New-York tribune., 1867-09-17
THE MAIN QUESTION.

These Four Millions are not even accused OF
having forfeited the common rights OF human
nature by any crime. The gravest accusation
lodged against them is that of Ignorance;
and this by the oracles of faction which has
Systematically excluded them from common
schools and made teaching them in any way a
felony. No people ever welcomed instruction
more eagerly or proited by it more signally
than do the Blacks of this country; there are
more of them learning to read to-day than o1
the Poor Whites of the States wherein they
mostly live; and their general anxiety to learn
renders their speedy enlightenment morli
certainty. No White man Is denied poh'lcu
rights in the South because he Is ignorant;
the Blacks are prescribed only because they
are Black
The Blacks are full eighth Of the American
People. They have been a fifth; they VIII soon
fall to tenth, and so to smaller and smaller
proportion only because of our immense, per-
si-tcnt immigration, which is wholly White.
They have done their full proportion OF the
work Of clearing off the timber, fencing and
otherwise preparing the soil for civilized use,
vet they own scarcely an acre or habitatIon'
But this is their country as well as ours: here
they were born, and here they will live and
Il
| die.
! 1t is idle to talk of expelng or extcrminating
| them. Europe tried this with the Jews through
| q thousand years of systematic sp0llatlon,
scourging, torture and massacre; yet here are
tbe Jews to-day. They were hated, scorned'
cursed, rcviled, execrated, worse than the
Blacks have ever been; pious Christians felt 1t
it their religious duty to avenge on them the
| C chill
tbe market and stoned them in the street;
mobiles and priests conspired with popes ana
emperors to destroy the detcsted race the In
qusition racked and burned them; the raDDie
hunted and robbed them; yet they outlVcd
all holding their ground throughout ChrlStcn-
dom. The Negro has like vitality, and Will en-
| dure as they did
The Blacks will live and will remain in this
their native land. Fear of Their power, III
view of their fewness and poverty, would be
| despicable even if it were not the baSest ny
pocrisy. Having been dragged hither by force
and violence having been longer in America
| in the average, than the Whites have having
done their share to make this land habitable by
and hospitable to civilized men; having fought
galantly to uphold a government ayowedly
based on the Inalienable Rights of Man; they
mean to stay here and share the blessings they
have worked and fought to achieve. lie who'
having desired the triumph of the Union III
| orr late struggle would now exile them 10
| Africa nr aleou,ho~o - 90 """~ ~
1t is n happy circumstance that the Nhltc
Republicans cannot afford to betray the Blacks
or deny them the rights of manhood. We do
not believe those of Maryland or of Kentucky
really meant to do so. They only said to each
other, q" There is a strong prejudice against
Negro Suffrage which we cannot afford to
brave just yet let us rest on Emancipation
" for the present, and advance to Enfranchise
mcnt by-and-by, when it will be easy and
safe to do so.n Popes expression" binding
Nature fastin Fate hits their ease very closely.
They considered only when they could afford
to be just to the Negro; not suspcctng that
such justice was as necessary to themselves as TO
him. When they woke to the actual condition,
! they were fcttcred and completely in the power
Of their adyersaries. They waited for a more
| favorable time to cnfranchise the Blacks the
Democrats did not delay for an hour the enfran-
Chisement of the Rebels; and now their States
are ruled as with rod of iron by the parolcd
soldiers of Lees, Bragg's, and 10. JOhnsOn's
armies Tennessee was warned in time by their
fate; Missouri is preparing to follow her ex-
ample; West Virginia seems inclined to hold
off; and, if SO, will soon be where Maryland
and Kentucky now are. A party which dare
not be true to itself has no right to endure.
Two years ago, once quarter of the Republi-
cans of Connecticut fanced that they could
afford to deny the Right of Suffrage to the
two thousand coored men who reside in their
State. Last Spring, their State ticket and two
Members of Congress were beaten for want of
those two thousand votes. That was right
eOus retribution, so far as the Republicans who
voted against Manhood Suffrage were CON
cerned. And like results may be confidently
expected in every State which evinccs a like
spirit.
But good many Republicans are hostile
" to Negro Suffrage"
Certainly. There were a good many Rcpub-
licans hostile to Emancipation They con-
demned the public requirement of it at Presi-
dent Lincoln's hands as qntimely, unwise,
penlous. Again, when the Blacks were
summoned to bear manly part in the War
for the Union, they croaked that Kentucky
would secede, all the Border States would fol-
low her, and the Nation would be no more
Their prophecies were defied and thus the
Republic was saved.
The party which saved the Union by daring
to be just and faithful may lose a few State |
elections by persistent fidelity to the vital
vivifying principle of Equal Rights for All
Men. 1t may even fail to elect the next Presi- |
dent. But, while any course has its perils, and |
the results of great political struggles are sell
dom obvious from the outset we shall any how |
verify the Irishman's axiom that "The best |
"way to avoid danger IL IN meet IL half ,ray - |