Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-09-06
THE WILMINGTON JOURNAL
WILMINGTON. N. c.,
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1867.
Eligibility of Negroes.

It seems that one of the chief annoyan-
ces to which the leaders of the Radicals
are to be subjected is in carrying the
Southern States by means of the negro
vote in the interests of their party, and at
the same time repress the ambition of as
piring colored politicians. So far as they
are individually concerned they care very
little who aspires to Office, so that it in
terferes not with their own plans; but they
fear that the masses of the Northern people
are not yet prepared for this very radical
change. In the face of positive evidence
to the contrary, their orators in some of
the States emphatically deny that there are
any indications that the colored people Of
the South were DESTROYS of coming in COM
petition with the whites for civil Office,
when even the Generals who have been
placed ever these States, either from de-
sire to promote the negro, or in respect to
their demands, have given to that race
fair proportion of the appointments to civil
stations in the Third and Fifth Districts at
least.
AS yet there has been no election in any
of the unreconstructed States since the
passage of the acts now in force !; but for
the pending election for members OF the
Convention in North Carolina, the most
important body which ever assembled IN
our State, if, indeed, its legislation Is to
be engrafted upon the Constitution for
years to come, there has been IN no county
a nomination or recommendation, so lar as
we have yet heard, which did not embrace
the name of a negro aspirant Even IN
Wake, famous for the general intelligence
of its citizens, and the very high character
of its professional men, we notice the
names of three persons suggested by several
meetings and gatherings, the most intelli-
gent and probably the most worthy OF
whom is negro.
It may be well enough for politicians,
away from the scenes where the Congress
sional plan of reconstruction is being ma
tured and carried out, talking to people
ignorant of the real condition of affairs, to
practice upon their intelligence by such
improbable and unnatural assertions as to
the disposition of the blacks to their po-
htical or even social equality through the
ballot-box. The very laws which make
them eligible to Office work the disfran-
chisement of very large proportion of the
worth and intelligence of the country. The
law dishonors talent, capacity and expert
enee, and exalts ignorance, incapacity and
inexperience, and in comforting political
rights upon the blacks degrades the best
portion of the whites into political eunuchs.
The negroes could not be expected to CON
tinue to honor those whom the law, which
confers power upon them, dishonors, nor
can they, in many places being in ma
iority, in all holding balance of power,
be expected to yield their claims to the
small remnant of eligible native whites or
unknown Adventures, when they are fire.
uuently superior in capacity and character.
In most cases to ask them to submit their
claims to whites would be no concession to
superior virtue or intelligence. If, there
fore, there be any error in their natural,
and under the circumstances, very proper,
aspirations, it lies not at the doors of the
colored people, but the fault is in the law
itself.
General S1CKLEs, who can hardly be re-
earded as special champion of Southern
whites, in his letter to Senator TRUMBULL,
gives the true reasons for this growing in
clination of the negroes to enter political
life and furnishes the solution of the ap-
preaching difficulties of the Radical party.
In their determination to secure the South,
however, they seem willing to risk their
success at the North. It will be hard for
them, by the same legislation to satisfy the
white laborer of one section and the black
laborer of the other. Protecting the
one by levying an onerous tax upon the
other, and compromising the latter by
comforting political rights, will furnish
Temporary relief from their conflicting in
terests, but this delay will only intensity
the feelings of both when the reaction sets
in. The political power which the one pos
sesses will be used to protect their race
and government from the growing en-
croachments of the blacks while the fran
chise about to be conferred upon the other
will be exercised so as to prevent future
determinations against them in providing
revenue for the government, and will pos
sibly attempt to reduce the taxes to be le-
We'd still more by reputation of the pub
lie debt. In any event, men, as individuals
or organized into parties, are most alive to
their own interests, and it will be impossi
BILE long to deceive them by specious legis
lation. Probably this desire of the negro
to reap the full benefit ofhisnewly acquired
rights and powers may be the means OF
opening the eyes of both parties as to the
variance between the professions and prac
tee of the Radicals.
The Future of the Government.
For two years the Radical party hat
bean endeavorino To reconstruct the conn