The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1865-07-17
Negroes, Dog-Days, and White slavery

negroes, DoS-DaysI ana Nn1te slavery.
So far as can be learned, the Fourth, with
but rare exceptions, was celebrated by, for,
or with reference to the African. 1t was his
freedom which was rejoiced over, aud not
that of the nation. 1t was not so much the
emancipation of the United States from colon
ial vassalage that awoke the enthusiasm of
the people on Tuesday; as it was the eman-
cipation of four millions of negroes. At the
national capital the only observance of the
day was by negroes and in most other pla-
ces the observance was on account of the ne
groes,
This is an afflicted nation. We agitated
the negro for score or more OF years, and
then fought over the negro for four years lon
ger, and almost solely for the negro we spent
two-thirds of our entire wealth as a people
and sacrificed half a million lives One
would think that after we had done this much
for the negro we are entitled to a respite
But there is none. To-day the negro is the
one thing in every mans mouth from the Gulf
to the 81. Lawrence. The entire press of the
country is wrangling over the negro; Boston
philanthpopists are holding secret meetings
and arranging plans with reference to the ne
gro and chief justice of the United States
supreme court has just concluded lengthen.
ed tour among the negroes.
1t is everywhere niger. At the south
masters are combining against the negro, and
provost marshals are employed exclusively in
issuing orders with reference to the negro
In the north the negro is in the pulpit, on the
street cars at the ireside. The New York
Tribune has three articles per diem in favor
of the negro, and one with reference to the
white man ditto the Imitators of the Tri
bune all over the country. The Tribune and
the Times talk of the African. and the World
and the Herald of the niger" and the
same is true of all the other men in the coun-
try. Orators are shouting about the negro,
politicians are canvassing the future with ref
erenoe te the negro; preachers are advocating
higher law for the benefit of the negro and,
in short, the whole counory-priests news.
papers; politicians, white, black, yellow
Fourth of July; Hail Columbia, and every.
thing else-are going it" exclusively on ac-
count of the negro.
0. wretched people that we are,-who will |
deliver from the foul body, not of death,
but Of worse than death-of this African p |
The African mandates us. Inky foods pour |
over the nation and threaten us with another
and worse than Noahic cataclysm. The |
black deluge plows through our streets, pours
along the national avenues, and encircles the
affairs of religion. The dog days are upon us,
aud so is the negro. The heat of the one and
The odor of the bther sti1e us. Sirius domin.
ties in the sky. and we pant for breath the
Afrite dominates on earth, and the country Is
lsphyxi with unclean odors In Chicago
every breeze from the eouth comes laden with 4
Bridgeport and the negro. Scanlon slough
md the African commingle and their effiuvia
alls upon the city like hot blanket of sti. /,
ling smells.
There Is chance in this country for phil. i
nthropy. There is good opening for aboli. h