The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1868-04-28

ushered in repudiation in its bitteres
forml The people will not submit mucl
longer; the feather that broke the camel
back will soon be laid on, and they vii
then cast off the loadl Already the,
grow uneasy; political reaction is goinl
on; the people reason amongst themselves
let the bond lords beware. One offe
more is made the lords of the bonds, on
more chance for their money; if they &C
cept, we'll and good. We will pay ther
every cent, principal and interest, but
they refuse, then I for one shall work an
vote for immediate and unconditional re
pudiation.
Not only do We charge the Republics
party with our present outrageous an
unbearable load oftaxation, but We charg
them with another crime that has no par
allel in the history Of our country: Tha
of enfranchising the illitsrate and igno
rant negroes of ten States of the Union
against the express wishes Of the elec
tors of those States, and contrary to th,
express letter Of their Constitutions
Yes, sir; enffanchising the negro contrar,
to the wishes Of the people Of those ter
States and contrary to the wishes Of tbs
people of nine-tenths Of the States oi
our Union. Not only have they enfran.
chised, but they have given the control Of
the civil government Of these ten State!
of the South into the hands Of negroes
in order that the power Of the Republi
can party may be extended and perpetu,
ated. And still, not satisfied with this
heinous crime upon the whites of the
South, the Republican party, contrary te
all law, written or cral, sacred or prcfane
has divided the Southern States into mil.
itary departments, and over each, has
placed military mushrooms, satraps and
parasites, to further grind an unresistiug,
helpless people into hopeless slavery, and
wiring from their famished pockets their
hard wrought earnings to aid in more
closely riveting the chains of slavery
around their already fettered limbs.
This same party attempted, last fall, to
hoist upon our glorious State "Negro
Suffrage" " in all its beauty and variegated
colors. How nobly the attack was mel
and how grandly defeated is still fresh,
to night, in your memories. What was
attempted with us, has been attempted
with nearly every State North of aMa,
son and Dixon's" line, and I am happy
to say with the same cooling and fatter.
ing results. So what they could not dc
with us by fair means and dare not do by
foul, they have done by ten States that
go to comprise this mighty constellation
We are now and ever have been opposed
to "negro suffrage" We hold to-day as
We have held for years, with our late great
leader, Stephen A. Douglas, aThat this
Government was made by white men fol
white men and their posterity forever. >
And We further claim that any infringe
ment on this extract from Mr.. Douglas
unless by the consent of q majority Of the
voters Of State, is contrary to the prin.
eiples Of the founders of our Republic
and the letter of our Constitution; and
that the enfranchisement Of the negro Of
the South, was . usurpation of power
that no party, that has any regard for The
laws of the land or the liberties of tbs
masses, would dare attempt; 3 aagrant
violation of law and an act that no crown
ed head or court Of despotic Europe
would dare attempt
There can be no social relations be-
tween the whites and the blacks, and
would be opposed to holding political re-
lations with race, that all thinking men
yea, all men Of common judgment, claim
are socially our interiors. This of itsel
would be sufficient grounds upon which
to oppose negro suffrage, had We no 9th
ers; but We have other reasons, and one
of them is, that it is impossible to en-.
franchise race and then prohibit theil
holding Office. The mania for Office hol.
ding appears to rage with the same inten.
sity in the negro's breast that it does in
the white mans, and We all know, by 10,
cal observation, that the mania in the
white mans breast is as unquenchable as
the flames Of Hadesl Thenif we enfran
chise the negro We must give him Office
or, in other words. he will give himsel
Office wherever he has the power, ard ht
has the power in several Of the Southern
States. He will elect himself to tn,
State Legislature, to the Governorship o
his State and to our National Congress
and Ged knows there is enough rascaiity
and roguery going on in Congress now
without elevating to the henors Of an NJ
C. people conceived in roguery, born ii
roguery and brought up to manhood il
the same vocation. But then We canno
blame the negro SO much for stealing
since our Government is paying millions
of dollars yearly to perfect him in tn
art. Having established a Bureau know
as the "Freedman's Bureau" over which
there reigns thousands Of Colonels, Ma
jors, Captains, Lieutenants and Chaplains
whose duty it is to watch over and pro
vide for the freedmen . portion Of tn
time, and grant them license to steal fron
their neighbors the other portion Of tn
time, who we're SO unfortunate in their in
fancy as to be born white.
Mr.. President, I believe that the whit
man is capable of governing this country
but if he is not, then !, as soon as th
matter is fully demonstrated, will vot
for and favor negro suffrage. IF we for
get some sixty years of our country's his
tory, under good old Democratic rule
and look at the history of the last sevel
or eight years only, under the rule o
the Thad. Stevenses. the Ben. Wades an,
the Ben. Buffers, We might begin to thinl
that the matter was already fully demon
strated-that the white man is not capa
BILE Of self government. But we canno
forrot n,,r vaoro &c rroeon,:&.,