Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-06-20
RADICAL LOVE ron THE NEGROEs
"A CASE IN POINT.

1862, and he then gave some striking
proofs Of his friendship for the negro
There was no probability then that the
negro would be made a voter, and the
present editor of the Press and Times
felt that there was no necessity for
wheedling him with honied words Then,
if ever, he spoke his honest sentiments in
regard to the negro Let us see how the
colored race then stood in the estimation
Of him who now assumes to be their
peculiar champion In the leading
editorial in the Nashville Union of June
p, 1862, this self appointed champion of
the negro held the following language
No observing person can be ignorant of
a great necessity which is rapidly spproch-
ing our republic, Of providing home for
the negroes among us who are already free,
and for the thousands Of slaves who will be
from time to time freed by owners in self.
defense, and for thousands of others who
will be taken from their owners by the
government as the penalty for treason.
We wish at this point to consider
the subject of colonizing the free negroes
Of this couBtry-not as an act of humanity
to the negro, but as an act of safety and
interest to ourselves. We must do it for
our own security"
Liberia was the place to which he ad-
vocated the sending of these free negroes,
declaring that it certainly was intended
for the home of the African" He added
"Now, as we said before, looking merely
to our own welfare, and the safety of the
republic, the question arises, shall we not
make provision for colonizing cur free ne
groes in this land of their wronged and out
ragged forefathers? The number of free
negroes increases daily. The Rebels will
prolong the war for months, and the work
of emancipation by the friction Of war will
increase with accelerated velocity. As the
Rebels drop one by one into the vortex of
humiliation, theiril gotten treasures will fly
from their grasp. They will lose the posses
sion of their slaves, and the government
cannot hold or sell them. Ii has no power
to do 30. 1t is very certain if it had, the
majority of the people would not allow it.
We must get rid of the free negroes. Our
safety and our own happiness alike demand
that we provide them with home. The
foolish outcry against the cost of doing this
is idle talk. So soon as the work is fairly
begun the expense will be but trivial A
treaty might be made with the Liberian
government by which the colonists might
be placed under limited apprenticeship
for two or three years, so that our govern
ment could receive coffee, palm oil, dye
woods, ivory, and the other articles peculiar
to Africa, in part recompense for the ex-
pense of transportation. 1t would be a
national, a necessary and humane work,
and patriots everywhere would aid il by
large individual contributions"
Here he declares most emphatically
that the peace of society and the welfare
Of the country are endangered by the
presence of the free negroes, for he in
sists that our safety and interest de-
mand their removal from the country.
He frankly admits that it is "not an
act of humanity to the negro, but i" for
our own security" that he demands he
shall be sent to Liberia He would not
only send them, old and young, to Liz
IBERIA, but would bind them out as APP
prentices to their fellow countrymen in
that country until this government should
be partially reimbursed at least the ex-
pense of sending them out of the coun-
try Can this man now be sincere in his
professions of love for the negro2
But this is not all In the Nashville
Union of June %, 1862, he refers to the
fact that the people of Illinois had just
adopted by tremendous majority the
following amendments to the constitution
of that State:
No negro or mulatto shall migrate to
or settle in this State after the adoption of
this constitution" mo negro or mulatto
shall have the right of suffrange or hold
any office in this State"
And the present editor of the Press
and Times then commented on this acs
ton of the people of Illinois as follows:
This gives aninsight into the feeling of
the Northern people upon the negro ques-
ton. From it we see that so far from being
negro worshippers' amalgamationists,
and advocates of the equality of races,
as is charged continually by the Rebels,
there Is really violent antipathy TO the
Africanization of the country by nine
tenths oft North. 1t proves clearly thati
colonization mus go hand in hand with
emancipation. There is no use in trying to(
fight the prejudice and instructive antipa ]
thies Of the nation. The white race in this
country is too powerful to tolerate another
rival race on their soil who are their infe-
riors."
These are the sentiments uttered by
the man who now essays to he the pecu-
liar champion of the colored race, We
are bound to accept these as the opinions
he honestly entertained, for there was no
motive to prompt iusincerity. The colored
people should watch the man who is
so insincere as to be warped by circum~
stances. Five years ago he declared
that the negroes must be sent out of the
country, as "our safety and our own hap
piness alike demanded it, Now he in
sists that these self-same negroes, whose
presence was menace that should not
be tolerated, shall be clothed with every
right and privilege of the white race.
And in this he is the representative of his
party. The negroes need not be told
what all this means They understand
the position they would hold in the est
nation of these political acrobats if they
had not been invested with the rights of
citizenship.