The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1867-07-05
Written for the Perysbure Jcurnsi.l
Condition, Chnra6tcr ana nIs-
tory OF the African Race
NUMBER FIVE.


NUMBER FIVE.
In our last paper On The condition, char!
acter and history Of tho African race We
stated that the FIRST cOnstildtion OF ihs
State of New York, framed at Kingston. I'M
| lII7, almost within hearing OF the cannon
| st Burgoyne,' recognized no distinction
civil or polite based on colorsl Twenty
years later, when the constitution wasi re-
visod, it was left unaltered. Black men
had the same rights aud white men were
bound to respect them, Justice TANEY and
| the Democratic party to the contrary not
withstanding 1t was not til 1921. fofiS:
fouz yeurs later, that there was any dis
notion made ou account of color. Even
this revised constitution did not deny the
colored man the ballet but establiahed' >
property Qualification clause that every
colored. man owning uniiicumbered real
estate u the amount of $3.50, should vote.
But we may thank God aud take oouraga
that this distinction on account of color
will be finally blotted out by the conveR.
tion that is now IN session. revising the
Constitution Of the great State Of New
York, aud after period of forty six ysara
the status established by the fathers, who
fought aud toiled during the dark years OF
! the Revolution, shall be restored $50
| Tho same is true OF Pennsylvania. N6
d stnction / II the revision of her ccnstitlf.
zion in 1898, a period Of 81 yearss In tho
state OF PENN and FRANKLrN and RUsH such
a thing as distinction before the law on acg
count OF color was unknown But IN on
evil day there arose a party that knew not i,
iu tee, and the black man MAS robbed OF
his iualienahle aud God. given ,rights.p But
even in the Keystone State, Justice will
soon, very soon, assert her right, and all
men viii stand equal before law. Ia North
Carolina aud Tennessee they voted the
salne as wlHto iluen until the revision Of
! their constitution, iu,lS35. Since then all
lpoliticalpnd nearly nn neivir rights hate
been withheld from them. So soon as Po.,
hhcal rights are withheld from any people
they loso all civil rights Deprive a race,
of the ballot, andthey will not be permitted
te retain aud enjoy aby right, civil religJl
ious, or the sacred and God-given right Or,
;he husband to bis wife aud children, or Tie 1
wife to the hnsbards projections -a. f.. +.
so strong and settled was the sentiment
OF eut re equality Of races before the law
that JEFrtRsoN, the & eat apostle of liberty, T
| ltieclared that he trenbled when he remtIn!
| bered that God was Just and that he had
no attribute that could take sides with tho
oppressOr, and in order 10 secure this great
and heavenly boon 10 every race alike III
com try, lie introduced his great measure
IN the Confederate Congress-, on the 10Th
of APRIL 1884, consebmtlng every inch of
territories belonging TO or that may be eherea
after acquired by the United States, ID
1 freedom after the year 1900. 'A 7.e ~ f''
That bill was lost by the unfortunate
absence of ono member from tho State of
New Jersey. y AS the voting was done by
States, under the Articles otConfederation;
one OF the iiienhers being absent, the vote
OF that State gould not be counted. Hence
the bill waa lost. Four years later, how.
ever, the Congress- Of the Confederation met
| in New York for Tie last tiine. The con.
lvention to frame The Constitution of the
United states was ii sbssion, at the same
time, in Philadelpbio. Some of the mem:
bers of this last Congress were also mem.
bers ofthe constitutional convention. There
Il was at the session of this Congress that
the famous, Ordinance of 1857 was passeds
forever dedicating al the territory Of the
United States to freedom in these memoras
/" That neither slavery nor involuntary
seryitudA shall ever exist IN any of the
territory known as the Northwest Territory.
except for the punishment of crime whersT
IOf the partyrthall have been convicted d9'easa
The Constitution was framed in cons6i
|nence with this ordinance, securing equal
privileges to all regardless of color. That
this was the ,spirit Of the Constitution ia
rendered. iBdU Bitable by tie bctibh Of Con.
lgress inlthe Missouri casey on February 2T,
1871. Wben,the constitution Of that StatS. =
was before Congress Tor its adoption, with
% clause requiring the- Legislature Of the
state to enact allaw 10, prevent the emigfa.
tiCm into, that State iof free mulattoss or
negroes, Congress regarded it as, a violaT,
tion Of that clause Of the Constitution Of the
United States declaring that tbs citizens Of
each State shall be entitled to all th5iriTa I"
iieges OF the ,Oiiizense OF the several States.
Thus it will be seen that it, was the
abridgment denied Uf tie principle Of uni!
versa equality before the law that led ths
patriots 1of othe revoutiohyto petition the
crown OF Great Britain i1eessantly for
eleven years and ilaily to take up, arms in
support OF those principles dearer. than life,
Tor whiclf tlley pledged life, liberty and
sacred honorj aud which sustained them
for seven years against a nation whose
recent triumphs in war were almost CO.
extensive with the earth; and finally Victory
perched upon the, standard bet up in the
name of universal liberty
Just in proportion as we have come To
deny these fights we have degenetated
from the yittues Of our fathers, who lsoro
magnapiniously taught, lis tile lnstruetiveb
less sons Of republican yigtne. And in vot-
ing to amend the Constitution Of our State
TO do away with the odiols distinction Of i,
color 6efofSihe law, We return to the prin. :,
cipies OF OUR fathers, to the spirit of tho
immortal Declaration, OF Independence, to
the true doctrines Of the Constitution, ard +,
10 the theory Of our Government, az sd- :.
minis tered by rs eaflY fathers. and tbeir0
immediate Successors, Add here let uS
pledge, by the sacred memofyiof the sages
who tdlied aud .of lhe heroes who blsd;
that We will not Prove unwpythy Of the, exs
ample and plpclples thsy taught u.s.. ~ ~
- s,s,...l 49, n. oy,..a,.,e p. Il, PS ,7r.
,G,sroSY RIDoE, june 1867, -, ~ I. y
f1a Attributes or tho Sexes. -
Men haysIlpOre slresgth. Women uiorS
ifxx1iulilIy: .ni dslilH az, lo ilrq g1o3. Jos