Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-31
SHALL THE NEGRO HAVE A PIACE.
IN THE CONSERVATIVE C0SvEN-
TTnw..YcGR
Rditors Of fhe Union Hnd Dispafeb.

for some such movement by the Conserva-
figes a. that proposed by Judge Whitworth.
What he proposes is not only eminentIy
practical, Il ia philosophical and just Nay
more, it IL the only thing left to US Of hope
against the continued domination of men
who have shown themselves wanting in all
the qualities Of craftsmanship.
II il be feared that il will bereiorted upon
us by the negro that we are at best but
eleventh hour" friends, / would answer
frankly in this wise: We did oppose the
policy Of conferring upon YOU the right Of
universal, unqualified suffrage, not because
Of any want Of friendly regard for YOU, bet
because as body we did not think yoa
qualified 10 enter upon the discharge Of all
the duties that justly appertain TO the en-
franchised citizen; for simply 10 be per-
mitted to go TO the polls and deposit ballot
for such men as shall be dictated BY others,
without even 80 much as saying by your
leave, and without the higher privilege Of
being r0ted for, is but mockery of freedom
and an insult It's, what it was intended
TO be, only delusion by which the igno-
rant should be led 10 believe, that they are
what they are not; By means Of which they
were 10 be used for the benefit Of others,
without at all sharing in the benefits con
ferred; by means Of which they were TO lie
used simply as tools in the hands of the
master workman. The history of the men
and party by whom this empty boon was
conferred, is, fortunately, Of such re-
cent date, as still to be fresh in the
memory Of all the living, and was
moreover of such public character and
Of such general nOtOriety that il might
require no effort, no ingeniously and
elaborately spun arguments to pr0uC all
this beyond a cavil and no great political
acumen 20 understand il. Indeed the in
telligent negro knows it already. He may
not be cOgnizznt of all the facts, and some
of them still are, no doubt, ignorant of the
true motives and covert consequences.
But it can all be made so plain that he
that runs may read, and the path Of
duty, under all the circumstances, made so
SO easy that the way-faring man, though a
fool, cannot err therein. / AN not now
writing to or for the negro's eye, (thongh
l am quite willing that he should see and
know all l write, all that say); and only
wish that he could see my heart too, and
yours also, and that Of every other white
man, whether he be called Radical or Con-
selvatiye, Union man or Rebel. But re-
peat, il is not to him that / now address
myself though l intend to do so one of
these days, unless, as hope, some one else
shall anticipate me, and tell him the truth
and nothing but the truth / intend TO
tell him and prove il by irrefragable facts
that he'owes his freedom, not TO the good
viii Of any man or set Of men, but TO
accident, which il was not in the power of
man to control. He owes it, if ever such
thing happened on earth, to a Providence
which works by ways unseen, and never
comprehended by finite man until the
work is accomplished and finished. He
was slave by the constitution of the
United States, he was a slave by the almost
universal assent of the white man. His
bonds would have heen perpetrated
by the Unisn party, by the very army
which liberated him, by Mr.. Lincoln him
self, if his services in overcoming the re.
bellion las it is called) could have been
dispensed with. But he was needed to dig
bitches, TO erect fortifcations, to do deal
of druGgery, and to stand in the way Of
Rebel bullets. This was big Job, a very
disagreeable Job, and very painful and
dangerous Job. He was required to aban-
don the old homestead, TO give up wife,
children and friends, TO turn his back, not
only upon the kind-hearted old master and
mistress and the young master, his play
mate and companion, but all his early and
lifetime affections were to be rudely
snapped and broken forever. He was TO
enter upon a new and untried path, friend
less, ignorant, and every way unprepared
for the conflict, and to face death in its
most fearful form. II was an ugly lob, and
had 10 be well paid for. There was but
one thing that could win him. His price
was freedom. Every expedient was tried
to eyade the necessity. Heavy bounties
were offered for white soldiers, native or
foreign born. Europe was ransacked, and
the very dregs of creation raked and
scraped Every conceivable temptation was
offered the Rebels to lay down their arms.
Everything was done that could be thought
of 10 avoid the necessity of paying such a
price. But all failed. The rebellion still
lived and hourished, and promised to be a
success in spite Of the herculean efforts of
the most powerful nation on earth, backed
by the moral influenced Of the world, (which
even denied us the boon Of recognition).
and supported by recruits from the
very ends Of the earth. But at
last the time came when Cufy's
life was worth more 10 the cohon SPINNER
than his services in the cotton field. Twas
a great financial sacrifice for iheNorth had
really made more by his services than we,
the nominal slave holder. | say nominal
for they were politically as much his master
as we. Twas a great social sacrifice, for 20
them the equality of the negro was more
repugnant than 10 us who had been nursed
by him in our infancy, who had been his
playmates in youth. In many States they
even refused them the privilege Of an
asylum, of dwelling among them even as
laborer, much less as voter. Bet at last,
l repeat once more. the time came when
the dreadful, hated alternative was pre-
sented TO the nation, of the assured success
Of the internal Rebels or the freedom
to the poor despsed negro And with a
sort Of "d-m him pay the price, and let's
make the most Of IT," the tempting bait
was offered, and the success of the Union
assured. Cuiiy then is free, not by the
good will of any man, but under the provi-
dence Of God 5y HE 0icn good strong r.gh drHi
He is no more indebted 70 the Dnioa par
~ than the man who at night pays him the
stipulated wages of his labor. There need
be no fear, then, that he will throw away
his vote upon the man who but yesterday
despised him, from mistaken motives Of
gratitude For when we eOme TO addfess
ourselves 90 him, we can make al that
have said SO clear that he must be fool,
indeed, who can not see it,
The motive for conferring upon him
the right Of suffrage was precisely
the same. He lad become q necessity as
soldier TO save the Union, and the price
paid was his freedom. His further servi-
ces. except as q laborer, we're then ignored,
and with few honied words, and some
times a word Of scorn from those who had
not vet seen that he might still be OF fur
ther Use, he was turned aside by both Con-
gress and our State Legislature. Bot
again Providence interposed, and made
Radicalism such stencil in the nosuils
even Of the men who served with them in
the ranks Of the Union party, that there
was no longer a hope left for them; no
means OF perpeiuating their ill-goiien pow
er bat 70 purchase, If they could, the help
Of the negro without paying too dearly for
Il and without, al the same time. mourning
the danger Of losing what they had
already. While the hope Of siin getting
along without. him existed, they scorned
the Thought os eleyaling him any further
But things began to assume a more threat.