Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1868-01-10

! lement of land titles, the United States
land Office having listed over more than
five hundred thousand acres of the school,
swamp and building land grants, with lists
| on the way for over one million more. The
| titles given by the State will now be good,
| ano' Immigration and cultivation be greatly
promoted.
Governor Haight, in his inaugural, speak
ing of national affairs, says
1.-The propriety of admitting the blacks
to suffrage belongs to each State to deter
mine for itself. Had Congress been able
to control this subject both negro and
Chinese suffrage would probably have been
forced npon the people of California against
the will OF the majority. Ignorance of the
effects of sTch legislation would have in
t1lcted upon us evils actually intolerable.
So far as California is concerned the peo-
pie of this State have expressed their op-
position both to negro and Chinese suf-
frage.
"A portion of those persons in this State
who favor negro suffrage hesitate to adyo-
cate Chinese suffrage, but the congressional
policy makes no distinction. On the con-
trary, that policy proposes to ignore all
discrimination in political privileges
founded on race or color. Indeed there
is no line that can be drawn, unless suf-
frage is confined to the white population.
1t Is question of justice, as some as
sert, and justice requires the ballot to be
given to tho negro, that equality requires
tb" ballot to be given to the Chinaman. If
the negro requires the ballot to protect
himself, as the others assert, the Asiatic
needs it to protect himself. There is, how
ever, no truth in either statement. No prin-
clple OF justice is involved any more than
IN the case OF females. or minors, or for
elgners not naturaliZed-nor does the ne
gro need the ballot to protect himself any
more than either of the other classes refer
red to. On the contrary, it is for the good
Of both those races that the elective fran
chise should be conceded to the whites -
The aid of Africans or Asiatics would be
an evil and not benefit. It would intro
duce the antipathy OF race into our politi-
cal contests and lead to strife and blood
shed. The opposition to giving the negro
and Asiatic the ballot is not based upon
prejudice or ill-will to those races, but upon
a conviction of the evils which would re-
suit to the whole country from corrupting
the source OF political power with elements
so impure.
The inferior races have their civil
rights, as all good men desire they should
have. They can sue and be sued in the
courts, acquire and possess property, they
any lawful occupation for livelihood, but
they will never with the consent of the
people of this State, either vote or hold
Office"
Gov. Haight speaks as follows of immi-
grafton and labor
"The subject of immigration and labor
has engaged much attention in this State
since the first organization of State gov
ernment. Our distance from the sources of
emigration and the difficulty and expense
of reaching California from the East and
Europe, have prevented the increase of our
laboring population as rapidly as was an
ticipated and desired; but while the in
crease of population will expedite the de-
velopment of the resources of the State,
it would not be wise craftsmanship, in my
judgment, to invite an immigration of
Chinese or any other Asiatic race.
1.-The completion of the Pacific railroad
will afford the laboripg people Of Europe
and the Eastern States an opportunity to
remove to the coast expeditiously at mod
crate cost, and they will flock hither if the
avenues of labor are not filled by Mongo-
lians. The lack of labor will then cease to
be seriously felt-what we desire for the
permanent benefit of California is popu-
lation of white men who will make this
State their home, bring up families here
anu HeoU the RESPONSIBILITIES ana ulScuarB0
the duties Of freemen. We ought not to
desire an effete population of Asiatics for
q free State like ours.
sit is urged that this class of immigra-
ton should be permitted on philanthropic
grounds, but history and experience show
that it is not the dictate of true philanthro-
Ply or sound policy to locate together in one
community races SO radically dissimilar in
physical, mental and moral constitutions
as the Caucasian and African or Mongo-
lian."