The daily mountaineer. (Dalles, Or.) 1861-1866, 1866-05-23
sUFFRAGE.

to vote because they fought for the Union
cause. This argument is fallacious. In the
first place the negroes did not fight primarily
for the Union cause; in the second, only
small portion of them took up arms for the
Union, while some rendered service against
it. What the negroes really fought for was
their own release from slavery. Not negro
lamation was issued the services, then, of
small portion of the negroes was called
into requisition, in order to secure the free
dom of the whole negro race. There never
sixty thousand negro troops in the service of
the United States. Are the four million of
negroes in the United States entitled TO the
privilege of voting because of the services
rendered by this small proportion of the en-
tire racer Then all the unnaturalized Ger
mans and Irish, who may land on our soil
during the next ten years should identified
to immediate suffrage, because large numbers
of them enlisted and fought in the Union
army, and their fighting did not aid in freeing
either Ireland or the German States from
their political bondage. Why should negroes
receive greater reward than the other races
who assisted in fighting our battles 2 Again,
of the one hundred and sixty thousand negro
troops in the service, only very few volun-
teered, although they knew they had chance
to gain their freedom by fighting. 1t is well
| known that at least nine-tenths of the negro
soldiers were conscripled-were impressed
into the service to fight for their own freedom
from slavery. Does this entitle the whole
race to the privilege of suffrage? Every
white soldier who fought--every white man
who worked or paid taxes after the issuance
of the Emancipation roclamation-fought,
worked, and paid taxes in part to secure the
freedom of the negroes. Have, then, the
whites done nothing for the negroes in return
for the trifng service the latter hiss rendered
them2 The negroes did not exhibit very
earnest desire to fight, even after they were
assured their fighting would aid in securing
the freedom of their race. In this, did they
tgive evidence of their capacity to aid in max
ing our laws--to assist in ruling the whites
who made great sacrifices in order to secure
? freedom to the negro2 In our estimation the
negroes have been we'll rewarded for the tri-
fling service they have rendered the nation.
!. The whites have given them their freedom
n have fed and clothed, and are now feeding,
}. clothing and educating thousands and thou
f sands of them, The negroes have, in very
short time, by very little personal risk or sac
~ rifice on. their part, been placed on an equa
: footing with the whites, before the law, in al
Q things except political privileges. We thinl
II the negro has been we'll done by by others, ant
u that his especial champions should now giv'
Il him chance to prove his capacity to do some
10 thingfor himself. Before we think serousl,
le of giving to the recently disenthralled negr,
~ the right to participate in making our laws
let us'see if he has sufficient capacity to per
form the most essential duties of life. Let u
see if he is capable Of providing for himsel
d and family, of educating them, Of supplyin
is them with the necessariss and the most ordin
or ary luxuries of civilizedlife, of refining thei
'n morals and improving theirintellects. Whe
u the negro shall have thoroughly demonstrate
10 his capacity to do all these things 1t will b
ne high time to talk seriously Of permitting hi
u to become co-ruler in the land. There ne,
'ei or has yet existed arace-whte or black-ci
ID pable of emerging at once from condition
ms abject ssrvitude and seizing and managir
lia the reins o: enlightened government. Cent
Dr. ries of slavery and ignorance do not ft mt