The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-09-26

races; but otherwise, save in agrowing
popular impaticnce Of constitutional re-
straints, or rathrr, perhaps We should
say, q growing popular Indifference to
their disregard by public men we arc
substantially unchanged. The number
OF people who hate slavery without low
ing the negro is probably what it was
five years ago-no more, no less. The
spccious plea that the black man must
be armed with n vote for self.protec-
ton is perhaps moro GENERALLY believed
In than heretofore that this means the
protection of tho Radical party may be
less commonly suspected. Our own
conviction has been and still is, just rs
slavery did moro harm III less wrong)
to the whites than 10 tile blacks, so will
the franchise in black hands do more
harm to the latter than the former
The experiment may not end, MS some
predict, in the absolute destruction of
the negro race but so long us whites
and blacks are what they are on this
continent, SC long do we believe their
permanent and peaceful association up
on the basis Of enforced social and pc.
%litical equality to be utterly hopeless
and impossible.
Why. then, cM we not educate the
negro? The question is natural, plan
sible and humane. Why not2 The
objection lies in ono of the most ANA
zing discrepancies that his ever existed
between theory and practice. 1t is said
that we can form no just idea of the
negroes capacity for development be-
cause of the practiced oppression to
which they have been subjected. This
seems rational enough but we cannot
forget that for centuries the African
race, master Gifts own destinies upon
its own continent, has made no pro-
gress whatever, but remains sunk in
the very lowest depths of barbarisn..
All that can be said to this is that con
tact, association, mingling with nLigh-
err race, will produce different results.
But morally, intellectually and physic-
ally, this contact, while only Temporal.
rlly a benefit to the inferior, seems in
variably to be a detriment to the supe-
rior race. Arc nations to be expected
collectively to submit to q degradation
from which individuals are justified in
shrinking? The condition ofthe mon
grcls in Mexico lisa solemn warning
against an admixturc which ends only
in destruction. 1t is true that opposite
races are not compcllee to i%ntermarry
because they vote together, yet this
which sounds conclusive means little
or nothing. The Spaniards sufficient
ly despised the Indians at the time Of
the conquest of Mexico, but the bloods
were mingled Notwithstanding to pro
dVce what we now sec. Perhaps it
might be we'll to let the negro alone for
a while. Perhaps it would be well, be-
fore undertaking either to educate or
c~nfranchise him, to try to educate those
who already have the suffrage. The
number Of grossly ignorant persons
whose vote is increasing, and increas-
ing relatively to the whole vote thrown.
Already the intellect, the taste, the cul-
ture Of the countrp arc swamped, and
count for little or nothing in its gov
eanmcnt or progress. Is it wise to
carry this state Of things further Or
place all power still more ieservcdly in
the hands of the ignorant, the dcbased
and the needy2 Possibly tits i%nevita-
bic. Perhaps tits altogether inscpara-
bic from institutions like ours that they
dcvelopc %downwards in pro-
gressive decadence until the lowest deep
is attained and the nation is ripe for
lespotism. We would gladly hope for
better things, but when a%grarianism is
proposed as a bait to the populace by
leader ofone faction, and reputation
is similarly suggested by Header ofthe
other, we cannot doubt that the coun-
is almost prepared to accept extern
sion of the franchise in any and every
direction, regardless of education or
consequences, and o sec little prom
ises of the future, or at least until our
crazc mob worship has run lis fcverish
course and brought its usual fruits.