The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1867-05-17

be conferred upon them. IL is bestowing
no fulsome praise and viskiug no intelli.
gent contradiction to say as class they
are loyal, peaceahlo, unoilending and in.
dustrious as any race now admitted to the
ballot. BY their industry and tact for bust.
ness they have acquired no less than one
hundred and fifteen million dollars worth
OF property, ont Of which, without being at
all represented or having any voice in the
Government, they bear their regular and
full proportion of the burdens Of the State.
Our white ancestors revolted against Eng
lish misrule because il taxed them without
their voice or consent aud we applaud the
act as a glorious era in the worlds history.
And yet we commission our tax.gatherers
TO intlict upon sixty thousand guiltless citi,
zons of this State the same arbitrary oppres.
sion, resistance to which we glorify as
heroic patriotism and obedience to God
We condemn ourselves as tyrants toward
the colored race and yet against our tyranny
here ia lifted, not the hand Of violence, but
only the huuiWe voice of petition
We have placed ourselves in = still moro
unfortunate attitude While traitors organ
lied rebellion to destroy our liberties and
in our dire exigency, while Fate held n
doubtful balance, we called upon the col.
ored race to help Ms save them. One hun.
dred and eighty-six thousand responded to
that call, aud ont of that number sixty.eight
thousand lost life or limb in fighting our
battles. Out of eight thousand five hun
drd coored meu in Ohio of compent age to
vo'e about seV en- thousand, or nearly seven.
eighths, enlisted in the armies of tho Union.
Near the exploded mine at Petersburg the
writer has stood by the graves of scores of
them, where they fell, nobly fighting in aud
around the rebel trenches. Black patriots
who persisted for our cause hll humble
graves at Wagner, Honey Springs, Fort
Pillow Port Hudson, aud upon many an.
other bloody field,
BY holy chrsm aud hot baptism
or battles fiery food,
The chattcl" rose above his woes,
And wrote his right in blood.
And will tho white voters of Ohio now
lepudialo that writing as q nulity and
spurn that blood as an unholy thing
Would not such an act be adding meanness
TO injustice, ingratitude to wrongP Would
it not be branding patriotism with shame.
and loyalty as a thing to be despised? No
one ia fool enough to say that the negro
soldiers alone saved The country, nor is any
one very confident in tie boief that it could
have beeu saved without their aid. But
whether it could or not, we acted upon the
suppostion that their help was necessary
VIC asked for it and it was freely given.
Their loyalty and friendship came even
unsolicited. Among traitors, surrounded
by rebel armies, wrought upon by every
species of misrepresentation and deceit.
these poor, oppressed people, nevertheless,
could not be deceived in reference to tho
great purposes and objects of tho war
al Il 4
dation they had The glorious. the noble in
stinct of freedom which kept them faithful
TO the flag, while educated and intelligent
traitors on every hand betrayed it. They
knew, better even than somo unfortunate
Democrats in the North, where theriGht
was aud where their sympat ies ought to
be. They,kne on which side to fight, why
may they not know on which side to vote
They deserve, far more than some more
eminent aud less worthy upon whom it has
heen fulsomcly heaped the praise of having
been faithful among the fathless." When-
ever Union soldier saw white man in
the South he dsccrned his patriotism or
dIsloyalty by the color of his dress, but
whenever he "saw a black face he knew
he was looking in the face of friend"
There was a time of bitterness and trial
when if the Geaty of the colored race to the
Union had been doubtful, and it could have
been obtained by giving it the ballot it
would have been considered as most cheap
ly bought That loyalty, tried in the fire
and pure and holy as tho light of heaven
was giving without money and without,
price. Shall we not now, in tho day of
our peace and prosperity, reward il by so
much as the easy and comparatively trivial
compensation of the elective franchise