Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-09-05
For the Herald.l
Manhood Suffrage.

y
ty, who honestly and seriously be
licye that to give the right Of suf
frage to the negro would make hin
the equal Of the white man in al
respects. 1t seems there are always
n few who do not take the pains tC
think for themselves-do not keeE
posted-and good-naturedly swal
low whatever theirpolitical doctors
may prescribe; and whose credulity
takes for granted the truth of any
and all political clap.trap set by
their party leaders to catch such
gulls.
Can a mere legal enactment make
one man the equal of another? The
ideaOf equality which seems to pre-.
dominate inthe minds ofthose above
referred to, is not simply equality
in privileges and rights, but also
physical, mental and moral equali-
ty. There is a wide difference in
these two ideas; but this important
distinction is not made by the lead
ers of the modern Democracy, and
hence is not discerned by their
dupes. venture the assertion that
nine-tenths Of those who oppose
the Constitutional Amendment, do
SO from the idea that if it is adopt
ed the negroes will at once become
the equal (perhaps their superior }
of the white man, physically, men
tally, morally and socially, or will
be so considered by the world at
large! Some of them are so in
fatuated with this idea, that they
fancy they see the negro-in the
event of the adoption OF the amend
once occupying places in
Congress, offices of justice, the jury
box, the Presidential chair, etc /;
and some of them imagine long
lines of sable suitOrs soliciting the
hands of their beloved daughters,
with irresistible powers of persua-
sion!
Nothing but the defeat of said
amendment can save their sweet
daughters from "miscegenation p
l am not joking. l am in solemn
earnest, for this is the real picture
enstampcd upon the morbid brain
of hundreds in our midst.
Let us candidly, then, look at this
matter, for q few moments. We
again ask, can legal enactmcnts
make one man the equal Of anoth-
er? God made al men of one
blood and one flesh. "All men are
created equal" Human enactments
have nothing to do in the case. But
in what respect does this equality
exist? No one of common intelli-
gence would for a moment contend
lin earnestly that it exists, ever did
exist, or will exist, in physical, in
tellectual and moral equality. In
Gods providence it is not so design
ed, nor is it at all necessary that it
should be so. Mans enactments
cannot make men equal in this
and no rational person ever
thought they could, nor would any
one but a political demagogue ever
attempt to gull the unfortunately
weak and ignorant with such an
idea.
My Democratic friend, if a negro
is your equal or superior in this
sense, he is so by nature, and not
by law, and he will be so, law or
no law. l shall not stop now to
inquire why it is so. You may
solve that problem at your leisure. J
But do you now look upon the
negro (in the mass) as being your
social equal? You answer, "No !"
and say the same. I will also
ask You, do you deem every aOhjto
man your social equal? You GER
tainly do not. Perhaps some are
your superiors. Can they all be
made your equal by legal enact
ments2 You hnow they cannot.
This is surely sufficient to let you
see the utter fallacy of the humbug
about "negro equality" and to ex-
pose this detestablo trick of the
leaders of the so-called Democra-
cy. The assurance with which the
Democratic leaders put forward this
humbug, and the hopes
they boldly profess, that by singing
this NEGRO equality" cry to all the
changes they shall be able to carry
the great State of Ohio, and espe-
cially Fayette county, against the
Union party, is, to my mind, one of
the most daring and impudent po-
litical tricks ever witnessed, and ar
CUES thet those leaders must have
an exceedingly low estimate of the
intelligence of the masses whom
they think they can sway.
They seem to think they can win
the victory on the very same prin-
ciple that the leaders in the South
inaugurated the rebellion, by pre-
on the ignorance of the
poor white trash" In my esti
nation, a grander insult could not
be offered to the masses in our
State, than this attempt to carry an
election by the cry of negro equal
ity," and almost every argument( y
Lbo,y ,Dt foruard adds IN the mao