The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-08-28

things; for the TACT OF having borne
arms against the rebellion is the NOR
tai sin for which there lis no Demo-
cratic forgiveness. ef.'.-.
In Ohio, where the Democracy
have no power, they sometimes nomI-
nate soldiers for Office, but in Ken
lucky, where they have the power,
they would not nominate one for the
humble office of -. ., fence viewer" Let
the Union soldier therefore take heed
that he be not deluded by false pre-
lenses, and delivered over by. shame
full stratagem into the hands of his
adyersaries. Let him ever remember
that the.rebels and their allies will
never love him, never forgive. him,
and will only tolerate him where they
must loaq 7dtnac 9dl ssw rf.r..
IMPARTIAL sUFFRAGE-THE NORTH
81 ha MUsTiBE CONSISTENT. ieus
The question of impartial suffrage
is now submitted to the. people of
Ohio. 1t is proposed to allow the
colored man to vote upon like terms
and conditions with the white man.
After the great events, which have
TRANSFERRED the great changes that
have taken place, this can hardly be
regarded as an open question. The
people of. the North, through Con-
gress, have conferred upon the color
ed men of the South the right of
suffrage. who but yesterday were
slaves, the most of whom are wholly
uneducated. who have grown up
in States where it was a felony
to teach them to read, and made them
politically equal to the whites. And
shall they now refuse to do equal
Justice to the small number of colored
people in. their midst who are better
educated, far more intelligent, far
better qualified every way to exercise
political rights? Can you with self
respect, with a decent regard to the
opinions of mankind, refuse to execute
in this great State those immortal
principles Of equal rights and equal
justice which you have asserted and
enforced in other States? You who
have squared your faith by the De-
claration of Independence, who have
proclaimed to the world the equal
rights of men, will not, L am sure,
stultify yourselves by refusing to the
colored men of Ohio that impartial
suffrage to which, by the example of
your action in the South, they are so
fully entitled. -
IF you shall refuse, you will then
stand naked before your enemies. 1t
will then be Kissed scornfully in your
faces, that your . immortal principle
of equal rights " is only for Southern
consumption, and that the radicalism
of Ohio is but cheat and sham.
But let us consider this subject
briefly, independent ofall quest ons 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, col
or or appearance-but equal in their
rights
Now, where two races are living to-
gether in the same State, and the
right to choose all public officers to
make the laws and execute them, is
confidcd 10 one race exclusively, will
You tell me that all are equal? And
will you tell me by what right one
race exercises absolute government
over the other.
We admit that God has endowed
men with certain inalienable rights;
that among these is the right to life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
We call these divine. or, if you
please, natural rights. If we have
these rights, have we not divine or
natural right to protect ourselves in
their enjoyment? Can there be
right which we have not the right to
protect? The right of self-defense is
said to be the first law of nature, and
i. may be exercised by your hands or
by weapon, by yourself or by your
friend. The law of nature does not
point out how it shall be done,
whether by therhands or by a weapon,
but certainly embraces the use of the
adequate 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 use of the means of preser-
walton. 1t is not lees absurd to say
that men have divine right to life
and liberty. but have no divine right
to protect themselves In their enjoy
ment. Can you conceive of RIGHT
which another man has RIGHT to
take away, and which you have no
RIGHT to defend? If it be admitted
that men have divine or natural
right to life and liberty, then must it
not be admitted that they have a
divine or natural right to pro-
tect themselves In their enjoy
ment2 And if it be admitted that
men have natural right to protect
themselves in the enjoyment of life
and liberty. that right must carry with
it the use of the necessary or ade-
quate means. And now what are the
or adequate means? Ifl
your liberty is invaded by violence or