The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1867-10-17
NEGRO SUFFRAGE.

this TO say We consider it no dis
grace TO announce q change Of belief
when sc are convinced that 4 chang,
would be better than n blind adherence
to prcconcciYed opinions. If we insul
q man, without good ground, we con
slider itmanly and proper, to 60 ant
ask his pardon, and have never We
failed to do so. Only fools, Or exceed
ingly vain men will refuse TO acknOwl
edge an error, Perhaps we have on
share OF pride for Our opinion, and i
is at best n sort Of vanity-that prid,
is. 1t shows itself when q man says
81 told you so,' and it is blind dcvo.
ton TO such pride which makes men
often persist in error. And some men,
who cssayto be leaders, will endGavor,
when they change their views, to gloss
over the change with some excuse, or
explanation, that will give the show OF
consistency 10 their acts and Words
Such is not our fix. We were oppos-
ed to Negro Suffrage. We believe the
idea originated with fools, and dema-
gogucs, and pseudo philanthropists-
men who had never read history, and
knew nothing Of the incapacity Of the
Negro for Sclf.goycrnmcnt, They could
not or would not, perceive, after the
late war, that the righ' Of freedom did
not involve Il right to the suffrage
They could not, or would not, draw the
distinction between an inherent right
and 4 conceded privilege. AS for our
self, we neycy hapc conceded that negro
suffrage was right. We hnew, as near
" as five senses could teach us, that the
Jacobins in Tennessee granted this
privilegcto the negro simply, yet infa-
mousIy' for thS purpose OF manipula-
ting his vote to Their advantage, and as
a test Of their sincerity We wanted the
negro to be granted t,c light to hold
office, which We dv SOY, and tit say,
followed, OF went with, the right to the
suffrage. This the Jacobins did not in.
tend, and We knew it, for they wanted
to hold the Offices and make the negro
do the voting. In this situation, we
did say, and do say, that the negro
ought to hold office, for if he is good
enough, or sensible enough to vote as
to who shall fill our offices, he is Ger.
tainly good enough and sensible
enough, to hold office himself in many
instances, as much 50 as the white man.
And we do say to-day, from the bot
tom of our heart, that We would vote
for the blacklist and most fragrant
buck negroes to fill every office rather
than vote for the white man who seeks
political prelerment by the disfranchise-
ment of the white man and the eleta-
ton Of the black. We would carry the
question home to them, and even invade
the family circle, for if We are to be de-
MED a vote which is givcna buck ne.
gro, why is not that negro better enti-
tied to court the daughter, or keep
company with the wife of the man who
is in favor ofsuch q m~onstrosity? Just
think of it for u moment, and see if we
are not justified in arriving at such a
conclusion.
We would not wound the feelings of
any one, but, sir, if that buck negro is.
in your opinion, entitled to vote, while
| am DISTINGUISHED, then, sir, he is a
better companion for you and your
than am, and we would fill the
parlor OF every Jacobin with them, for
We would give them large doses ofthc
negro.
:" Shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobcrs us again.
This seems hard talk, but it is fair,
for the Jacobins say we are paying the
of Il sins in rcbclling against
he "best government the world ever
'aw," and so we say they must pay
his pen penalty of the most Infamous
infection ever recorded between the
ids of history, all things taken into
consideration.
But we have somewhat digressed.
We recur to the accusation which in
need us to write these words. The
Ionic Journal has not changed. 1t was
ever, and never will be, in favor of
,egro Suffrage as q principle. 1t was
roposed and voted for by demagogues
, a struggle for power and profit to
lcir pockets. even if soul was damned
the attempt. (
But We will quote from an article in
late number of The Round Table ND.
IN this subject. IT is a Republican ,
Jew, and will prove interesting: .
The single and sufficient rock which i,
shattered and threatens 70 sink the !,
ship is Negro Suffrage the !
Tiers may make assurance doubly {
urc, perhaps, but are superluous as