The mountain Democrat., 1865-08-26
Negro SHRFaRe.

object Of the war Is accomplished in the
abolition Of slavery, and the main u not
the only living issue that remains to be
settled by the American people IL, whrth'
er or not the freedmen Of the South and
the negroes everywhere thrOughOut the
States Of the Union are to be placed up
on IN equality with the white rare. In
granting to them the right Of suffrage,
all parties in this county are extremely
anxious and desirOus Of knowing on which
side Of this very grave and important
Question the candidates Of what is fami
liaTiy called the Long Hair party. are
Are they G'r-or Sgsin~t Hrgso aUESsRe Z
II II . very plain and easily answered
question. and should most as>uredly be
answered and il is not, the voters Of the
county Of neither wing Of the Union par
~ ought to vote the ticket. The Short
Hairs and Democrats have taken and
published to the world their position on
this issue. Both have declared their ut.
ter opposition to negro suffrage. 1t is
believed that the Long Hair candidates
are for negro suffrage We know that
many members Of their party are for it..
Il is therefore very proper that there can
didstes should unmaSk themselves and
take hold and manly stand either fur or
agai"At nrgrO suffrage.
II il due tn theInSelveS,it it isdue To their
party, it is due tn the people. They Ger
taihly do not wish to deceive their own
party, who are Divided nn this question.
nor ought they tU cnncral their opinion
o" this Sutj"ct from the public and the
light of day. II they do. it is certain
that one wing Of the Union party will be
deceived. As>urrdly they do not want to
withhold their position from the pe"pl.
until after the election, in order to a>cer
tain which wing Of the party is the strong
er, and then take sides wilh the stranger.
They certainly do not desire tn place
th' mSrlves in . position to eleciioneeT
~ith all parties, first a<certaining the po-
>iii"n of any voter VIII" may approach
them On the Suhjrct. and then sgree with
him, thus plaring himself or themselves
in the condition Of the man during our
Revolutionary ~ar. who mt party "i
men travelling through the country, and
heing asked whether he was whig or
tory. Judging they were tories, answered
he vas tory. They being wings tn tied
him aud whipped him severely. Going
On his journey he snnn mrt another par
ty. They asked him the same question.
He. SuPpoSing they we're whig>. answer
ed he was a whiH. This party were to-
les. and they tied him and whipped him
well. G"ing on a little iarth,r he met n
third party. The same question, whiV
or tory. was put To him by this patty. lie
heAitated aud finally answered tn, ques-
tion bv putting the same question I"
them. b. ing drtermintd not to he again
whipped, and to agree With and declare
himself To be whiG or tory. whichever
they said they were. Now We kno~
that the prrt"xt fnr not dehni " their
position on thir question il, that it is not
an issue before tLe people at this time
II iE very Elrange that il is not mn issue
in this particular part, Of the United
States, Ahen it is mnde an issue hiouSh-
out all the Northern and Western States,
and even in the States late in rebellion. -
We say it is an i>su", a living issue, and
that 1t is the duty nf the said candidates
to come out boldly and JnckAon.like nv
sumo the responsibility Of decla ing what
ground they occupy and which side they
take. 1t is the right Of the people to
demand t'eir position. and their duty to
answer and define It publicly, in order
thnt every voter may caAt his ballot un.
dcr >tandingly and know which side he Is
voting inr. We would hcOrn to v"te for
any man or set Uf men who would not
avo~ openly on which side Of this issue
he stands.
The POSITION that it is no issue is mere
dotig", for the pnrp"Ae Of getting votes
from both the L ng Hair and Short Hair
"i"gs of the party. II We understood
Mr.. MrCallum, the Lung Hair candidate
for District Attorney, correctly at the rat
IficStion meeting held in this city, he de
clared in his speech that he was in favor
of giving the right Of suffrage to the ne
groeE in the late rcbelliOu> States in order
and for the purpose Of giving the Union
party in those States the sScendanry in
the elections. Nov, wa ark Mr. Metal
luln what Assurance he has that ths Un.
ion strength would be increased by per
mitting negroes To vote! On the con-
trsry. We TN mt sincerely believe that nine
out of ten Of the npg'ors of the S"uth
would more likely br under the Influence
Of their late masters and their famiirE. and
vote as they dictated. thereby increasing
the chances of the SUCCESS Of the diAlOyal.
lists Of the Snnth. But Euppnse 1t should
be otherwise. il there any justice or right
in bc>towing the elective franchise on the
ign 'rant neg'oeE Of the South, and With
holding it from the intelligent and lm al
negI OeS nf other States? Certainly not.
Give it to all nr none.
Come out. gentlemen. Show your