small to maintain a
selfadministered government. What avails
it to ruL these little semi military organiza-
lions a year or two. if the body of the white
people, amnestied and pacifed, are coming in
to vote all their representatives and agents
out of Office, and reform all their legislation in
the interest of their own opinions and resent
ments?
1t may be little thing to lose the influence
of one State; but the same process affects ev-
cry other rebel State. With a certain sup
port in eleven Southern States, the opposition
rallies everywhere in the North, and the reac-
contamination oil a revolution fraught with
the best hopes of the human race. The inter-
est we have here in Maine is just this, that
we cannot look on with patience to see men
that pretend to share our purposes, hopes and
interests, giving way to an irrational prejudice
and refusing with disdain the offered support
of the laboring class, and thus precipitating
their own overthrow and ruin, and perilling
our hard. gained ascendency.
TIME WILL BRING ALL RIGHT.
But public sentiment is ripening for COM
plete recognition of the equal political rights
of all citizens. We trust and believe so. But
it seems to us one of the acts of justice that
it is perilous to postpone. Late, too late,
JEFF. Davis appealed to the hated and peeled
negro to fight for his crazy Confederacy. The
negro was already spoken for. A hundred
thousand were already in the Union armies
and half million had welcomed as the com
! ing of the Messiah the victorious Sherman
marching through the heart of Slavedom.
The very party, who now disdains the col
ored vote, may next year beg for it in agony,
when an implacable opposition of sullen aris-
tocrats swarms into their now thin legisla-
lures and push them from their seats. If the
negroes do not gebjustice from hearts aching
under the Divine infection of the Judgment OF
war. they will not get it after peace shall have
healed the wounds, and avarice and love of
power have had time to consider how they
may yet make them their instruments. If this
question of equal political rights is left to be
haf bo
country is too disturbed to adjust it now, it
will be cockatrice egg, which will breed a
serpent to assail and ravage the Constitu-
ton. 1t proved dangerous to leave in the
State a class Of men deprived of the rights OF
msn. 1t will be no less SO to leave in the
State class of citizens deprived of partici-
tion in the government.
MUST NOT PERIL THE CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT.
But if you require Louisiana and Tenne-
see to en(rGnchise all their citizens, gou
cannot haze their aid to confirm the
amendment of the Constitution Gbolishing
staoery. Let the slaves vote, and they will
be sure to vote slavery out of the Constitu-
ton, and out of the thought and memory of
man. Ii they do not do it this year, they
will do it next year, or ten years hence;
meantime there will be no actual slavery
\ Undoubtedly it is desirable, perhaps it is le-
gally requisite, that the States affected by
slavery should participate in this national
act removing it,-that is, that the majority Of
those States should express their judgment
on the proposition. But if the amendment is
to be declared part of the Constitution,
without the sanction of the three-fourths
majority of all the States, and by legal con-
shuction, we do not see why that declaration
may not be based upon the assumption that
three quarters of the States not in REBELLION
may constitutionally ratify the amendment
as upon the assumption that one-tenth of the
constituency of a State NAV reDresent the