Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1866-02-22
Thoughts worth Considering.

in our opinion, order and peace could
not be maintained at the South on
either of the two extreme plans pro-
posed; either by passing the political
power in the rebel States back into
the hands of the whites, or by secur-
ing the right of suffrage to the col
ored population. We will now no
tice these two propositions.
And to the first The whites
South cannot be trusted with the
government of the blacks. Their old
habits of thought, and their preju-
dices, will not permit them to do it.
How strong these prejudices are
may be seen by the recent repeal of
our own black laws in Ohio; and we
cannot suppose the people of the
South to revolutionize all their con-
victions and habits in day. Defeat
in the battle field works no sudden
change of opinion. This change
must, like all wholesome changes.
be gradual, and the result of new
ideas and experiences. That these
whites cannot be trusted is apparent
from the action of their people; a
black code, or code to make the nfgro
work. is the all pervading idea In the
Southern mind. They cannot yet
rise to the sublime idea that labor is
a,duty, and free labor so regards it;
and hence that it must be left to the
free action of the laborer himself
The colored mai will soon learn the
sublime moral worth of labor, as well
as its physical necessity; that it is
labor or starvation. The colored
man feels he is free, and the white
man ought to recollect this fact, that
the colored man will demand his
rights, and if they are denied him,
civil war must be the fearful result |
To leave the negro in the power OF
the whites, then, is to allow a state
of things TO exist, which must inevi
tably terminate in civil war.
Nor IS the granting of the right of
suffrage to the Ilack man, a protec- |
ton against this same result. To
bestow on both classes the right of
suffrage is only to open the conflict
at the ballot box at once. No one
can doubt that the whites and blacks
would at once divide into parties,
arrayed the one against the other.
Where the negroes were in the ma
jority, the political power would pass
into their hands, and then justice
would not be done to the whites.
The celored man has his opinions
and prejudices as well as the white
man; and he could on account of
these no more do justice to the white
man than the white man could to
him. The colored man is no worse
nor better than the white man; he
will act upon the the same opinions
in the same way. In Hayti there
has always been a chronic state of
revolution, growing out of conflict
between the mnlattoes and blacks
The reign of Solugue was the pre-
dominence of the ignorant blacks;
President Geffroid represents the
mixed races. Surely, if the pure J
black and mixed cannot act together
harmoniorsly, the blacks and whites
cannot.
In our opinion then, neither of ,
these plans are for the permanent
good OF either whites or blacks.
What the South wants above all ,
things, to enable it to recover itself ,
from the rayages of this war, brought
on 1t by its own wickedness and folly,
is an upri9M, firm and impartial goU
ernment, imposed upon from without,
q government which shall secure to
all parties its rights, and to the
country peace and quiet. We do not
believe the South Is in a condition
10 secure such a governmen; for ,
itself; if it has it, that government
must be organized under a law of
Congress, and the highest official
come from the loyal States. Men
can there be found, who will be i'm
partial-wll alike protect the white
and the colored man-and teach
them the all important truth that
they haveyet to learn, to act together
IN harmony, because the true inter-
ests of the one are equally those of
the,other. Such firm, honest and
government would allow
the best elehents in the South to
take the lead in this social reform.
and thus prepare the population for
that state of feeling and thought,
which will lead them to act harmnl