The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-01-21
A Light Out of Egypt.

TEE South, it would seem, is gradually
awakening to the fact that the extension to-
the intelligent black of the right of suffrage
is a necessity, which, while they may delay
its operation, they cannot ultimately postpone
The Old North State in a recent article on
the subject, gives promise of future enlight-
ened action in the late Rebel CommonwealGhs
1t says:-
Then, as they must remain among us, does
not every principle of Christianity every prin-
cple of sound morality every consideration OF
oomesuc and general policy, require that we
should do the best with them and for them tuat
we can Should not every attention be paid
TO their mental moral, and religious culture (?
Should we not hold out to them every induce
ment 70 become useful members OF society ?
Should we not by all means make them our
friends by convincing them that we are their
friends? Surely no right thinking man Will
attempt to answer these question in the mega
tive.
How, then, shall this be done This is the
most perpleXlng question yet presented, and
one which it requires some nerve in the present
state OF pubhc opinion to answer. But we are
happy to know that public sentiment Is rapidly
undergoing change. Thoughtful men are
beginning 10 see the impossbility of keeping
among us and governing population OF tour
millions of human beings without making them
our iriends-without making them the friends
OF the Government-which cannot be done with
out giving them an interest In the control of it.
This can only be done safely by investing such
of them as may be capable of exercising it
ntelligently with the right of suffrage
Let us confer the right of suffrage properly
guarded-that is, with proper qualifications
upon the African race in our midst, or offer to
do so, and 1t will go further to effect change
OF opinion in our favor at the North, which the
representatives of the Northern people in Con
gress could not resist, than anything else we
could DO. President johnson clearly saw this;
hence, as the true friend of the Southern people,
he wrote his letter to Judge Sharkey, urging the
Mississippi Convention to grant them impartial
suffrage. Subsequent events have demonstrated
the wisdom OF such a course, and it is much to
be feared that the Southern people will yet have
reason to regret that they did not follow his
advice.
''In presenting these views, we have not been
influenced solely by the emergency OF the times,
as the reader must have perceived We have not
been governed solely by considerations of
policy. We are prepared 10 defend our propo-
sitions upon principle We have for some time
entertained these views, as is well known to our
friends. We were among the first in the State
TO advocate the right of the freedmen to testify
in the courts, and however oboXious
The proposition was when first made,
use has reconciled every one to it,
And so it will be with this measure if it
should ever be adopted, as il certainly 1C1H. 1t
embodes all the additional privileges which we
can safely grant to the freedmen and all that
they have any right to demand. IL as Just 1CithjR
HSeit, and cannot be long resisted; is q fOyegOne
conclusion. We lCOUtd ICd7'R oar statesmen and
politicians that they cannot "kiCk dadinSt the
prjoES;' they 1N haze 10 yield to his innOuaIOn
sooner or later, and 9ohy not make oirtue of
man ,chO attempts TO stand St'H at time like the
present lCN be anGbe 10 render any SerUlCe TO the
State lCW be S'Cept doCGy by the current OF
eUentS."