Columbia democrat and star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1867, 1867-01-02
Negro Eoualitv.

We have seen much published upon the
subject of negro eqralies a subject that
most interests the American people at this
time, and among that which has been well
said, we find the following, taken from a
speech delivered during the late campaign,
in Ohio, by that eminent lawyer and states
man, Hon. G. L. VALLANDIGHAM
You remember very well, my friends, that
the Democrats were denounced in certain
phrases not very fit for ears polite, and GER
tainly not fit to be repeated In the presence
of ladies-and ], am glad to see some here
tonight in spite of the inclemency of the
weather L say we were denounced as SLAM
derers and liars, because we insisted wears
ago, that it was the purpose of the Repub-
llcan party to establish social and political
negro equality. But we never did charge
them, for 1t never entered into our appre-
hension, capable as we knew them to be in
regard to designs of this sort, to conceive of
their attempting to embedy in the Constitu-
ton of the States only, but of the United
States, the direct principles of this social
and political equality. The Republican par
ty last fall, and in its more recent convention,
distinctly repudiated and denounced the doc
trine that this was other than white man s
government, a doctrine vehemently assailed
the other day by the head tinker of the
great national tinker shop, Congress, where
Thad. Stevens denounced, as an infamous
proposition, that this was white mans gov
ernment. Well, it was a misfortune of my
education, fault possibly of my fathers and
the religion was born in, that was brought
up in that delusion, though | grant you that
it has been getting more and more shadowy
with the lapse of time, but still chose to
1,,lcr fho ii, +Ha Lo11 IL
the government which Washington, and
Jefferson, and Madison, and the other sages
and patriots of early days established, was
made by the Caucasian race for the benefit
of that race. The Republican party, how
ever, have at last sufficiently educated the
people up 10 the position, and having-at
least so they imagine-either induced some
portion of the soldiers, whose hostility they
well knew last fall, to acquiesce now, or else
set the soldiers aside, as they did recently In
the convention, thinking they can carry the
State. without them, and accordingly have
proclaimed that they accept the guage thus
thrown down by the Democracy, fairly and
squarely going before the people upon the
Constitutional Amendment, which Mr.. Jew
EFT has discussed, affirming that all persons
and if the negro is not person he is a
chattel, and having abolished slavery, he is,
of course, restored to personality-shall be
citizens of the United States, and entitled
to all the rights, privileges and immunities
of the Federal Government. And for fear
some such State as Ohio, commonly regard
ed as one of the leading Republican States,
or Illinois, or Indiana, all of which have set
the example, or that pesky little State of
Connecticut, which the Democrats were so
nearly carrying the other day, and intend to
Al Aa1
this negro equality by FIVE thousand majority
may pass or retain laws or maintain the
Constitution fcrbidding negro equality, this
Congress and this party propose to embody
in the Constitution of Jefferson and Wash
ington, and of our fathers, the direct propo-
sition that Congress shall provide by penalty
to enforce this negro equality against eitl-
zens of every State in the Union. There 1t
stands, and | wish each of its orators and
editors to observe the record of this last
proposition, for tbs in vain they attempt to
''rail the real from off the bond" that all
persons born in the United States or natu-
ralized, shall be citizens thereof, and entitled
| to all the privileges and immunities of the
same, and no State shall attempt, by consti-
tuition or legislation, to interpose any dis
tinetion hereafter between persons of eau
casian or white and those of the black race.
Now have said u as square and direct Is
sue, and at last we have got it, and | call the
attention of the returned soldiers to it-sol-
diers who were brought into the field under
the solemn pledge that it was not-for even
the abolition of slavery, much less the es-
tablishment of negro equality, social and po-
litical, that they we're to enlist, but to re-es-
tablish the Union, to bring back the revolt
ed States under the authority of the Union,
requiring on the one hand submission to Its
burdens, and on the other giving to them
the rights and privileges of the Federal Gov
ernment
I,ECIcI ATII-r The arisln tr1rn Of Penn.