Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-04-13
Character of the Equatorial Ne.

Equatorial Africa" just published, con-
cludes his book as follows:
'As to his future capabilities, think ex-
treme views have prevailed among US
Some hold the opinion that the negro will
never rise higher than he is; others think
that be is capable of reaching the highest
state of civilization. For my. own part |
do not agree with either of these opinions.
i believe that the negro may become more
useful member of mankind than he is at
present; that he may be raised TO higher
standard; but that if left to himself he a0tH
soon fall back into bdrbdriSan, for zoe haze no
example to the contrary. In has Oton country
the efforts of the missionaries for hundreds Of
gears had no effect; The missionary goes
iGooay, and the people relapse into 6drbGrtSna-
Though people may be taught the arts
and sciences known by more gifted nations,
unless they have the power of progression
in themselves, they must inevitably relapse
in the course of time into their former state.
OF all the uncivilized races of men, the ne
gro has been found to be the most tractable
and the most docile, and he possesses excel
lent qualities that compensate in a great
measure for his bad ones.
1--WE ought therefore, to be kind to him
and try to elevate him. That he will dis
Iappear i'm time from his land, I have very
little doubt, and that he will follow in the
course of time the inferior races who have
Epreceded him. So let US write his history
| And it is the descendants of this race-a
race that all efforts by Missionaries for
hundreds of years to elevate, have been OF
no permanent avail; for no sooner have the
Missionaries gone away than the Negroes
upon whom the civilizing labor was be-
slowed, relapsed into barbarism-that the
Republicans in Ohio would make voters OF
and the participants in the administration
of Government, Ask yourself-ask your
Republican neighbor-whether it is really
prejudice, and nothing more than preju-
dice. occasioned by the blackness of the
Negroes skin and the curIiness of his hair
that causes the mass of White men to be
reluctant to share with them voice in the
Government. or whether it does not arise
from his, constitutional sinferiority. The
White man does not run into state of bar
barism after having undergone a refining
and elevating process. All testimony that
lis in the least credible establishes the fact
lindisputably that the Negroes left to them
selves, no matter what amount of refining
power they were brought in contact with,
return to state of barbarism. This being
indisputable, what is Civil Government to
gain in this country by giving to them a
voice and hand in its direction?
Since 1860 our people have been afflicted
with bad government, and we are now real
izing the effects of that bad government
We recognize it in depressed trade, in ex-
Icessivel taxes, the outgrowth of protii-
gacy and corruption, in part. There must
l..A 80, nVar
people, be they White or Black, will not be
able to get along. Now, will the making
of voters out of race of people, who, left
to themselves after being subjected to
lcivilizing influences, relapse into barbar-
ism, give US the needed reform in the ad-
Iministration of Government? That's the
question that presses itself upon our atten-
tion. As a party to conduct the Govern
ment properly, the Republican party has
been lamentable failure. By saying this
we do not wish to be understood as saying
that there are no capable men in the Re-
publican party; but availing themselves OF
the patriotic impulses of the people, set
of political adventures, characterless and
have managed to get con-
troll of the Republican organization
and work themselves into snugger-
les. - 1t is these adventurers who
want to make a political power out OF
the Negroes-not that the Negroes shall,
in any sense, be thereby benefited; but
that they and those who are some way
related to then-shall have control and
direction of the Government. An alliance
on their part with an inferior race would
certainly not give us the improvement in
the administration of affairs that the inter-
ests of the country imperatively demand.
If it could be shown that by investing the
Negro with the privilege of voting and
participating in the administration of Gov
eminent, we would have an assurance that
the administration would be marked by
more purity, economy and generally be
more beneficient to the country at large
than has been the case hitherto, there
would be furnished an argument that
would amount to something in favor of
Negro Suffrage. - see