Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-04-10

csuse Of the defeat Of the Malignants II
Connecticut to have been that ther'
were in that State two thousand negroe
who had not the right to vote n !
announces that henceforward the watch
word of its party, in all the Northern
States is to be Universal and Unre
-stricted Suffrage 1t truly says, tina
except in two or three States OF tn
North, either the right of suffrage is alto
cetber denied to the negroes or 1t Is re
stricted by property or other qualifiea
tons. so as to be available only to a yer,
limited number of blacks.
Thus it is that Revolutions, never 90
ing backward, drive onward to ruiz
their unfortunate authors. To insist oil
universal suffrage in the North, has be
come a necessity, by an memorable law
and this will in the end destroy the IN
clean beast Of Radicalism. The presen
Importance Of this to us, is, that we ar
10 decide whether We will wait for thi
result. inevitable, unless we prevent II
or viii assist Malignaney out OF tn
strait into which it is being forced, an
insure it victory by cooperating with il
and by our cooperation weakening tn
Conservatives Of the Northern States.
It is believed by many that the negrOe
will vote for those among whom the.
hsve lived. believing them to be thei
truest friends. We do not believe it
but if it were surely so, we would not b
one whit more willing to see conferre,
upon them the right Of suffrage. w
think that right too general already
and that, with universal suffrage, ever
Of the white race, Republican govern
ment cannot long endure. W. hsvI
no i'll viii toward the colored race
During the two last years Of the war VI
were encamped in the woods, most o
the time alone with two faithful servants
armed for our safety, and who could a
any time have left US and been free
They were faithful to the last.
The negro does not need the ballot fo'
his protection, and the consequences o
the possession Of it by the whole racu
must be wholly FerniciOus. Those ar,
his worst enemies who would so brinl
him into collision with the white race
Continually used and cajoled by low
demagOgues, he will have no real prof
Of his right TO vote; and his presence il
the country must become more and more
odious TO the white men, until a war o
races drenches the land with blood, anC
extermiuates or euslaveS again tht
weaker race.
Negro suffrage will make the despot
ism Of q single will inevitable; for i
will produce anarchy, c~DteUtes, vascil
lating and n~onsensical legislation, an'
insecurity Of property and these vii
soon lead all men Of substance to seei
relief from anarchy and turmoil in th'
quiet and stability Of Empire.
With aI the rights Of the citizen Sc
cured 10 him, of which rights that Ofsuf
frage is not a necessary one), the merD
right to vote is of very little value TO th'
negro. What he needs he already has
the right to hold property, to sue in th'
Courts, to be tried by jury, to have th'
writ Of Habeas Corpus, the sanctity o
marriage the right to testify, equality be
fore the law. All these he has, and they
are ~inalienable.
All these, except the right to testify.
aud that OF trial by jury in some cases,
the freedman has always had, and hC
never demanded the protection Of the
law in vain. Always he could hold anc
own property 10 any amount he could
sue in the Courts he could marry, and
the marriage relations were the same
between the coloured free man and wo-
man as between whites. Now, he has
everywhere the same right Of trial by
jury, and the right to testify or il he
has not, they ought to be conceded to
him, and be should be recognized as a
Citizen.
The right to testify was not denied to
him alone, but to the Indian. The right
TO vote was denied to soldiers in the
army. The right TO testify ought al
ways to have been universal. The jury
being left 20 decide how much weight
ought to be given to the testimony,
nothing that could help them 70 arrive
at lust conclusions ought to be excluded
from them.
No legislation, we say, was necessary
10 enable them to own property and to
ensure the protection by the Courts OF
their rights Of property. In that respect
there was no distinction between them
and whites. At least, il was so in Ar
kansas. Some twenty years ago, a
plauter in that State devised by his will
a large sum of money to 8 mulatto child,
without express words Of emancipation.
His brother, who was administrator,
carried the girl of to Missouri and sold
her. Other relatives employed US 70
prosecute her rights. We fled a bill in
Cbancery, had her declared a Word Of
The Court, and sent a guardian, appointed
bv the Court, to Missouri, to reclaim her,
which was done, and the property was
decreed TO her. The Court held that she
was emancipated by force Of the bequest
Of property to her. In like manner We
obtained a decree for q considerable
uropertv, devised 10 a family OF
negroes, in another part Of the State,
making these also wards Of the Court.
We fully admit the power Of the Fed
eraI Government exercising the right OF
a Conqueror, to emancIpate the Slaves
The title to them had its origin IN force,
conquest and capture, not in contract,
and could be annulied in-the sans way.
They are rightfully free; and we would
no more consent to their being re-en-
shaved, than to the revival OF the Afri-
can Slave-trade. We hold that they
should be invested with all the rights
that Of necessity belong to citizens; that
they should be in no am injured or
oppressed, or denied those rights which
English freemen have had for ages. II
any Of these rights are infringed, We
should deem IL our duty to vindicate
them. They were in general true TO us
during the great struggle, and have in
general behaved well since. Even that
nuisance, the Freedmen's Bureau, and
Northern craft and malice, have not
succeeded in demOraliziDg many of
them, outside Of the cities. We should
not want their votes, il we were not dis
.ranchised and with less rights than they
have for we have never wanted the
votes Of white men, nor sought office,
lor had we, before the war, voted more
twice in more than ten years.
Their opinion is Of the least possible
Importance to US, and We are quite Will
they should al vote Tor Radieallsm,