The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-09-25

Twelve totaLSS ttusy EMOulu nave tAS
whole country at their mercy, and
would have achieved a greater victory
than they ever dreamed of gaining
when they began the rebellion. Be-
tween this condition of things and The
immediate tranquiIization Of the coun-
try We had to choose in the coming
elections. The one results from the
success of the Democratic party. The
other follows the election of Grant.
Mr.. Maynard spoke probablyian hour
and half and was repeatedly applaud
ed.
After he had concluded, the audi
ence set up shouts for I" Stanton" The
demand was SO general, so resolute and
persistent that Gov. Stanton presently
came forward to the stage, and was
received with great chsering. He spoke
fifteen or twenty minutes. he began
by humorously observing thatIsome-
time since he had promised that when
opportunity should offer he would
speak to the people of Wheeling at
some length; but it was evident his
audience preferred his speech in broken
doses, and they doubtless knew best
what suited them.
He reminded his hearers that
the American rebellion differed es-
sentially from any OF which history
gives any account. Ordinary rebel
lions were inaugurated and fought by
peoples suffering from oppression who
took this heroic remedy for relief. But
thSrebellion in the United States was
begun, not by people suffering any
oppression, but by those who had full
possession of the National Government
in all branches; who were the ruling
political element of the country, who
were in nowise refrain ed in their Hber-
ties, personal, civil or religious. They
gave up control of the Government and
begun and fought arebellion against IL
to perpetuate their own expressions of
an abject race whom they held in bond
age. The effects OF the rebellion too
were unlike those of any other of which
we read-especially unlike those that
followed the successful rebellion of the
American colonies. Because the effect
of this rebellion had been torevolution-
ize the social institutions of the people
engaging in it. Southern society be-
fore the rebellion rested on the basis of
slave production. To put down the
rebellion 1t had become necessary
to free the slaves. The producing
class in the South had suddenly
been transformed from chattels
vlously existing in this species of prop
erty was extinguished at blow; the
laboring class at the South had become
their own masters; as a necessary se-
quence, in order that they might protect
themselves in this new relation, theyhad
been invested with the civil powers of
a citizen and the result was that their
social political and economical rela-
lions TO the previously controlling race
were completely revolutionized, and as
an inevitable consequence there
is social and political commotion
in all the lately slave States.-
Governor Stanton then proceeded
to discussion of the buRaboo with
which the Democratic party, expect to
scare the people of tho United States
into Niger equality" he
showed that social equality is a matter
that cannot be controlled by any possi-
BILE legal enactments. 1t lisa thing that
rests solely with the people concerned.
1t was purely matter ofpersonsl taste
aud preference. No law can compel
any person 10 recognize or associate
with any other as n social equal. He
though it was hardly necessary to pro-
tect people by law against their
own inclinations In this respect
If any Democrat wanted to associate
on terms of equality with a " nigger."
there was nothing to hinder, unless the
"nigger " objected. But there was no
way to compel the Democrat to do such
thing. He observed that the more
ignorant and degraded man was the
more this Democratic argument infiu-
enced him, for the reason, he supposed,
that such man liked to feel that low
as he was in the scale of humanity,
there was still somebody lower yet,
whom he could look down upon as an
inferior; and while such men have no
qualms about lowering themselves to
the negroes level, they are dreadful
lyJ alarmed lest he be elevated
to theirs. But all this kind of
talk was but an appeal to the
lowest prejudices OF our nature
1t was gross humbug. Another way in
which this appeal was made, was that
by making the negro free man he
would enter the labor market Of the
country and become a competitor of the
white man. he thought this pitiful
argument to come from those who tell
us the negro is auch degraded and
ignorant creature as to be unfit for free
dom. Could it be possible this poor,
unfortunate race, prescribed on account
of color and previous condition could
compete successfully with the proud
Caucasian who has the education, the
brains, thesocial power and every other
advantage which his relative superiori-
ty gives him. The appeal was to the most
ungenerous, selfish and cowardly in
stincts of human nature. Even II the
negro were our equal in intellect and
education he never could successfully
compete with us for there is a barrier OF
prejudice he can never overcome. It
is only the dictate of a common
humanity in.the superior. race to give
this poor, despised and ihelpless people
a fair chance In the race of life. They
have never harmed us. They never
could harm us if they wished and they