The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1867-08-30
Che Campaign.
Negro Suffrage Viewed by a Col
OrCd Man. 1Hau
[Frcm the Dayton Journal.1

| ltrom the Dayton journal
This question finds its opposition in a
source rejecting no moral llght'or political
wisdom Its solution upon the basis of sim
pie justice aud common right is not ut.
tempted by those who compose the oppo-
sitiop,, 1t has always been discussed ont.
side of tliese in ridioule, derisiou, perver-
sion, and low, vulgar appeals. II has been
called "niggor equality )" mis- cegenation,
and those suspected OF sympathy with it are
styled abolition fanatics" woody heads, 4"
&c And strange to say, this species of de.
famaton was begun by those whose sym.
pathies and association were such that
such revilings apI li,d with tel -'old more
folcA to themselves than any one else. The
! Injustice, unfairnesr, aud tho unmlnliness
ot-the opposition we shall show as we de.
velop the question. a.al
One charge against MS is ignorance. We
presume that many who make this charge
| feel sell condemned at the time. We know
| it is made 10y numbers without respect {
! their own personal intelligence, and tn
| party that says most of our lack of kuowl
e lge owes its success TO just that kind of
vo;iug. ..,y.s-i '1 aaewofIG
There are over sixty thousand white
pei sohs in this State above twenty years of
age who can neither read nor write, and in
some of the States only one out of seven
can read aud write. Now, what is to he
done with these ignorant persons Do
ours opponents demand that the elective
franchise shall be held from all alike till
the proper standard of intelligence is
reached Not at all. They demand of MS
what they demand Of no one else; and yet
say it is not because we are black"
This modifying clause proceeds from the
oa thot i
on principle aud not on prejudice. To this
we agree, and only ask that the proof shall
consist in facts aud not in words.
Nowaf the Governmentrequired GER
tain standard of intelligence of all alike to
exercise its privileges, we could not com.
plain, but to make requirements of us Pc
culiar to no one else, is very just cause
OF complaint. Besides, the privilege to eX
ercise important rights is generally con
sidered sufficient stimulus to develop an
understanding of the workings of those
rights. Our Government is based upon
this idea. 1t is not thought by Legislators
generally that Withholding the exercile of
rights teirds to better understanding of
them. Free government, free schools aud
chufchesi are the help by whicli men rise,
and no movement in this country, Know
Nothing or otherwise, has ever Succeeded,
which contFadcted this truth. .ilEI ~
Again, we ask, is not ignorance much
more dangerous when it knows itself to
be the vic tim Of, unjust legislation, than
when il is regarded With the spirit Of lib.
eral justieeG Is not prescribed class al
ways dangerous class Does not q re
strielion of privileges always iostera spirit
of sedition, foreign alliance, hatred, re.
venge 2 The worlds history proves how |
much and how terribly human government
has suffered from just this kind of legisla
ton. - ...t .... --
Again, intelligence, of itself is a poor
qualification for voting anyhow. Intelli
gence has never yet served to free this |
country from their countless demagogues.
VITA all their mastery intelligence, we do |
not see that such men as TooRlbs, Mason ,Sli |
dell aud the whole host of rebel leaders and |
rebel sympathizers, have ever voted so
wisely or so we'll Jefferson Davis intelli-
gence only prepared him to be a high
handed traitor, aud who boasts of bis Wise
Voting, and thousands of others equally in.
teiligent who vote his sentiments exactly. |,
This Government ought not to say much
against ignorance, considering how near il
has been ruined by its royal educated blood
Look at the men who aided in the conn-
sells OF treason, aud the educated Generals
Wno uiu, tledsOll most HuplOuS Work, anu
then boast of what intelligence has done
for the eountryl Something is wanting be.
sides that knowledge which will even
make man a lawyer, a statesman, or
president. That want is pure patriotism.
aud here is where we come in No. /. The
man who is thoroughly and unequivocaliy
will generally find out the side
upon which his country's interests are. II
wrong once. he will not be wrong twice, I
Black men are patriotic to the highest de. 5
gree. We have proved this in the face of
Encouragement in many a sharp conflict.
md many dreadfully contested battle field :
Who has walked two hundred miles with
bleeding feet, suffering privations, facing {
lunger, disease, danger and death 10 join
he Union army. but black men What
ace or class OF people in this country have :
us in heroic devotion and un.
patriotism to our country in the
lOur OF her perilf Shame. o shame, upon
he man, or set of men who would restrict /
Is and not others for ignorancr, when our (
'atriotlsun and devotion have been the es. !
ential means o. The Governments success,
nd when 10 day this same patriotism Il
PROMISES more for the future success Of tie n
country Ian any other one thing Many /,