The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-04-27
The Negro Question I'm EnSiand-Les'
sOrs from the New World.


1t is not always that We can remark on
the troubles and difficulties of our neigh
bors without being even suspected OF self
graduation; but in the case now before us
we see the laboring ship, not from the
shore, but from craft in like evil plight.
Having Just had to accept from our chief
West Indian possession an almost total sur
render of the right of seli-government, and
being engaged at home i'll the business OF
constitutional reconstruction, we cannot
help sympathizng with all three branches
of the American Legislature, now brought
to dead lock by the "irreprcssible ne
gro." That parsonage has just been proved,
by wager of battle and by general accla-
nation, ga man and brother" his chains
have been broken, and he is slave no
more. He is even permitted to fight for
his country and for equal laws. But then
comes the difficulty. Is he also citizen,
and must he be admitted within the pale
of the Constitution, as we say at home I
The question has agitated parties consid-
erably in America, for ii is obvious that
very little has been done by changing the
slave into pariah, and that such is human
nature, if the negroes are allowed no
voice in making the laws, they will
be much at the mercy of their old masters.
As well be the slave of one man as of a
State-nay, better, some think, for the one
man must care for the slave at least as
much as he does for his cattle, whereas the
State NAV only regard him as public
enemy. There are zealots there who think
this vast expenditure of men and money
has been to little purpose If the negro is
still to be excluded from civil rights-in
fact, to be nothing but "a man and a
brother" The Civil Rights bill is the Re-
form bill of the day at Washington. The
President, representing the common sense
and practical wisdom of the community,
and not wishing to saddle himself with new
and insuperable difficulties, has, however,
vetoed this bill. The great work OF the
day is the reconstruction of the Union,
and il is held that this can be done better
without previously putting the negro into
a status altogether new TO him. His free
dom itself is difficulty enough, and il is not
necessary to add his civil equality and citi-
zenship.
1t is observable that the question is not
made to turn on the merits of the negro.
Nobody thinks it necessary to assert either
that he is wise, temperate, honest, and IN
dependent, or the contrary. People 40
not even seem to ask how the negro would
vote and act if left to himself. There can
be no doubt of President JohnsOn's warm
and strong feeling for the race, and his
hearty desire to make the best bargain for
il within the compass of circumstances.
Even his pride as politician is colnmltted
to this as well as his Gs.....Anthropy. The
reasons which ha..e led TO his veto are rea-
sons Of. State, which is only phrase for
the reasons which any sensible man feels
better than he can explain-better, per-
haps, than he can always venture TO avow.
There are matters of which thousand
people NAV be fully and equally cogni-
zant, though not one will allude to
them. for nc knows well that some one
will call him libeller, and the rest will
stand by 10 hear him SO called. Why
cannot the negro be declared citizen
and invested with all the rights of man |?
The real answer is that he is not citizen,
and cannot be made a citizen by procla-
nation or a law. We have unfortunately
had little experience Of our own In this
matter. We gave the Jamaica negro, in
common with his white master, civil equali-
ty and the right of self-government, and we
see how il has ended. All the Negroes in
,aincts and habits go in the other direction.
He is careless, crcdulous, and dependent !;
easily excited, easily frightened always
the ready victim of the stronger will. lie
is material for the hands OF anybody VINO
wishes TO make use Of him. Invested with
full political rights, the race must be q
magazine of mischief. In Jamaica, 1t ap-
. ears that the negroes would imbibe at
days notice any absurd delusions as to the
authority and wishes of the British Queen,
Of the commissioners, or anybody else
but what they were always looking for was
something 10 be given them, or something
70 b done fos them, or some law 70 make