Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-12-03


that they ehaIl rule the white rsee. mske and
administer State laws, elect Presidents and
n enbers OF Congress, and shape to greAGrr
or iess extent the future destiny Of the whole
country. Would euch q trust and power be
cafe In such hands,
The peculiar qualities which shonid charac-
ierize any people who are at 10 decide pen
the m anagenent OF public affairs for great
State have seldom been combaned. 1t 10 the
glory OF white men 10 know tha. they b ave
bad these qualities In sufficient measure TO
build upon this continent a great political
fabric, and TO preserve its stability for more
tran ninety years, while IN every other part l.
the world all similar experiments have failed.
But If anything can be proved by Known
faets-it all reasoning upon evidence ~ not
abandoned, " must be acknowledged that in
the progress OF nations negroes have SHOWN
less capacity for government than any other
race OF people Ne independent eovernnen;
OF any form has ever been successful in their
hands. On the contrary, wherever they have
been left to their own devices. they have
shown a constant tendency TO relapse into
oaroarisB. In the Southern States, however,
Congress has Undertaken 10 confer upon them
the privilege Of the ballot JUST released from
slavery. lt may be dou bted u neither. as a class.
they know more than their ancestors how to
organize and regulate civil society. Indeed,
~ Is admitted that the blacks OF the South are
not only regardless of the rights OF property
but so utterly ignorant OF public affairs that
their voting can consist OF nothing more than
carrying ballot TO the place where they
ass 1.nsa a1ecsS ,Ds, asp0s, n. it nsss no,
the elective franchise is the highest attribute o.
an American citizen, and that. whom guided by
virtue, intelligence, patriotism, and Il proper
appree eeiaion of our free institutions, il cons.i.
tutes the true ba,is of q democratic form Of
government, in which the sovereign power lie
lodged In tbs body OF the people. trust arti-
hcially created, not for it's own sake, but solely
as a means Of promoting the general welfare,
iis in n ueDce for good m uBt necessarily depend
upon the elevated character and true ailegi.
ance OF the slectOr. II ought therefore to be
In r0vnsf fhpoa ~
morally and mentally 20 administer it we'll for
IL conferred upon pei sons wSo do not Justly
estimate it, slue and who are indInerent as
TO It's results, it will only serve as a means of
placing power in the hands Of the unprinc ipled
and ambitious, and must eventuate in the com.
pleie destruction OF that liberty of which II
have therefore heretofore urged upon your st.
tsntion the great danger 40 be appreciated
from an nntimely extension OF the elective
franchise to any new class in our country, es.
peclal1y " hen the large majority Of that class,
IN WELDING the power thus placed In their
bands, cannot b expected correctly to compre-
hend the duties and responsibilities which per
tain TO Suffrage. Yesterday, as 10 were, four
millions Of persons were held In a CONDITION
Of slavery that had existed for generations, to.
day they are freemen, and are assumed by law
10 be citizens. ltcannot BE- presumed from their
pre- vious condition of servitude, that As class
they are as we'll informed as to the nature OF
our Government as the Intelligent foreigner
who makes our land the home OF his choice
In the case OF the latter, neither a residence Of
hve years. and the knowledge Of our institu.
lions which it gives, nor attachment to the
principles of the Consultation, are the only
CONDITIONS upon which he can be adm ittea TO
cltizf fnsnip. be must prove, in addition,
good moral character, and thus give reason
able ground for the benef hat he will be faith.
citizen of the Republic. Where people-the
source OF all political power-speak. by their
sufrages, through the instrumentality of the
bailot-box, it m nst be carefully guarded against
troll pf hn
ciple and enemies of free inst tn tions, for il
can only become to our political and social
sysiem a safe conductor of healthy popular
sentiment when kept free from demoraiizng
influences. Controlled, through fraud and
usurpation, by the designing, anarchy and
despot'sm q lust Inc yitably follow. In the hands
will be preserved upon the PRINCIPLES Of the
Constitution jDhe Tited from our fathers. IL
follows, therefore, that In admitting TO the
ballot box new class Of voters not qualified
for the exercise of the elective franchise, we
weaken our system OF government, ins tead OF
adding to its strength and durability" III
yield % no one in attachment to that rule OF
general suffrage which distinguishes our pol
icy rs a nation. But there 10 limit, wisely
observed hitherto, which makes the ballot a
privilege and q trust, and which requires OF
some classes time suitable for probation and
preparation. To give 1t indiscriminateIy TO q
new class, wholly unprepared, by previous
habits and opportunities, 10 perform the trust
when 1t demands, is TO degrade it, and finally
TO destroy its power; for 1t may be safely as
sumed that no political truth is better estab-
lished than that such ihdiscriminafe and all.
embracing extension of popular suffrage must
end At last in Its overthrow and destruction"
/ repeat the expression Of my willing
ness TO join In any plan within the scope
OF our constitutional authority which pro-
gToes of the South, by encouraging
them in industry, eplightening the ir minds,
improving their morals, and giving pro'ec-
ton 10 all their just rights as freedmen. But
I'm ti(aI in harif
would, in my opinion, be an abandonment OF
a duty which we owe alike TO the memory of
our fathers and the rights Of our children.
The plan OF putting the Southern States
wholly, and the General Government partial
ly, into the hands Of negroes, is proposed at a
lime peculiarly unpropitious. The founda-
war. Industry must be reorganIzed, iustice
re-esta blish he'd, public credit maintained, and
order brought out OF confusion. To accom-
pIish the Sc ends would require all the wisdom
and virtue OF the great men who formed our
institutions originally. 1 confidently believe
mat their descendants will be co ual TO the ar
duous task before them, but it is worse than
maonesSto expect that negroes will perform
II for us Certainly we ought not to ask their
assistance until we despair Of our own COM
potency.
The great difference between the two races
In hysical, mental, and moral characteristics
will prevent an amalgamation or fusion OF
them together IN one homogeneous mass If
the anterior obtains the ascendency over the
o her, 10 Will govern with reference only to
its own interests-for IL will recognize no com
mon interest-and create such a tyranny as
this continent has never yet witnessed Al
ready the negroes are iIfiuenc ced by promises
OF eonfiscation and plunder. They are taught
to regard as any enemy every white man who
has any respect for the rights of his own race
If this continues, IL must' become worse and
worse, until all order will be subyerted. all
industry cease, and the fertile fields of the
South grow mp into wilderness, OF ell the
dangers which our nation has vet encounter
ed, none are equal 10 those which must result
from the success OF the effort now making TO
AfrfcanIze the half OF our country.
1 would not put considerations OF monty in
competition with justice and right. But the
expenses incident 10 Reconstruction" under
the system adopted by Congress aggravated
what / regard as the intrinsic wrong OF the
me- asure itself II has cost uncounted millisns
already, and if persisted In will add largely 10
the weight OF taxation, already too Oppressive
to be borne without Just compla and NAV
finally reduce the Treasury Of the nation to q
copditien OF bar kruptcy. We must lot delude
ourselves. Ii will require q strong standing
army, and probably more than two hundred
millions OF dollars per annum, TO maintain the
supremacy Of negro governments after they
are established. The sum thus thrown away
would, II properly used. form a sinking fund
large enough TO pay the whole national debt in
less than fifteen years. 1t is vain TO hope
that negroes will maintain their ascendency
themselves. Without military power thew are
wholly incapable Of olding in Subsection the
white people OF the South.
submit TO the judgment Of Congress whe-
ther the public credit NAV mot he IN I'm r;or ,I =,