Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-10-12

i
what ia everywhere embodied IN the
shirt and meaning of the Constitution OF
this country. Three races Of people trod
this continent, and were intOrspersed
among each otheA from tho earliest
colonial history - the Caucasian, the
American and the Ethiopian. Which Of
these we're the people2 Nowhere among
the political transactions of those days
do we find any other than the first named
moulding the institutions, framing the
laws, directing the affairs or exercising
any control Of the country. The intro
duction of Africans is mentioned by the
patriots of that day as one Of the gravesi
offenses of the mother country toward
her colonies, and they also show in the
clearest manner that they considered the
negroes only in the light of chattels, and
never dreamed OF equalizing them with
the people" properly so called. The
word people" could never then have
had any reference to the African or the
American race. This idea was followed
out in the Declaration of Independence
and in the Constitution. I'VE, the peo'
pie of these States" never included
either the Indian or the negro, but meant
our European forefathers and their de-
scendants. They ordained the Consti-
tuition for themselves and for their
posterity forever The very men who
proclaimed that All men are born free
and equal" refused to recognize the
African as coming within the pale. OF
that equality. And as the words and
actions of men are illustrative of each
each other we are irresistibly led to the
conclusion that they never intended the
white men of this country to be ruled by
the African; never intended him to
descend to the level OF the African.
When they declared certain inalenable
rights to exist--among which they
classed self government-they showed
by their cotemporary actisn that this
expression did not refer to the negro,
whose status at that time was that of
servitude and had never been any other
in this country.
When the Bill of Rights of Tennessee
declares that the people have the ina
lienable and indefeasible right to alter
or amend their Constitution, it did not
and could not refer to the blacks, but
only to that race of people then exer.
cisiDg the powers Of government. Those
by whom the Bill of Rights was handed
down to us did not mean that hundred
thousand negroes should convene to-
gether when and where they should
choose and amend or abolish the Consti-
tuition of this State that had been framed
by and fer white men; at the same
time that number of white men
m light have, at any time, assembled in
convention and altered or abolished the
constitution, and their acts would have
been recognized as valid and binding,
simply because they we're the people
who were meant in the reservation of
powers.
And to-day the white men Of Tennes-
see, whether Brownlow's elect or not, in
defiance of gubernatorial edicts or fran.
chise law" have the indefeasible right
to alter or abolish the constitution, and
that, too in strict accordance with the
law. That convention
could rightfuiiy deny to any son of Ethi-
opia g seat in its councils The mem
bers Of such a convention would be in
the exercise of their ancestral rights,
them under the deed of their
forefathers and acting in support of the
transmitted to them from
men in whose veins no drop of African
blood ever ran. These are the men,
these are ''the people" these the masters
Of the country. These States are held
in ter.tau by the Caucasian race. They
belong to that race and the heirs of
their bodies forever" Right manfully
have the people of Ohio and Pennsyl-
vania vindicated this right. 1t still re-
mains to be seen whether the people Of
the Southern States will suffer themselves
to be disseized by those who are strangers
10 blood, will yield their sacred inherit
ance through fear of Congressional thun.
iers and negro militia. IL in this they
fail, we'll may it be said of them:
In all save form have changcdl And who,
That marks the fire still sparkling in each eye
no but would deem their bosoms burned anew
With thy unquenehed beam; lost Liberty
And many dream, withal the hour is nigh
That gives them back their fathers heritage;
For foreign arms and aid they fondly sigh,
Nor solely dare encounter hostile rage.
B6- The Cincinnati Commercial thus
consoles itself over the defeat Of Mr..
Richard Smith, the Radical nominee for