Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1866-04-24
.n,. a life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it

tights 70 life liberty and the pursuit of happiness it
does not follow that all men, living under an estab
lshed government may rightly claim equal political
power or that all men are qualified to exercise such
power honestly and wisely.
The Declaration Of Independence was not designed
as an elaborate essay upon the general principles OF
government, or as a dissertation upon the pohtcai
rights Of the whole human race. In issuing TINS
document, the FATHERS intended to assert ana nSih-
tain The noltioal rights of the ichite people Of the
ooIopies. to make known to the world the many
grievances to which they had been subjected by the
Rr;.isb Government and to proclaim their indepen-
dence of and separation from the people of Great
Britain. The Declaration Of Independence emanci-
pated no slave and conferred no legal or political
rights upon any person of African descent. This
fact was universally recognized. All the colonies
held slaves, and slaves continued to be bought and
sold, as they had been for many years. The Boston
Gazette of July, TO published the Declaration of
Independence, and in the same paper stout,
healthy negro man. about twenty years old, was
advertised for sale. The Continental Journal (of
Boston, contained advertisements offering slaves for
sale in 178O-four years after the Declaration Of
Independence. ....s. ... ...t.
The Fathers had no taste for religious or pc tical
cant, and anaticism could find no rest in their we'll
balanced minds. They were practical statesmen,
too rational and too wise to be governed or misled
by distractions. Justice was more admired and
loved by them than equality. They knew that JUS
tce is the great end and object of government and
they did not choose to endanger justice in the fran
tic pursuit of equality. They thought with Aristo
tie, that hired servants shonld not be allowed to
vote and that in every State the preponderance of
political power ought to be in the middle class of
society Instead Of comforting the right of suffrage
upon free negroes the Fathers denied the right of
suffrage not only to free negroes, but to thousands
of white men. In the early days Of the Republic
the right of suffrage was limited to freeholders in
eight States tout Of the original thirteen) an
some Others, no one could vote without the payment
of a county or State tax. You know, or ought to
know that by the Constitution of your State of
Massachusetts,, adopted in 1850, the right of suffrage
was limited to persons holding .freeholds Of the
annual income Of three pounds, or an estate Of
sirty pounds, No one could serve in the House of
Delegates unless he had freehold estate worth one
hundred pounds, and no one could serve as men,
Der of the Senate unless he had a freehold worth
three hundred pounds. The same men who thus
regulated your right of suffrage adopted bill
Of Rights, proclaiming to the world "that all men
are born free and equal" In 1885, Massachusetts
passed law prohibiting the ntermarrage of white
persons and negroes under penalty of fifty pounds,
and shortly after in the Federal Convention, Massa-
chusetts voted to deny to the Federal Government
all right to prohibit the foreign slave trade before
the year lSO8 This vote proves that Massachusetts,
was willing that slaves should be imported into this
country, and sold as "chattels," after her solemn
declaration that all men born free and equal."
In the year 1875, the Duke de Rochefoucault Liam
court travelled in the United States. He states that
nearly ticenty pessels from the Northern States
are employed in the importation Of negroes to Geor
Ria and the West Indies. Northern merchants con-
duct this traffic, which they resolred to perSe-
we're in until 1S08-the period fixed for its final ter
mination." Thisremark furnishes the key to the con
duct of YOUR State in the Federal Convention Of
1884, BOLD
On the 18th of March, 1866, during discussion
in the British House of Lords upon the subject of
Jamaica and its free negroes, Earl Grey said: He
had paid particular attention to the negro problem
for thirty years and had devoted special attention
to Jamaica. From all the evidence have been able
to collect, hare come to the conclusion that for
many years to come the negroes WiH be unfit to erer-
else political polUer." This remark had reference
to negroes who, you know, have long been free
Your neighboring State of Connecticut contains
about nine thousand free negroes, who have long
been Free and who have probably received some
do NOT thn oh
of suffrage but when did you ever shed tear be-
cause of their exclusion from the polls, or make any
speech urging the people of Connecticut to confer
the right of suffrage upon your colored friends in
that State? ..
There are four millions of free negroes In the
Southern States and in South Carolina and Mssis-
sipp the black population exceeds the number OF
white inhabitants. These negroes were emanci-
pated one year ago. They are entirely unacquanted
with political concerns and are not only ignorant
and poor but immoral and improvident. Such are
the people upon whom you are intensely anxious
that the right of suffrage should be conferred by the
action of the Federal Government and in direct op
position to the sentiments and wishes of the white
population of the Southern States. Is this the
most conclusive proof of craftsmanship which your
intellect can afford? From time to time you have
spoken of the negroes at the South brualzed and
stupefed by slavery. Thus thinking with what de.
cency and propriety can you now desire to
confer upon them a political right requir-
ing intelligence and integrity for its proper
exercise? The Constitution gives to Congress no
right whatever to regulate the right of suffrage in
the States or to exclude the Representatives of any
of the States from their seats in Congress- and if the
Fathers could revisit this world, they would over
whelm you and your associates with their scorn and
The Fathers would tell you in voice
of thunder, that the Constitution was not made for
the purpose of emancipating slaves and comforting
political rights upon free negroes but that the free
luhie people Of the United States ordained the Con-
sttution ain order to form a more perfect Union,
establish justice insure domestic tranquility, pro-
vide for the common defence, promote the general
welfare and secure the blessin gs Of liberty to OUR
SELVES AND OUR PosTERITY." II. R.