Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-01-25
Citizenship and Suffrage Boon or Bane {!

ARISTOTLE, in his politics, maintains that the
stability and success of Democratic Govern
mcnt depend greatly upon the prepondcraucc
of the "middlc class" of society. lie also
maintains that hired servants" ought not to
be regarded as citizens of the Commonwealth,
or be allowed to exercise the right of suffrage.
Senator SUMNER thinks these doctrines very
erroneous, and ne Is anxious that all the freed
men of the South should be allowed to vote-
The recently emancpated negroes are ignorant,
indoleut and improvident. They have every
iaduccmcnt to work, but are unwilling to work
ior fair wages Their lazinesS demonstrates
their inadequate appreciation Of liberty. Con
Ter upon these people the right of suffrage, and
Won unavoidably Increase their hzincSs, pow
c..y and suffering. In Virginia, and probably
in most of the Southern States, nearly all OIL
ccs are filled by popular vote. Every four
years President of the United States is to be
elected, and every two years members OF Con-
.reSS ar, chosen. Then the elections of State
Governors, members of the Legislature, Judges,
Magistrates Attorneys for the Commonwealth,
Clerks, ShcriIs, Commissioners OF the Revenue,
*. are occurring from time to time. Unless
the freedmen exercise their right of suffrage
aud attend these elections, why give them the
right of suffrage 1t the freedmen should feel
themselves bound to attend these several eec-
tionS and east their votes, they inevitably lose
much valuable time, As in the country the
places OF voting are not always very convenient.
As very few OF the freedmen can read, they
would think it necessary to attend political
meetings hear speeches, and try in that way to
qualify themselves for the proper exercise OF
the right OF suffrage. In attending these po-
li,ical assemblies at the different Court Houses
and other public places, the freed negroes
would be tempted to indulge too freely in
liquor.
These are only part Of the evils incident
TO comforting the right of suffrage upon the
freed negroes. Would not the right Of suffrage,
in their present state of ignorance and poverty,
prove to be one OF the greatest curses ever in
dicted upon them' Their time is their money.
Unless they labor faithfully and regularly, they
must perish. They have no land houses or
money. and are entirely dependent upon their
d,ily labor for their daily bread. Every honest
and sensible white man of the South, CONVEX
,,ut with the condition of this class Of our popu-
Is,ion. will acknowledge the truth OF this state
mcnt. Some freed negroes have their aged
parents to provide for, and others their wive'
and children. The labor of the healthy por
tioo oil this population is the only resource toi
obtaining food and clothing for the whole
Give the right of suffrage TO the men, and en-
courage them to attend political assemblies
ana 'hen to 90 to the elections, and agricultural
production Is materially impaired by the alb
s suAcuou OF labor; industry is diminished
q wages are reduced; drunkenness and thief
r augmented and decentralization in its variou
l. forms increases with great rapditv Exneri
10 cnce has long since shown that freo,,,,,, ,,e,
q tionS tend to demoralize white mon aud 49,.
T. are, therefore, authorized to conclude ,,,t -.
s. same effect would be produced to a greatsr ox
r tent by allowing the right of suffrage 10 N
= freed negroes.
80 Any form Of government may be converte
o into a despotism by pushing its peculiar prir
y ciples to an extreme. The sovereign peopl
o can err as well as any individual sovereign
e One OF the greatest dangers incident to the de
e mocratic system of government is the uncol
e trolled and uncomfortable power of the mi