Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-10-12
OF THE NEeRO FOL

From the st. Louis Republican,
Last Monday the negro vote OF the
city of Richmond decided that two mill
lions of dollars should be appropriated
by the city toward the building OF rail-
road. That money must be raised by
city bonds. The interest on those bonds
must be rsised by taxing the owners OF
property, and the principal must be paid
by funds contributed by property own
ers. Those negroes who thus voted
away the money of other people are
worthless set Of citizens, with no prop
erty Of their own, with no correct
Judgment Of financial siiairs, or OF
the taxable resources of the city
but are used as tools OF white men as
pennyless as themselves, who could as
easily induce them to vCt1 away ten
millions as two. OF their capacity some
idea may be formed from Jas statement
that is made, that two thousand negroes
presented themselves at jhe polls Ia
Richmond on the day we have named
who could not remember the names by
which they had been registered, ana
offered TO vote under some other name.
| Their votes were rejected but whata COM
mentary is this upon the grand humbug
/ and outrage of universal suffrage"
| Here Is a set OF ignoramuses, the most in
/ telligent of whom can barely remember
| their names, who are marched upin gangs
/ to the polls to vote away the money
] Of the tax payers, many Of whom are
not permitted TO vote al all. We may
! see from this instance the condition OF
| affairs in store for the people Of the
southern states, when the colored ma
| lorities get fairly to work in the exercise
1 Of the right Of suffrage. il in Richmond
/ Al IHr.Hng a#
| for one object, what viii not the ignorant
| creatures do when they acquire control
| of states, and can regulate the entire
| subject Of taxation under the malign in
| huence Of bad white men who will seek
| to reveI in public plunder2 The owners
/ of property, of lands, Rnd houses, and
goods. and stocks, viii be at the mercy
/ Of the psuDers Of the community. Is
| there 8 iust-minded man in . single
northern state who would in any
manner consent to establish
| like state of affairs in his own state? Is
there a civilized nation in the world
/ that would not look upon it as gigantic
| Injustice and outrage? Here is q class
| of citizens so degraded in intellect that
| they cannot remember their own regis
| tered names, and the radical party Of the
land, which boasts Of its own peculiar
fitness to administer public affairs, be
cause of its " mOralityn and "intelli-
renee.n by an act of arbitrary power,
elevates the most ignorant portion Of the
community to the position controlling
poIitical power, and at the same time,
bv the exercise Of the same arbitrary
power, degrades the intelligent portion
Of the c0mmuDity-their own race-and
denies to them the exercise of the
common privileges Of citizens Of a repub- /
Iican government Is there a lust
minded man living, or one with a cor
rect idea of the relations which citizens
should hold TO the government, who
thinks, OF will say, that il can for one
moment be justified that such a state of
affairs should be forced upon the south.
IT is at war with the cherished idea of
the true theory Of republican government
snd republican liberty. 1t j. so unjust
snd so unnatural that in the common
course of events it cannot last. II 10 be
not crushed by peaceful means, IT viii
be done by violence at 10 remote day.
There is not state in the union which
would be worthy to be counted
among the American people if it would
submit to such state Of affairs for any
great length of time. Outward force
might compel submission for q time /
But in this government-in a republic
force is impossible as q permanent means |
Of government, There must be freedom, (
regulated by just and equal laws, OF
there will be some day, an oUtbulst
against the illegal and unnatural force
applied. The heart of the American
people is right on this question and, If
thew could be brought to. morrow 10 vote
upon the negro policy Of the radicals in
augurated in the ten states. they would, !
from an instructive sense Gifts unnatural /
ness and injustice, vote it down by a ma /
iority Of hundreds Of thousands.