Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-09-12


for Office, but in Kentucky, where the,
have the power, they would not nominat
ono for the humble Office OF ''fence Wow
err" Let the Union soldier therefore taxi
hscd that he be not deluded by false pre-
tepses. and delivered over by shameful
) stratagem into the hands ofhis adyersaries
Let him ever remember that the rebels a1(
their allies will never love him, never for
give him, and viii only tolerate him wher'
they must.
IMPARTIAL sUFFRAGE-TIIE NORTH MUST 81
CONSISTENT.
The question ofimpartial suffrage is nov
submitted TO the people Of Ohio. 1t is pro
posed to oallow the cUlOred man To vote up
on like terms and conditions with the white
man. After the great events which have
transpired, the great changes that have Ia
ken place, this eau hardly be regarded as
an open question. The people of the
North. through Congress, have conferred
upon the colored people of the South the
right OF suffrage, who but yesterday were
slaves, the most OF whom are wholly un-
educated, who have grown upin the States
where it was o felony to teach them to
read, and made them politically equal TO
the whites. And shall thcy now refuse 10
do equal Justice to the small number Of col
ored people in their midst who are better
educated, far more intelligent. far better
qualified every way TO eZerrisc political
rights? Can you with self-respect, with a
decent regard to the opinions of mankind,
refuse 10 exercise in this great State thosc
immortal principles of equal rights md
equal Justice which you have asserted and
enforced in other States? You who have
squared your faith by the Declaration Of
Independence, who have proclaimed 10 the
world the equal rights of men. viii not, :
am sure. stultify yourselves by refusing 10
the colored men of Ohio that impartial sui-
( ftage TO which, by the example of your &c
tion in the SoIlh. they are so fully entitled.
IL you shall refuse, You will then stand
naked before your enemies. II viii then
be Kissed scOrnfullv into your faces, that
your ''immortql principle of equal rights
is only for Southern consumption, and
that the radicallsm of Ohio is but a cheat
and sham.
But let us consider this subject briefly,
independent of all questions of consistency
or policy We admit that God has created
all men equal. We DO not mean equal in
physical and mental powers-equal in
stature, color or aprearence-but equal in
their rights.
Now, where two races are living togeth-
er in thS same State, and the right 10 choose
all public officers to make the laws and ex
ccute them. is confled to one race eXclu-
sively. will you tell me that ali are equal:
! And viii YOU tell me by what right one
race exercises absolute government over
The other?
We admit that God has endowed men
with certain inalicnable rights: ;h2t among
these is the riglt to life. liberty and the
pursuit OF Happiness. We call these ii
vine, or. ii you please. natural rights. Ii
we have these rights have we not divine
or natural right to protect ourselves in
/ ;heir enjoyments Can there be a right
which we have uOtarightto protect? The
/ right of selfdctcuse is said 10 be the first
| law 0f nature. and L may be exercised by
your LANDS or by weapon, by yourself or
| by yOar !riend. The law Of nature does
not poiut out how il shall he
done. whether by the hands o- by weap-
on, bu: certainly embraces the use OF tho
lequate means whatever they may be
! 1t would be very absurd to say that self
preservation is the first law Of nature, but
that the law does not give the means Of
preservation. II Is not less absurd TO say
That men have divine right to life and
liberty. but have no divine right TO protect
themselves in their enjoyment. Can you
conceive OF u RIGHT which has RIGHT TO
take away, and which you have no RIGHT
to defend? Fiji be admitted that men have
divine or natural right To lifo end liberty,
then must il not he admitted that they have
divine or natural right TO protect them
selves in their enjoyment? And ii il be
admitted that men have natura! right to
protect themselves in the enjoyment of life
and liberty, that right must carry with il
the use Of tho necessary or adequate means.
And now what are the necessary or ade-
quate means? II liberty j. invaded BY vio-
lencc or war, you may repc force by force.
But II il is trampled upon by unjust cen
.ti.utions or unequal laws, by what means
can you be protected in its enjoyments? i
answer by the right OF suffrage only, or
the right Of revolution.
In this country, the only means by which
man can protect himself against the en-
sc,ment OF unequal or oppressive laws is
to have a voice in making them; or can Sc
cure protection OF the laws is to have g
voice in the selection Of the officers by
whom they are 10 be executed.
Ii is true that il man is disfranchised,
the justice or magnaninity OF his neigh
bors, or OF another race, may protect him
in his rights, but that is precaridus secu
rity and furnishes no reason for depriying
him OF the power TO protect himself. And
now | ask you what power the colored
people of Ohio have to protect themselves
in their lives, liberty and property?
They have TO voice in making the laws
or choosing the officers by whom they are
to be executed. Those in authority may
make oppressive statutes against them, or
deny to them the protection Of those al
ready made, as in Kentucky. and they
have no means Of redress. Their natural
rights may all be struck down, and, in
themselves, they have no power to prevent
it, except by force of arms, for which they
would be punished as criminals. In Re
publican form of government the ballot is
the only means short OF revolution, b.
which rights can be asserted, abuses cor
rected, or protection secured, and whoever
is deprived of it is at the mercy of his
neighbors.
Mr. Pendleton lately said that the white
people OF Ohio would protect the colored
people in the enjoyment of all their rights.
But that is the old argument in favor Of
slavery, when it was urged that the good
and kind masters would lake care OF the
slaves and do better for them than they
could do for themselves. If Mr. Pendle
ton were 10 be disfranchised by the Con-
stitution of Ohio, it is probable he would
be protected in his other rights, but this
would not repair the wrong or soothe his
lscersted feelings. If the colored men of
Ohio are enfr, nchissd their votes will be
sought after nth as much ayidity as an
AZ.
be treated with kindness and considera-
ton they never before enjoyed.
No party could propose to enact an un-
just law against them, or fail to give them
protection except under the penalty of hav
ing all their votes cast against them at the
next election; and we know how effective
is the prospect Of such penalty.
In the rebel States, the late act OF Con-
grsss enfranc rising tine freedmen has al
ready giyeE to them protection and con-
sideration which could not have been se-