The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1865-09-30
Practice i'm Questions and Ana
SWerS

wa Republican, seems to be anxious to get
into discussion with US, and, by wa of
drawing us out, propounds sundry questions,
as follows:
l. Is the FREE TRADER in favor Of negro
suffrage?
2. Is the Democratic party in favor OF
making the government. purely white mans
government?
| 3. Is the Democratic party IN favor OF al
| lowing the negroes of the stl'cs lately IN
rebellion to form basis OF representation
! for white men in congress?
| 4. And is the Democratic party in favor of
increasing the negro population of Illinois
for the purpose of increasing her congress
| siOnal representation
5. What does the resolution of Mr.. Nc
! Corrnick, adopted by the late Democratic
| county convention, mean?
Now that is quite formidable string OF
questions, There is provcrb that "a fool
| can ask questions which a wise man is puz-
zled to answer" How can we, then, who
| lay no claims to wisdom, be expected to an
swer questions propounded by one who we
hope is not fool? Nevertheless, we shall
try to do the best we can, in our way.
/. As to negro suffrage. Does the Rspnb-
Hcan mean in Illinois or Alabama? If the
| former, we have two remarks to make. /. 1t
was rule of the "Owl Club FOWL, the
emblem of wisdom-To of which we
were orce an 'umble member that no one
should ask a q ,estion he was not wiling
first to answer himself. We have as yet had
no declaration by brother Grover on that
| point = We want brother Grover to answer
| for his party, and not himself The opinion
of Mr.. G.. on that subject is not of the sight
est consequence. By the constitution OF Hi
nois negro suffrage is now prohibited. As
neither the Republican or Democratic party
has, to our knowledge. proposed to remove
that prohibition, and the question is there
fore really in no tangible shape before the
people, its discussion at present by brother
| Grover and ourselves would be as useless as
that of the great scoldng wife and smoking
| chimney question by the Coon Hollow Dis
trict School Debating Club.
| Or does brother Grover mean negro suf-
| frage in Alabama, Georgia, e.? If so, we
| say fatty, it being none Of our business. we
have no opinion on the subject. We claim
the right for Illinois, under the constitution,
to say who shall vote AZ orr elections; and
if any party or body Of men propose to
change that instrument so as to enable Mas
sachusetts or Alabama to dictate to Illinois
upon whom she shall confer the right of sut-
frage, We shall oppose it. Should Alabama
decide in favor of negro satfrage-well anl
good: if not, good again, tor all it concerns
us. The people of Alaba,n, know best what
the people of Alabama want. If it is true,
as the correspondent Of very loyal paper
before us states, that the negroes in some
parts of Alabama are so degraded that they
meet nightly in dark cavcrns or forests -
engage in obeea worship, or Vandalism. one
Of the most disgusting. As well as cruel super
stitions of heather Africa, with what sort Of
grace can we force, or even ask, Alabama TO
confer upon such a population the right of
suffrage? True in the late war, the negroes
were the frieu-s OF the north and were loyal.
So is my dog loyal. Is he, therefore, to
vote? Alabama should be allowed, ct least,
first to educate her negroes,
.. "White mans government" We re-
member no authoritative declaration By the
Democratic party on that subject, beyrad
frequent adoption Of res 1lutions agreeing TO
abide by the bred Scott decision, that the
negro is not a citizen. at least until it is r.
versed We give it as our impression, how
ever, that the current Of Democratic opinion
is in favor Of maintaining this as = vern-
ment in which the white man hall be dorni-
nant That does not necessarily involve the
exclusion of the negro from the exercise Of
political privileges in limited cases, bu. it
means that the white man shall keep the
upper hand.
3. :'Basis of representation We belive
neither the Democrats or Republicans, as a
party, have as vet defined their position on
that subject. Individually Though we at
tach no Importance to our own or Mr.Gro:ers
opinion on the subject,) we must say, if the
| negroes in Alabama are snch besouted
hea;hens as the ''loyal" respondent of the
Cincinnati Commercial represents them to be,
we should about as soon think of making
southern mules as southern negroes basis
| Of representation, or voters either.
| 4. The Democratic party If Illinois has
unquestionably voted on several occasions
against increasing the negro population Of
| Illinois, either to add 20 our basis Of repre-
sentation, or for any other purpose.
| ). The Mccormick resolution means Just
what it says-''that we (the Democrats of La
Sale county, are opposed to any action by
/ congress or the President, the object of which
is to compel the South 70 admit negroes, In
diaEs, Cinnamon or unna,uralized foreign
to the right CT suffrage. Now do you under
stand it?
And now. having, in Or politest and
blandest way. answered all Mr.. Grover
questions, viii be answer a few for MS :?
l. We observe the republicans in Iowa,
Minnesota, Maine, Massachusetts, and per-
haps two or three other states, pronounce de-
cidedly in fovor of negro suffrage IN the
South, and against President EJohnson's re-
construction policy; that the republicans OF
Wisconsin, Illinois, and Ohio ignore the
question that in New York and Pcnnsyl-
vania they endorse President johnson and
in Wisconsin party distinct from the rcpub,
licans, calling i.self the Free Suffrage
Party" is organized. To which OF all these
various divisions does Ma Grover belong?
@ As his rcconstrucionpolicy is really the