Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-09-11
EQUALITY WITH THE NEGRO.


My fellow citizens, how unutterably
stupid-nay, how self-degrading, all this
talk is. about your being degraded to an
equality, In moral, social, intellectual or
any respect, with any other man Of any
race, because our government happens to
accord to him and he exercises the rights
of a man in common with your
The colored man IS H0sc, by law, an
American citizen" and as such Is entitled
equally with myself, to all the rights grow
ing out of citizenship. This citizenship
entities him to eat his bread, hold his land,
own his child, have his wife, breathe orr
sir, sue in our courts, enforce his contracts,
testify as a witness, demand protection
from his government, march and fight un-
der our flag, and to do all other things
which free citizens of right may do. To
all these he is, before the law, rs much en-
titled as you. But because the poor ne
gro, like myself, msrries q wife, has q
home, owns his children, eats breal, fights
for his country and pays taxes, am l
brought down TO his equall If / am /
was pretty easily lowered. No, my fellow
citizens, sl this twaddle about our being
made the negro's equal because he gets u
freeman's rights under our grand and be-
nehcent government, is unworthy OF Us.
But, fellow citizens, I leave this great
subject by appealing to another view
conclusive with all good men. This
Amendment is RIGHT. By the Declare
ton of Independence it is right, which
declares men equal. By the principles of
our fathers, who permitted these people to
vote in every State but three at the origin
of our government, it is right. By the
hottest principles Of the common law,
which protects alike the high and lowly,
-ich and poor, it is right. By the highest
rules of honor amongst men, which
makes an exalted soul scorn TO put-by
law or otherwise-weights and burdens
upon the poor not borne by others, to keep
down him and his child in their, at best,
hard conflict with the ills of this hard
world, Il is right By the plaineSt rules Of
Just government which will not deny the
rights OF citizenship TO any OF its children,
merely because they may have an unfOp-
tunate deformity of person, an unfortunate
size, an unfortunate disease, or an unfor-
tunste complexion, it is right. Nay,
! more than all, and above all ,.by the very
qualities of Gods attributes, who hath re-
spect 10 the poor, and of his government,
which respecteth not persons, this Amend
ment is right
Let US, Americans, arise to the dignity
of being JUST. We are about TO consumste
the WORK which has been the high mission
of our party TO do. In that work it has
included the rescue of the Republic from
overflow By . stcpendous and most foul
treason the rescue of 3 continent from
the spread, and at least from the ~polluting
presence of human slavery the elevation
of the four millions of slaves 10 being
American citizens and friends and defend
ers of the Republic /; the re-establishment
of the government by restoring, with free
Constitutions, each State TO renewed I'm
lon-new II its strength and new in its
glory, because new in its equal justice to
all its people, and new in the love of all
its people. Such, men Of America, has
been the work of the Union party. Let
US now make our work symmetrical and
complete, by making symmetrical, COM
plete, lndestructible, the sublime and aw-
full structures Of the national edifce, lay
ing their foundations and the foundations
of every State, in the equal love and de-
votion of equal NES-made equalin secu-
rity by just and equal laws.