The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1868-01-04

see the point. If 1t has any 1t Is this
Last June grand Sunday School
Celebration was held in Albany. 1t
was largely attended by Sunday
Schools from Salem; and among them
was portion of q colored school,
They were here by special invitation
of the Mongrels. They occupied the
best seats and berths on the boat;
they marched in the professions, and
some of these big buck niggers occu-
pied some of the best seats in the
Court House, to the utter exclusion of
scores of fair white ladies. We de-
nounced all this, at the time, as an
outrage on propriety, good breeding
and the hospitality of the citizens of
Albany. We suppose that the point
the Mongrels would make on is, that
we arc inconsistent that we do not
practice what we preach that in GO
ing on board the boat, rs we have sta
ted, we did what we condemned 9TH
ers for doing. If this is the point, we
arc glad the joke has been perpetra-
ted, for it gives us the opportunity to
discuss Negro Equality in fresh as
pect.
Some acts are essentially wrong
such as lying, stealing, adultery, muir
der, Sc. All these are wrong under
all circumstances. Some acts are prop
er or improper-right or wrong accord
ing TO circumstances, and this class of
actions are governed by conventional
usages and laws. For example: IF
a man should blow his nose, while ut
the dinncr-table, and wipe it on his
sleeve, the act would be voted an out
rage on good manners. But if the
same act should be perpetrated, by
the same man, while on hunting ex-
cursion in the mountains, it would be
considered harmless and inoffensive.
The act is the same in both cases, but
the circumstances are very different !;
and it is these which determine the
character of the act, and not the act
itself
This principle applies to the point
under consideration. Under ordinary
circumstances there is nothing wrong
in travelling on the same boat with ne
groes. We have travelled ffom New
Orleans to the Falls of St. Anthony
by steamboat; we have travelled up
and down other western rivers repeat
edly, and on all the boats were u great
or or less number Of negroes. Some
were iremcn some cooks some boot
blacks and BARRIERS some were wait
ers, and some were passengers. In all
these capacities they are useful; and
although while engaged in the dis
charge Of their various duties they
were complied to mingle more or less
with the whites, no white person felt
himself injured, or aggricved thereby.
We did not-that is certain. In fact
we like negroes in their places; and
they know it, and they like us, and re-
spect US because we like them, and
treat them well in the several spheres
they occupy. Treating negroes in
this manner involves no degradation
of the white man.
But if we should so conduct oursclf
as to place negroes on the same level
with US we might justly be charged
with inconsistency. If we should
make them our equals while on board
steamers-ifw we should insist that they
attend the same school with our chill
dren-if we should give them the
best seats at public gatherings to the
exclusion ofwhite ladies-if we should
introduce negro wenches to social par
ties at our house and under our con-
trol-in all such cases we would be
guilty of IN outrage, and should be
condemned by every good member of
community.
A word more and we leave the sub
ject. Because we do not want negroes
to vote, or hold office, or rule the
Southern States, or to be placed on the
same social footing with the whites,
it does not follow that we hate them
or that we will so conduct as Justly
to incur the charge Of acting foolish
ly. We do not want the negro to
vote, because first he has no natural
right to vote here; and secondly be-
cause, if he has, he is not qualified.
We require white foreigners to reside
here sometime ere they are permitted
to exercise the right Of suffrage. The
sons of white men, born here, cannot
vote till twenty-one,-alth in
many cases they have property and
are possessed Of mature and cultiva-
ted intellects. We do not want the
negro to occupy the same social foot
ing with the white race, because
physically, mentally and morally he
is their inferior Such equality will
degrade the Caucasian race, by pull