The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1868-04-16

Legislature shall never acL OIL INC SUP
ject. 1t leaves you to yourselves. 1t
leaves you to anarchy! 1t secures no
right. If the negroes choose to OBJ
serve your rules, well and good they
do not, you have no remedy, you can
have no legislative protection. dare
say the idea of framing that clause was
to prevent legislation prohibiting the
intermarriage Of the races. Laugh
ter. l suppose the party who framed
it, had taste that way, and did not in
tend to be interfered with. ! don't
blame him; but if l was n negro wo-
man, / would not have single mem
Der Of that motley Convention, laugh
ter and cheers except the few rcspec-
table persons l have mentioned, and
who, ! repeat, are in great danger of
losing their characters. ! know they
went there with good motives, though
under mistake, and l am going to let
them off as easily as possible Laugh
ter
Now, fellow citizens. it is for you to
say whether you will ratify this "social
relation" arrangement. 1t is ques-
ton of taste; it is question of refine
ment it is question OF race; it is a
question ofprinciple! Decide for your
selves. Decide for your children. De
eide for your country. And, my friends
you who think that you are lifted
above the common herd and common
masses of the people, and think that
impudcnce will never dare assert itself
in your company, pray you, l pray
you, save the honest, unfortunate
poor people Of this country from such
foul contamination. Applause. l
pray you also, save the negro race. l
am immovablc in my conviction that
the whites and blacks can only move
safely together in the same country,
in their different and natural spheres.
Whenever you attempt to bring them
together you inaugurate ci::sis which
results in the paralysis of tue white
race, and in the destruction of the black
race. God has ordered you to keep
them apart and you must keep them
apart.
pass from this view to that Of the
political relations between the blacks
and whites know that the idea has
gone abroad--I have heard it myself
in this clty-that this Convention has
been "wonderfully liberal" to the
whites! "Thcy have not made the races
equal" Wonderful! They have done
but one thing for the negro: that is
suffrage they have given that to them.
They have not given the right to hold
office, nor any other"-so they say.
And, kind, good creatures--those car.
pet.baggcrs from New England, and
convicts from the pcnitentaries, and
negroes from the corn felds--thcy say
they have magnanimously concluded
not to disfranchise the intelligen,
whites of the country! Laughter.
l assert-and assert without fear o
contradiction-that this Constitution
makes the negroes politically equal il
all respects 1t makes them equal as
to the right ofsutfrage, and equal as to
the right to hold office 1t draws no
distinction whatever, and provides for
none to be drawn, against the whites,
Now, they say there was a section in
the Constitution as reported from the
Committee which positively declared
that negroes should have the right to
hold office, and they struck it out; and
now they say a notorious gentleman,
whose name l will not condesccnd to
mention, says: Look at the Constitu
ton: is there anything in it which says
the negro shall hold office ;'-Won
full! Daniel come to judgment! Laugh
ter. Well, l ask youto look at th'
Constitution and see if there is anything
which says white man shall hold of
flee. Nothing whatever. Yet, you ar
so far gone in the region Of dupedon
that men who are called intelligent an(
learned, have the unblushng eiironter,
to 90 before the country and say
Does it say the negro shall hold OF
flee p Now, what does it do! l
qualities all male persons over 81 year
of age, and who have been in the Stat
given length of time, to vote. The.
are qualified as electors. 1t does no
say that when you come to elect OF
, ficers, q white man shall be elected, o
black man, 1t says that when yo
elect a Governor he must be citize
{ of the State and of the United State
! so many years, and he must be 3Oyear
old; and a member of the Senate, 2
; years old. But does it say that b
shall have white skin or black skin
= Negroes get to be 25 years old. Laugh
} ter. And so you GO on to Represer
t tatives and Judges Of the Supreme an
Superior Courts and these latter yo
9 require to have practiced law so Ions
!. That excludes most of the negroes Q
3 present. But when you come to tn
/. subordinate offices, no qualification
4 reauired--either for Justice Of tn
1 Peace, county officers, Coroners, @
Notaries Public. There are some,
8 believe, for Superior Court Judges, bs
1 none for District Judges; that is IN
understanding Oft. Then you declar
8 in your Constitution, the absolul
8 equality Of all people. Equality
e vhst7 Why, equality 10 oil the reli
. tions OF life. And the only cause fc
4 inserting the provision regarding th
g "social status" vas, not 70 confer, q
/. retain, the right Of intsrnarrisge, G
|, the interferencs of the negro in our 81
n cisl life; but the idea vas to prsvel
Y the Legislature from protecting I'll
!. white people against sncroschment
q Thst VA undoubtedly The sole objec
And thai object 10 certain Of accOu
!, plishmeat il this Constitution become
y hv. -s..-....-
10 How, my friends, ] say, aud Go