Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-09-04
The Appeal on Suffrage.

The editor Of the appeal is an able man.
His mind has the fibre of the oak, but 80
thick are gnarls and knots of prejudice that
it is impossible to get any timber out of him
which can be Of any practical service. The
right lines of his logic are continually inter-
rupted and confused by his hatred of the
National Government, of loyal men and of
eelored suffrage He sets out in an article
on suffrage, by asserting that il is not a
natural right, but the gift of the State, and
yet he intimates that those who, in his opin-
| ion, would vote wisely and for the benefit
of the State have a natural right to it. and
only those have. If he were q Wing, this
of course would practically enfranchise
only Wings. Democrats would not vote
wisely" The State can give suffrage to
whom it pleases, and yet his madness on
colored suffrage rises in his mind, and he
declares it a crime " to confer the right Of
suffrage on any class or race of men who
are too ignorant and uniformed to know
what the true interest of the State requires"
This would give US only an angelic suffrage.
The wisest men may be mistaken about the
" true interests of the State, and differ as
widely as the most ignorant.
There is no doubt but that every voter
should be educated up to as high an idea of
the true interests of the State as posi-
bic, but there are very serious ones about
the practicability of allowing only such to
vote.
The following fully viudiUates the pro-
priety of the present franchise law, which
disfranchises only the enemies of the Gov
ernment
The people of State may withhold the
right of suffrage from such classes of the
citizens as they please If it is not safe or
prudent to intrust it to particular classes, it
is not inconsistent with republican princi-
pies to withhold it from them. 1t is indeed
strictly republican, because it is indispensa-
BILE to the safety and well being Of the Com
monwealth. So mach the Supreme Court
of Tennessee correctly held in its decision
affirming the constitutionality Of legislative
acknowledgements Of citizens by means of
test oaths"
We recommend the following to the at
tention of the Irish Conservatives and other |
poor laboring men of that party
1t is absurd to permit those who own |
no property and pay no taxes, TO vote for |
those who are to administer the municipal |
government"
At the mention of colored suffrage the |
editor breaks out in fi'enzied madness and |
the whole animus ofthe writing is betrayed |
We have room only for few sentences
AS to all that, nine hundred and ninety
nine negro voters Of every thousand are as
perfectly, ludicrously and profoundly igno-
rant, as if they were just imported from
Central Africa. They are simply negroes,
and savages half tanned, super
stitious, stolid, cunning, with the savage
traits still sticking out through the thin
paint and gloss of standardization. IN
stable and tickle, they are as little fit to be
intrusted with the right to vote as Iunatic
monkey to be armed with razor"
Further on, he says that the cclored man
will always be /" coayrolled by fear or brides
Or fraud" Was he, Mr.. Appeal in the late
election? Had he been thus controlled by
your friends, would you have been writing
-hese sour articles upon suffrage?
We have not time to follow the editor
through his sometimes wise and sometimes
and foolish lucubrations. AS
tlways, he writes the people down and
lristocracy or despotism up, and whenever
offers expends hissnlA4~ -.ss
yenom upon colored suffrage HtHPhlS
Post