Journal of freedom. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1865-186?, 1865-10-07

whoever MAY be offended IN consequence.
Believing that the now currently agl-
fated affair of Free Suffrage will, accor-
dino+to the light In which it shall be re-
Oarded. UNNECESSARILY affect not only the
present. but the everlasting interests OF
the commonwealth, / am constrained as
a rational being both to form and express
an opinion ~thereupon. At the same time
thank heaven y / am well aware that
the formation and expression OF opinions
m such topics In order to be effective OF
good-nay absolutely ~innoxious, require
q careful and prayerful investigation Of
the ground ON which they are based. !
do not ropos at this late period to enter
into q heightened argument on what has
been already so closely examined, so
elaborately and ably discussed-ieaVlng
clear enoughin my mind the lnherenC
right of Universal Suffrage lncontroverti-
bly, established. But it may be as well
to notice, the opposition no doubt Will
insist that by clothing the colcred man
with this distinguished privilege, he Will
inevitably be tempted through revenge
10 retaliate upon them who have SO long
held him in bondage. Now it is very true
that there is no discovered policy, nor
will there ever be, by which offenders
may altogether screen themselves from
the natural and swiftly following effects
of their own misdeeds. Who that opens
his eyes upon things around him does
not perceive the conspicuous truthtulness
of the declaration
~ hassoever a man soweth that shall he a!s1 rear"
However, is the late man-seller, alas
manstealer, so blinded by his master, the
devil, as to dream that his condition will
be improved by a known persistence IN
wrong? No-whatever punishment q
righteous Providence may see fit to lnflct
upon him for the guilt-stained past, the
sooner the ballot is placed In the hands
of his former slaves, the ooner will his
country and his posterity be dragged
from the revolving degradation to which,
through his suicidal agency, they have
been reduced by oppression.
Again. it is apprehended if the Freed
man be allowed to vote he will therefrom
become ambitious Of social equality. II
by the objection is meant that by having
his rights untTammeled, he will natural
ly take, agreeably to the divine regula-
ton and intention, that position to which
his merits shall justly entitle him-what
more desirable result as far as all parties
are concerned could be asked than this !?
Yet, it is further feared, the granting
of the voting power and lis adjuncts
might lead him even To -eotert"in Gne
wish Of d~mntgana0tGng with the whites
Well, such irregular intern1ixture had
sometimes occurred, and / presume if
there was anything degrading therein it
affected one side as much al the other.
Though doubtless for manifold reasons,
the greatest good of both races would be
subserved by avoiding an alliance of this
kind, still there is no more necessary con-
nection between voting as Freemen and
falling in love, than there is between not
voting as slaves, and being overcome by
the tender passion. There is one guar
antee on this point which from some OBJ
servstion in the Northern as we'll as in
the Southern States, | would not hesitate
to make, viz. that no tr~ue-hearted, loyal
colored person will ever consent to force
a marriage with a white rebel but on
the other hand, from what. has already
taken place, | am very much afraid some
stringent enactment will be required to
prevent vlotemt amalgamation on the
part OF the whites with the colored.
Not to consume your time with trihes--
| do most cordially hope that the Dele
gates to the approaching convention of
the colored people in Raleigh will have
plainly and deeply impressed upon their
minds, the solemn duties intrusted to
them, notwithstanding the unfavorable
predictions and other peculiarly adverse
circumstances with which, as a delibera-
tive body, they will be environed, Let
them remember albeit, that success in
the midst of such difficulties will be
crowned with ten-fold glory, and be re-
plete with lnnumerable and incalcnlahIp |
benehts-yes, blessings throughout all
succeeding ages. You will o annear
as you are p~eradventure aware before a
class OF men whose sympathies are not
with you of whom you may indeed saw.
owe have piped unto you, and We have
not danced, we have mourned unto you
and ye have not wept." You are about
to cor front in their representatives inhu-
man feelings-deeply rooted, highly
dangerous, ENTHUSIASTICALLY erroneous
sentlndents-body and soul corrnptipo
dogmas-s acknowledging, Satanic code
-ay, an u~nspeakably sbomiLable, in
tensely nauseation ofcreed of "damnabIe
heresiel l''-errors from which your race
q suffered untold calamities-errors by
which tais our once beautifully flourish
ing and magnificently peerless country
has been doomed to bleed almost to the
verge of exhaustion-and even now
quakes through late commissions. from