Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-03-30
rHE R1aHr OF suFrRAaE.

A few days since, we published extracts
from recent speech delivered in the
House of Representatives by Judge Kelly
of Pennsylvania. The argument of that
speech was that the loyal negroes of the
South, who are able to read the Constitu-
ton, and have shown their devotion to
their native land and the Government OF
the United States, should be entitled to
the right of suffrage. We would that a
copy of that speech could be placed in
the hand of every loyal citizen of the
Union. We confess to having commenced
its perusal, strongly prejudiced against the
position assumed by the speaker; and we
freely admit that at the close change had
been effected in our views; change that
will be effected in the sentiments of thou
sands of thinking men who read that
speech with care and attention. At the
close Of the speech in the House, a col
league of Judge Kelley's, Mr.. Stiles, pro-
pounded a question, and the following
brief colloquy occurred:
Mr.. Stiles-I desire further to ask my col
| league in this connection, because his speech
has tended toward universal equality, whether
he is in favor Of giving negroes universally
the right Of suffrage now.
Mr.. Kelley-I am in favor Of giving that
right, in the words Of Jefferson, to "every
man who fights or pays" stand by the
doctrine Of Thomas Jefferson, the father OF
the Democratic party, in which / was trained.
Mr.. Stiles-In the event Of the passage OF
the amendment Of the Constitution proposed,
is my colleague in favor Of equality between
the races And will he regard negroes rs
equal to the white man?
Mr.. Kelley-I could not possibly regulate
the equality of men. ! cannot make my
colleague so moral or intelligent as q man OF
darker complexion who is more moral and
more intelligent; nor could l degrade my
colleague to the level, in morals and intelli-
eence, of the colored man who is less moral
or less intelligent than he. Ny colleague
does not, according to his theory, vote BY
reason of his intelligence, but simply BY rea-
son of his color. / might be willing to ex.
clude from the privilege Of voting an immoral
or a voluntarily ignorant man but want no
senseless rule that allows fool or scoun-
drel to vote if he be white, and excludes a
wise and an honest man if he be black.
Mr.. Stiles-Mr. Speaker, the remarkable
speech Just delivered appeals to passion and
not to judgment, and is in favor Of priuci-
pie that in years hence will be regarded as
the height of the fanaticism Of these days.
The right of negroes to become voters, jurors,
and in all respects equal with the white man,
is the fayorite theory Of the times and Of the
party in power. The day will come when the
men who avow such principles will be con-
demned BY the popular voice everywhere.
The two gentlemen then and there rep
resented and spoke the sentiments of two
parties into which the American people
are now resolving themselves. The one,
Judge Kelley, represented the ideas which
are the growth of the revolution which
has taken place in national and political
affairs during the past four years Of war.
The other, Mr.. Stiles, is a fossiized rep
resensatiye of those ideas which constitut-
ed the stumbling block over which a
portion of the nation tripped. staggered
and plunged headlong into rebellion. The
first represents the progressive spirit and
sentiment which is the legitimate result OF
the fiery ordeals through which govern
ments and peoples occasionally pass; a
progress which may halt from time to time
but which never recedes the other repre-
sents pre-existing prejudices, baseless
theories, exploded systems, rapidly be-
coming obsolete and destined soon to be
lost in darkness with the history of the
medieval feudalisms in which they had
their origin. Mr.. Stiles mumbles the old
formula about negroes becoming in all
respects equal with the white man." with
the same solemnity and religious awe that
little boys (and big ones too for that mat
teri, mutter a Patsr Noster or an Ace
Maria, without the remotest idea of the
meaning of the words they utter. The
only difference is that the Latin prayers
hare meaning to those who understand
that language, while this WORKOUT cant
about negro equality has no sense and
never had. We confess to having been
reared in the fullest faith in the doctrine Of
which Mr.. Stiles is one of the relics but
our belief in hobgoblins and fairies was al
an earlier period of life fully as strong and
founded upon about the same amount Of
reason. We held to our creed of the
superiority of the white man," up to
within comparatively recent period but
that idea was based upon theory that
the white races were the superior in intel
lecs over the colored tribes. 1t was not
because a man had black skin that we
marked him as an inferior in the scale Of
humanity but because we were of the
impression that those races who were black
skinned were mentally the inferior of the
white man. The color We looked upon as
a mere adjunct of the general ilnbecility Of
the negro. We have so far changed our
belief as to believe that the color of the
skin is no criterion Of the heart that
beats beneath it, and that beneath the
kinkiest wool there may work as busy
and as bright brain as under the
straight yellow locks of the Saxon.
We said our "belief had changed"
That does not express the idea. We
k,.oso differently; aud it is unnecessary a;
this date to quote examples. The full
blooded negro, Rock, admitted the other
day as counsellor before the Supreme
Court of the United States, the forum Of
Webster's and his equals brightest glory,
is case directly in point, and fresh in the
memory of all. That the negro as race