Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-02-05

the legislation and oppression after VIC
tory, that deathless hates hsve been en-
gendered. But the human race learns
little wisdom in such matters by expe-
rience or from history, and will always,
we suppose, prefer the Gospel of Hate to
the Gospel Of Love. 1t is easy to foresee
the fte Of a people that has the STE
vENsEs and CHEEvERs for teachers.
Froms he National m~teIIgencel.I
It seems that in this age Of progress,
and in this republic, which is founded on
the idea Of the freedom of the citizen,
men claiming to be the special cham
pions of liberty should be found inces-
sanity advocating a system of legislation
which undertakes to establish the right
by pains and puRisbments by disabili-
ties and disqualificatiOns, rather than to
( leave it to free discussion and the uncO-
creed action of the popular judgment.
The south has been il fatal error on the
subject of secession. Can we induce
men honestly to abandon that error
by restrictive legislation? The, south
is attached to the ideas and inter
ests of "a lost cause.n Which is
the true policy - to condemn, by
{ tAulLahE EAaEAALEAN1f NAcGC AuSAo
and those interests, OF to seek to
convince their judgments by exposing
their fallacies and their errors ? The
disabilities imposed on the Catholics in
/ English history never did one jot
towards weakening the faith or enlight-
ening the minds of those raised in that
faith it simply disaffected them
towardsthe government, 10y giving them
lust cause to arTaign its Justice and fair
dealing.
Those gentlemen have not a true faith
in the liberal sentiments they teach who
are unwilling to leave them to the arena
of discussion, but seek to force them
upon q people not yet voluntarily pre-
pared to receive them. In invoking
punitive or restrictive legislation they
are making the same blunder that the
/ Old World governments made for ages,
that the Puritans made in the early
settlement of New England, that his
majesty of France has been making in
his censorship of the press, his interdict
. Of political gatherings, etc. Is negro suf-
frage q good thing, Is l. an inevitable
fact OF the future how much more
7 IikaFis it tO~triumph and be securely
established if adopted by the voluntary
action of the communities which are
most to be affected by il, than if thrust
upon them by what they caanOt but re-
gard as unfriendly legislation ! So, too,
in regard to the northern idea OF the
crime Of the secession leaders. Time
and a candid discussion will be mora
likely to open the eyes Of the southern
peOpie-aud induce the adoption of cor
rect opinions than all the disabling acts
and punitive statutes that a dozen con-
crosses might paas.
We cannot regard those men as the
true disciples of the democratic idea who
are invoking for it the aid Of eoerciye
legislation, any more than We can regard
him as a true missionary who, in heather
lands, seeks some other method of pro-
p0gating the gospel thai was so grandlY
illustrated in the career OF q Paul. He
taught the ethics of christianity, but he
arraigned empeTOrs nor denounced
governments. And we think the true
method to prevent the alleged outrages
upon the freedmen is by beng true to
the democratic idea of self -government,
while seeking to enlighten the southerlI
judgment and quicken the southern con-
science, rather than 10y enacting eon
gressi0nal measures that, however praise
worthy in their objects, violate the o.
gauic law of the nation while they an
tagOnize the feelings of the communities
Nt Moulh Adlu NDANAAAAN@ anu UllNAACfs ]
From the National InteIigsncerI
The great question which congress =
undertaking to settle is, whether the ma
ture of this government shall be altered
by that body without the constitution
sSDqvpresSed assent of the people. For
there is no doubt about The fact that
there are certain powers which are re-
served to the states with which congress
has cOnstitutiOnally no right Of interfer-
The regulation Of suffrage is orr
of those. At the time of the adoption
the constitution there was the greatest
diversity amongst the states respecting
the elective franchise. In most there
was a property Qualification, and
this was different il different states.
In some this was uniform for
both branches of the legislature, and in
others dissimilar qualifications were re-
quired. In some negro suffrage was
recognized in the person of property
owning freemen. All hat the constitI-
ton proposed is to make the electoral
basis for members of the house Of repre-
sentatives the same as that of the lower
branch Of the legislature. But as the
regulation of this was purely a matter of
state legislation before the adoption of
he constitution, and rs no prohibition
was incorporated in that instrument, it
5 plain that congress has no control of
{, independent Of the fact that this is a .
government of defined powers, and tle
equation Of suffrage is not one con-
erred.
But hour after hour of the time of
10Th branches of congress is consumed I
n discussing The propriety and the re- {
essity Of permitting negroes to vote, 8
nd incessant demands are made in .
Of its justice, ard the vengeance
( Heaven is denounced against a rev q
rnment which will 80 trample on the t
Of humanity as to leave the poor L
reedmen OF the south unprotected. 1t ?
nay be- that these gentlemen fancy :
have some constitutional power 1
yer this question, or that they {
an effect some important politi-
al objects by thus thrusting Iegisla- n
into the domain CT moral ideas hut
would be far more to their credit if d
had not carried the late elections G.
q a constitutional amendment which a
their loudly Wanted ideas. and ,
al come out manfully and unmistak- =
before the people for negro suffrage a
their own states. What is to be al
of men like Senator Wilson. lis
ben in Delaware, who denied that they .
advocates of negro suffrage, who
w make the halls Of legislation echo W
it'll their clamors in It's behalf and their 70
,nunciatiOns of the ~inhumanity and ii
Justice of its denial q? =,
The supreme court Of the United States 70
complimented by the legislature of M
ala ygara in O very g,,rraoug raeol,s.z-