The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-11-19
Negro Testimony in Kentucky.


Regardless Of the axiom, which has
all the authority Divine approval can
give it, that e prophet is not without
honor save in his own country" the
Louisville Courier favors us with some
political predictions with regard to
the next Presidential campaign. 1t
sums up the matter thus:
I. The Republican party will at
tempt TO avail itself Of the reconstruct
ton iniquity to the extent of counting
The negro votes of the South In, the
Presidential election. At the same
time it will make show of deposing
the more obnoxious extremists from
party leadership, and will nominate
Grant, (f he will accept on a plat
form repudiating cou4iseation, &c,
and procIaim;0g equal civil and politi-
cal rights to the white rebels and
black lcyalists - of the South.
II. The Democratic party viii as
sail the whole reconstruction scheme
as n effort TO strengthen a party by
unconstitutional attempts to dictate
the local laws of States which are in
the Union. 1t viii take the position
that this has been, and should con-
tinue to be, white mans Govern
ment, one in which the negro should
be, and will be, entitled to equal civil
rights, and, having these, will not
need, and should not be permitted to
exercise, any political power what
ever. -...... anal. .s..-sss-., f...s
if the articles in the Democratic
papers in the Northern States are to
be regarded asauth GRITTY the above pro-
gramme-so far, at least, as the Demo-
cratic part of tits coneerned-would
suit that party exactly, and upon it
they would have no hesitation what
ever in making the fight, with every
assurance of success. Our surprise
is great, therefore, to learn that the
Courier does not regard such an issue
as promising success to its favorite
organization. It says there are
thousands Of honest Republicans
who are willing to- vote negro
suffrage upon the South, be-
cause they are made to 6eljeUe
that the negro will need the bal
lot to secare his civil rights in the
South. It is not candid enough,
however, to acknowledge that the
aegro does thus need the ballot.
These same Republicans, it con-
tinues, vote down negro suffrage in
the North, because they know that
all parties there concede the negro
equaiscivil rights with the white man,
Hence, it argues, the negro must be
accorded civil rights, .cheerfaly, by
the people Of the Southern States if
they would strengthen the Democracy
Of the Northern States,so as-t6 enable
them to elect the next President. It
charges up011 the Democracy Of Ken
lucky that they are weakening the
true friends of the white race. and
the true opponents of negro suffrage,
by denying to negroes the right TO tes-
tify in the State Courts Of justice.
We weresatfa loss to- account for
this sudden freak Of humanity on
the part of the Courier, until we read
an article in a late number, defending
itself from the attacks of other Dem
ocratic papers, who are not disposed
to favor negro testimony any more
than negro jurors and negro voters.
1t seems, under the Civil Rights Bill,
that the United States Courts have
Jurisdiction in all eases where the ne
gro cannot be heard as a witness I'M
der State laws. Under this law, a
chivalrie son Of Kentucky is liable to
be prosecuted before a United States
Court for striking a negro a single
blow. The freedmen of that State
have been informed by the officers of
the Freedmen's-B Bureau of their rights
in this partieul lar, and some of them
have availed themselves of the pro
lection thus accorded them. In these
trials before the United States Courts,
the accused chivalryf are not only the
subjects of negro testimony, but, what
is equally bad, have to endure
jury of stra gers :, in the atmosphere
of a radical court" We give the
C6urier's laRguage. But the moment
negro testimony is admitted in the
Kor4,oI-- No,-n4- ~ IT, O.