Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-09-03

come among us Tor the purpose OF using them
for political purposes. They appeal to their
passions and prejudices, and are busily engaged
in organizing them in antagonism to the white
be in the dark were it not for the bloody lessons
of history. | confess to gloomy forebodings for
the future. Heaven grant that may be wrong
| in my apprehensions!
You will ask, ''if you are the friends of the
negro, why do you object to their being univer-
| sally enfranchised p [ reply, not merely be-
cause their skin is black, but because l believe
| that they are too ignorant to use such enfran-
chisement rightly and we'll that it will be fa-
tai to good government. We have probably
sixty thousand colored people in Georgia, who
plan of Congressional reconstrution-a greater
number than that of the white voting popula-
ton. And so it will be in all the ten pros
cribed States. The result must be that the
several governments of these States must pass
into their hands (who are now being taught by
political drill-masters that they have injuries to
avenge against the whites with the tremendous
power of taxation, confscation, and of fixing
what shall be the security for the life and hber-
ty of white citizens. Is not this terrific pic
ture to contemplate? And can the Northern
people wonder that the Congressional policy
meets strong, earnest, and honest opposition
Let me suppose a case, that will bring the sub
ject home to the Northern people. Suppose
| enough OF such ignorant voters could be sud-
denly planted in any ten of the Northern States,
to overcome the votes Of their white citizens,
| and control the several governments of those
States, how do you think New York, Massa-
chusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, In
diana, Illinois, Michigan, New Hampshire and
| Maine would like the sensation? How would
| they feel under such policy, that would put
all their interests in the hands of such power? :?
But it may be replied that those States are
not disloyal, rebellious, are the ten prescribed
| Southern States that we deserve such fate.
l am not going to discuss whether we are, in
truth, rebellious States. We should differ on
| that question. But admit that We are rebels,
| or have been, and therefore deserve to be pun
| ished, is this the way to punish us, in view of
enlightened craftsmanship? Is it wise to pun
| ish us by forcing upon US bad governments?-
That might possibly do if we were the only ones
| to endure the penalty. But it will extend its
baleful influence to all the other States It will
| destroy agriculture; it will swamp the national
| debt and currency it will crush out from the
breasts of the people of the South the last throb
of fraternity, which magnanimity and justice
and wise craftsmanship would engender and
| cherish. Let me add, the calamity will fall up
on our posterlty for generations to come, and at
| present, upon thousands of innocent persons
l.
| therefore, opposed to the universal enfranchise
ment of the negro, because it will inaugurate
| bad government-the very worst of temporal
evils to sOclety-and not merely because their
skins are black. IF the North are determined
to punish the South, let them do it. They have
the power. But let them adopt some method
besides that Of inhlcting on us bad government.
For the punishment, in that form, will fall up
on themselves and all posterity.
| 1t would seem to me that we have suffered
enough to satisfy the most vindictive Our
beautiful region has been desolated, all our cap
ital sunk, our people impoverished, and our
slave property, which was worth to us So, 5O0-
100000, has been confscated by the act of
emanci patton. We could, after long time,
recover from our prostration, if allowed the
right of self-government. Ought not states
men to desire our recuperation? They may
despise us as people, but is it the interest of
the Republic that we should be made paupers
and Outcasts?
You I believe, maintain the natural equality
of the negro with the white race I am not
going to debate this question with you, The
difference between usas irreconcilable, | do not
believe in any such equality. But admit, for
the sake of argument, that the two races are,
amount to but that they are endowed by the
Creator with equal capabilities intellectual and
moral, and, therefore, under a sufficient course
OF training, that the negroes among us are sus-
ceptible of attaining to the same state of intel
ligence, virtue and civilization, which the whites
have reached? 1t does not prove that they are
now, in point of fact, the equals of the white
race in these indispensable qualities Of good
citizenship and wise selfgovernment, and no
candid man will so insist But being, as you
contend thus equal by nature you draw the
conclusion that, being free, they have the right
to vote. Women are free, and also intelligent
and virtuous, yet they are not admitted to the
ballot. A large majority of foreigners are high
ly intelligent and vlrtuous, yet they are denied
the franchise until five years Of resident proba
| ton. Thousands of boys, at sixteen years OF
age, are intelligent and virtuous, yet they are
postponed to the age of twenty-one years. The
colored people of nearly all the Northern States
are denied the elective franchise, and where
they are not, they enjoy qualified suffrage only.
Why all this? 1t simply proves that, no mat,
ter what may be your abstract philosophical
views of equality between the races, the pre-
dominant sentiment Of the Northern people is,
that mere freedom and equality do not neces-
sarily carry along with them the right to vote;
that they regard the elective franchise as boon
| to be bestowed by the respective States upon
those only who, it is believed will use it wisely
and well. Now, are the negroes Of the South
more intelligent and virtuous than those of the
North? No well informed man, who will be
candid, can assert the affirmative. On the contra
ry, believe that the free negroes of the North
are the more intelligent, and, therefore, better
qualified to use judiciously the right of suffrage
Why are they excluded from the ballot-box,
while those of the South are admitted at the
point of the bayonet? This inconsistency clear
ly demonstrates that those in power are re-
creant to the principles they profess. If they
believe the principle right and sacred, they
should make it universally applicable If, on
the other hand, they believe, as I am sure the
masses at the North do believe, that the appli-
cation of the principle in the Northern States
is incompatible with good government, then
they ought not to enforce it in the South for
the aim of the true statesman is to promote
good government in all the States.
The Congressional scheme of reconstruction
is 5ased upon the assumption that the ten pro-
scribed States are without good government
that lawlessness prevails-that life and proper
ty are insecure and the Republican press and
leaders assert that loyal citizens especially those
from the North, are abused, prosecuted, tor
mented, threatened and murdered This whole
assumption is untrue. There is less lawessness
in the South than in the North the laws are
as faithfully executed by our courts of judica-
ture, and even handed justice is meted out to
| white and black. We welcome enterprisng,
good people among us from any quarter. We