The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-12-20
The Negro Suffrage Question.
From the Lacon lIil.l Intelhgencer, democratic

From the Lacon tIil.l Intelhgencer, (demooratic)
Nov. %.
1t has ever been a cardinal principle of the
democratic creed that the majority shan rule
The doctrine of Douglas was that the majority of
the people in every state or territory shall make
their own laws and decide for themselves what
shall be the character of their domestic institu-
tfous. Understanding that the Chicago Times
meant in its advocacy of negro suffrage simply
to recommend it as measure of wise policy to
be adopted by the south, we expressed our hear
ty assent to that idea. The verdict of the peo-
pie at the recent election was so overwhelming
in favor of negro suffrage, that it would be the
greatest folly any people were ever guilty of to
attempt any longer to resist it. We are as much
opposed ever to forcing an obnoxious measure
upon an unwilling people. We believe the south
should be left perfectly free to accept or reject
negro suffrage; than in this republican country,
every state, county and village should regulate
their municipal affairs in their own way, sub
iect only to the constitution of the United
States but it is manifest from the recent over
whelmng maiorities all over the north, that only
by abolishng all distinctions of race or color in
comforting the elective franchise upon its cti-
zens, can the south return to the enjoyment of
that equality of rights and privileges which was
| msdly thrown away by making war against the
United States. Why should they, why should
the democracy of the north, why should any por-
expression of the popular will so emphatically, so
overwhelmingly made?
What is there in negro suffrage SO terrible
| that democrats need be afraid of it? Demo
cratic legislation gave it to New Hampshire,
| Massachusetts,, and New York and have
never discovered that either of those states were
particularly demoralized by it. The negroes are
as orderly and we'll behaved in those states as IL
| any other part of the country They are
| as free from crime, as little addicted to amalga
! nation as in any of those states where Negro
suffrage is prohibited, Then assuredly it has
not had very damaging effect upon the negro
| 1t has rather improved their condition-physical
| ly, morally and socially.
Has negro suffrage proved detrimental to the
whites? Look at the white population of New
| Hampshire, Massachusetts,. Vermont, Rhode Is
land and New York. Do they look as if they
| had been very much corrupted, very seriously
| demoralized, by allowing few negroes to vote
| Do they lack any of those hardy qualities OF
| mind and body which distinguish the Angle
| Saxon race above every other race? Lack they
in any respect the energy, the high intellectual
| and social qualities for which the majority o.
their countrymen were remarkable Or view
ing the matter from another standpoint did
| Martin Van Buren, make a worse president be-
cause Sambo and Cuffee helped to swell his large
majority in the empire state +? Or did the ne
| gro votes which Franklin Pierce received il
New Hampshire operate injuriously upon hi
administration of the affairs Of the government
| The old democratic doctrine, as taught by
Jefferson and Jackson, and all the earlier Iight
| OF democracy, was that equal and exact justice
| shall be administered to all; and when democrats
80 far reject this cornerstone of their creed al
| to limit it in its application to the people Of
| particular class or color, they array agains
themselves the humanitarian instincts 0: the age
| They do violence to that deep, seated conviction
| written upon every human heart, of the right o
| every man, wherever born, or whatever his color
to sn equality of privileges with every Other
| man. They act at variance with the doc
| trine, as ole as the American government, tina
taxation and representation should go hand II
| hand.
| We believe the leading statesmen of the soutl
will see, as Judge Reagan, of Texas, has alread,
done, that the true interests of the south, and o
the whole country, will be best promoted b.
yielding to the overwhelming verdict in favor o
negro suffrage, as pronoun ced at the recent cleo
| tions.