Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-02-09
Repiy OF coiored Delegation TO the
President.

WASHINGTON, Feb. S.-The following
is the published reply of the colored
delegation to President J ohnsou, pre-
pared after they had an interview with
him;nE 81 4hasnack eSs
Mr.. President In consideration of 2
delicate sense Of proprietys as well. as
YOUR intimation of indisposition to listen
to or discuss a reply to the views you
were pleased to express TO ms in your
elaborate speech to- day, the undersigned
would respectfully take this method OF
replying thereto, believing as we do thas
the views and opinions expressed IN that
address are entirely unsound and preJa-
dicial to the. .highest interests, OF our
race as well as of onr country, We
cannot do otherwise than expose the
same, and as far as may be IN our pow
er to arrest their dangerous influence:
1t is not necessary at this time to call
attention to more than two or three fea-
lures of your remarkable address. Tie
f;rst point to which we feel bound to
teke exceptions, is.uy yenr@ attempt to
found q policy opposed to our
enfrauchisenent uron the alleged ground
of an existing hostility on the pan OF the
former slaves TO the poor white people OF
the South. We admit the existence Of
this hostility, and hold that il 10 entirely
reciprocal. But you obviously commit
an error by drawing an argument from
an incident from state OF slavery ana
making it the basis for Q policy adopted
to state offreedom. Hostility between
the whites and blacks of the &eouth is
easilV explained. 1t has its roots and
sap in the relationsof slavery, and was
melted on both sides by the cunning of
the slave .masle ers. Those masters se-
cured their ascendencY over both the
poor whites and blacks BY putting en-
nifty between them. They divided both
to conquer each. There was no earthly
reason why. the blacks should not hate
and dread the poor whites, when in q
state Of slavery, for il was from this class
their masters received their slave
catchers, slave drivers and overseers,
They were the men called on upon
all occasions by their masters, when
any t6endish outrage was to DO
com mitted upon the slave. Now, sir you
cannot but perceive that the cause of
this dread must be removed, also slavery
is abolished The cause and antago-
nism removed and you must see It's
illogical Putting new wine into old
bottles, mending old garments with new
cloth, and legislating frons tlave-holding
and slave-driyipg positions for people
whom you have repeatedly dec ared a
purpose to maintain in freedom; besides
| III il even were true, as you alleges, the
hostility Of the black towards the poor
whites must necessarily be the same in
state Of freedom AZ IN Q state OF sla-
very. In the name of heaven, we rev.
erentialIy ask yons can you in your pro-
posed desire to promote the welfare of
the black man, deprive him of all means
| OF defense and. clothe him whom you
regard as his enemy with the paboply
| OF political poWer7 Can it be you. would
recommend policy which would
arm the ~ strong and cast
down the defenceless 7 Can you,
by any possibility Of reasoning, regard
this as just, fair. or wise2 Experience
proves they are oltenest abused who can
| be abused with. the greatest impunity.
Mea ase whipped oftenest who are
whipped easiest Peace between races
is not TO be secured by the degradation
of one race and exaltation Of another,
BY giving power to one race and with
holding It from another, but by main
tanning state Of equal justice between
1 ell parties--tirst pure, and then, peace
able. On the Colonization theory you
were pleased to broach, very much could
be said. It tisimpossble to suppose-in
view Of the usefulness o. the black man
in time of peace, as q laborer in the
South, and in time Of war, as q soldier
az the North, and the growing respect
for his rights among the people, and his
increasing adaptation to higher state
| of civilization in his native land-there
can come time when lis can be
removed from this country without a
terrible shock to its prosperity and
peace; besides the worst enemy Of the
nation should not cast upon its fair namt
a greater infamy than to suppose tha
tho negroes could be tolerated among
them in state of Eaost degrading slave
ry, and must be cast away and driver
sxiles, for no other cause than having
been freed from their chains. y
Signed, ssree III
GEO. 7. DOWNING,
JOHN JONES,
q VIZ. WH1PPER,
FRRD. D0uGLAs,