Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1867-09-27

idr lWHOLE NOa3OO.
Social Equality.

N DemOcrnt never reasons. lie cam
understand reasoning. lie has no. : con-
victions, because conviction is the con.
clusion Of argument. lie has no doubts,
because doubts come Of conflict.
ing argnmentsl9 He IL therefore
the most positiveh and most uopssailable
man 10 the world. !. No one can be reason
ed out ofanyopinion, who gives no reason
for IT,. No one qualities an opinion, who
can't see that- there may be something
worth considering on fhe other side. A
Demosrat, therefore. is rarely converted,
except through his prejudices. There he
is strong. You may start from the most
self evident proposition conceivable aud
proceed by tho shortest md plaiuest logi
cal procexs,t to ascone,usion, butlyou non ~
bewilder lhip, lie can see where you
have got 20, bat not how you got there.
If your logic lands you beside ole OF bis
pfejndices, he issnte you are right, but
can't toll why Ifit places you against
one Of them, he thinks you are wrong,
but can 4, tel, why lie didn't get TO his
opiqion by any such mp hill road as step.
ping from one proof and conclusion to 40 I.
othsrsd lfe wentats jump, aud can't tell
any bodyelse she road, lie hates peeroes.
iqrinilapce, aud jumps FROM that dislike
20 the Democratic position that negro
should have no political fights. There Is
no road from one 10 the other. lie sails
easily osereonfhis pfsjadicc and leaves no
track 10 follow.o ,lBy you ask him Why lan
honest, sensible, sober ncgry should be
deprived OF right which every rascally,
stupid, or drunken white man has, bis
answer will either be in, or easily reddca-
niger anyhow"
Two results of,ihis eopgenital defect in
tho Democratic intellect may lie at the
bottom Of the present political contest
fUsf, Democrat believes that a negro
has no right 10 citizenship with its attri.
butes; aid, secontll he believes, or asserts,
that .conierrinH political rights on q negro
must endow him with social rights. He has
not, and never tried to give any reason for
either belief. : No man has ever. Yet heard
a speaker. or read paper, Of the Demo.
cratic faith, that pretended TO prove that
sosial equality would follow political equal
ity.1pr that political equality was. not the
right Of every human being responsible tc
divine or human law. Where the policy
ofa nation, the fate Of millions Of fellow
creatures, Il at stake, one would think that
party might have some reason il could
give for taking nBe view of thht policy aud
not ian9ther..s But, the Democracy have
none exfept ,fd-na niger They are
utterly incapable Of distinguishing between
political and social position. One may
hear at any ward meeting, or township
conven,ioo, deafening wofds'by the hour
about "giving the negro an equal social
position With the whitesi being compelled
TO make negroes your associates, TO receive
them into your family to marry with thein,' .
and il would be entirely safe TO bet oil the
money that ohm NJ. Lord has got against
all that Dick Ryan has earned, and more
enormous odds we can't conceive, that
not one of these speakers can tell TO save
his soul, what social equality is, or what
connection 1t has with political rights. or
whether IL has any. lie will assert thun-
derously "that il you make the negro
equal in social station tco, yet he will
take drink as sOon as he leaves the stand
with Democratic voter, his political equa,
whom he would not admit TO his house, to
his table,or to an intimacy any sooner than
hog. And he will hutter aud bow 10 u
pretty lady, proud to be recognized as fit
to be admitted 10 ber society, who has no
political rights at. all. Ask him to recon
clle these discrepancies between social aud
political position, and he Is dumb. lie
don't know what he is talking OF when he
is making social equality speeches.
Political rights, those which dedue O
mans place in a nation, belong equally to
every responsible being OF mature age.
The right TO life, or liberty, to acquire
property, TO enjoy il, to protect it, to Sc
cure comfort aud education for family,
to share In the construction OF regulations
necessary tothese ends.4is-Do favor granted
by some men y another. They belopg TO
a man in virtue OF his humanity. AS
members OF the nation, as beings respon-
sible 10 law, entitled to its protection or
its punishme ut, all.mtns are roqual. r The
title to these rights God has written in
the faculties he has given. Social posi-.
tion is no part Of them One may have
them in their full extent without any So
cial position at ALL or have tho highest so.
cial position, aud yet have none OF them.
Let Us look for moment at this Demo
cratic horror. ''Socia Equality So
l's What is il? 1t is the recognition in
amy person, by society, ofsuch qualities ps
make the possessor an acceptable associate.
Mere possession of the requisite qualities
does not create L. Society must know IL,
A man may be honest, intelligent. refined,
! agreeable ia person, wealthy, but If society
knows nothing OF il he Is not accorded
the social position he could fill. Out OF
this necessity Of recognition by society
grows the practice Of introductions. This
ceremony is simply the assurance Of the
introduccr that BITS pro,egc possesses the
requisites TO move 10 the, society be u
admitted TO. 1t secures the necessary re-
cognition at once. Social equality
therefore, Is the gilt OF society. Whit
qualities command this gifi2 They are NJ
Various as the grades OF society, or th,
tastes aud prejudices ofindividuals. Sen
erally goodrepptei intellgerce, education
pleasant man ners, agreeable personal 90
peurance, aud wealth, will secure position
! IN any good society. In some any one o
these qualities is enough. Wealth Is al
sufficient among "shoddy aris'ocrats. :
Personal appearance, with no drawback 0
character or intelligence, is quite enesgl
for woman in almost any Amerieaa 90
c;.,v fom,iax,on IA "a haftlaulnflv no