Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-08-22
THE NAIL HIT ON THE HEAD.
Whv tha Nasro Should Not Vote.


ing large mass meeting Of Conserva-
tives in Buffalo, New York, on the 7th
inst, u stout individual, of nervous fem
permanent, who had been driven so dan
gerously near conviction under the pres
sure of Mr.. Doolittls's arguments, that
he felt it necessary to make some dem
onstration lest he should be converted
into Union man on the spot, against
his will, callel out, why should the
negroes Of the South not vote ~ Mr..
Doolittle caught the question up with
so quick, pertinent and eloquent an an
swer that the audience broke in at the
pauses of his address with shouts Of de-
| light and enthusiasm. He said:
The reason they should not vote, |
tell my friend their, is simply this: In
the Southern States there is mass OF
colored population, among which nine
tenths oftbe men have no sense of fam
lily and family ties Tremendous ap-
plause and the women have no sense
of virtue; and the man who would build
the foundations of human society upon
population like that, knows nothing OF
republicangovernment longapplause. ]
say that TO base suffrage on the negro
population of the South in their present
condition would make burlesque OF
republican institutions, daughter and
applausel and we ourselves wonld be the
laughing stock of the world Loud
cheers / can understand how In the
Northern States, where there are few
colored men brought up as freemen
among freemen, with the habits and
thoughts of freemen, with families like
freemen-I can understand how in some
Of the States such population may be
admitted TO suffrage. But in the States
of the South, situated as they are now,
with this population in its present con-
dition, there is no man in his senses, in
nv Judgment, who would get up 10 de-
fend negro suffrage there. Loud ap.
plause There is still another and more
potent reason Than the one have stated.
told il last fsll-Gen. Grant told me
and authorized me ~ stale II sGeu..
Sherman told me and authorized me to
state it : President Johnson told me and
authorized me to state it-that the at.
tempt to force negro suffrage upon, those
States now would inevitably lead to a
war of races That's So
"And let me tell my friend who sits
there and makes so much objection
Elaughler1 some facts Cries OF Put
him out Let him bel" He's
quiet npwl"1 We have lately had .
riot in New Orleans. interruption.
There was clique Of men in Washing
ton who began conspiracy that has
lately eliminated in New Orleans That
conspiracy was this: to undertake to
get up new revolutionary governments
in the Southern States, based on negro
suffrage. There was q convention in
Louisiana--a convention whose func-
tons had ceased two years ago, whose
president refused TO cali it together,
majority of whose members were unwil-
ling to sit-but this convention, urged
on by some revolutionists in the city of
New Orleans, sought to come together
and for what To pass new amendments
in the State Of Louisiana to give suffrage
to the negroes What was the cOnse-
quence? What Gen Grant told me is
true-that the attempt to place these two
races in large numbers side by side upon
an equality in u free government, will
of necessity, breed war OF races, lap
plause1 which will result in the end in
destroying the colored race. And there
is not to be found on this earth man
from whom the colored race should flee
as they should flee from that man who
undertakes, by force or otherwise, to
bring about negro suffrage upon the
States of the South at The present time
Loud continued cheering1 No, there
is not proposition that can be conceived
so cruel, so heariess, so unrelenting in
its consequences upon the negro race,
and it will, if undertaken, cover the
whole Southern country with blood
The individual here relieved himself
of his emotions-which emotions might
probably be more easily imagined than
described by an unintelligible growl.
This was responded to by cries, Put
him out But the audience generally
rather relished the ides of his asking
questions of Mr.. Doolittle, and hoped he
would try it again. Bnt he was, for the
time, too full for utterance