The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1867-07-18

least. that they greatly surprised the
best friends of the experiment.
SUPPOSE we coftede that they did
not equal OUR white volunteers, who
are generally admitted to have been
the very best sdldiers the world has
produced, afe they entitled to no
credit in view Of the difference of
their circumstances ? They did tie
best they could; they certainly did
nobly. They stood side by side,
and shoulder to shoulder with our
white heroes, and poured out their,
life blood as bravely and freely as
they, wherever opportunity offered,
on hundreds of sanguinary fields, to
save our country and flag. 'car l'7 j.
And though what these negroes
did for us in the field as soldiers
was much. it was but part of their
service for our cause. q
Throughout all the land of the
rebellion, it was far more rare to find
a disloyal negro, than to find an ac-
lively loyal white man.
Our soldiers early learned that a
black skin was an unmistakable
badge of loyalty whenever and
wherever found, so much so that
they could rely implicitly upon its
owner to assist them, even to the
last drop Of their life's blood, for
the asking.
| Whenever one of our soldiers
who had been captured and turned
into one Of those Southern bone
yards to starve, succeeded in MAX
ing his escape. he could always rely
upon the, negro, wherever found, to
give him his last blanket or corn
cake, and to be his pillar of cloud
by day and Of fire by night, while
fleeing to the Northern Bethlehem of
safety from the hell hound Pilates of
the South who sought his blood.
And for all of this service, all of
this practical loyalty, what compen
sation have they received? Is it
answered that they have received
their liberty? Liberty was their
right before, so that in giving it to
them we only restored what we had
stolen, and this, too, only after ace
no longer hal the poacer to keey it,
And this is all.
And what do they now ask
Nothing but the simple political
right Of protecting themselves fiom
wrong through the ballot-a right
that is guaranteed to every citizen,
by the genius Of our government,
and especially SO to every accepted
/ defender Of the Republic.
In ancient and semi barbarous
Rome, it was considered that the de-
fense of the country in time of dan
ger was SO honorable an act, that
the State was conclusively estoppe6
thereafter from denying any privi-
lege of citizenship to such defender,
Are We less magnanimous ? Have
we become so degenerate and mean,
that we can, without shame, thus ac-
cept the generous services of class
of men to save our national life and
honor, and then cruelty tell them
they arc not good enough to be al
lowed to protect their own lives and
property through the ballot-box
Can we say to. them, you are good
enough to stand shoulder to shoul
der with the best men of our land in
the day Of battle, and to mingle your
life's blood freely with theirs on a
Thousand sanguinary fields, in de-
Tense Of our flag and honor, but now
after you have saved the nation, you
are not good enough to go with
those same men to the polls to pro-
tect yourselves from wrong! Get
out, you dogs, we are safe now
when we are in danger again, we
will call upon you.
God forbid that my countrymer
should be guilty of such infamous
unreasonable ingratitude.
1t is a truth which ages have con
firmed, that righteousness exaltetIi
nation, while injustice is re
proach to any people" In our flu
ture actions toward the negro, let us
beware of this truth, as we have not
in our past. JUSTICE