The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-02-26
SPEECH OF 6. 6. POOL, Esq,
OF PAsQUoTANK,


-.7- r-s y OF PAseuorAxK,
Delirered IN The Constitutional Contention of
North Cae,iaa, on tho 18Th february, 1893,
on The question Of Suffrage and Eligibility
to office. = u
Mr.. PRESIDENT - Notwithstanding the
great variety Of conflicting opinions which
prevail, and the exceeding delicacy of the
subject committed to their charge, the ma.
joKity of the committee on suffrage and eli.
gibility to office submit their report, in the
confident belief, that the patriotism and the
magnanimity of this Convention will fully
md Overwhelmingly sustain them.
& 1t has been the purpose of the committee,
Sir, I'd conform its report, in every particular,
to the demands of Congrcss-to 20 not one
jot beyond, nor to fall one little short, of
the requirements of that great body of states
men, who now control both branches of the
National Legislature. But, before discus
sing the merits of the report. it NAV not
be improper for me to refer to uhe several
minority reports, and to state some of the
objections, which seem most obvious to
their adoption.
First. then, desire to call the attention
Of the Convention, to the positions taken by
Nfpssrs Graham and Durham. And, sir, in
asmuch MS they profess to represent the Con-
sentative party upon this floor, shall as
srme, that their minority report is the plat
iorm of their party upon the suhiec: Of suf-
trage. 1t, therefore. becomes a matter of
grave Importance that this Convention, and
that the people of North Carolina should
know the distinctive prints Of difference be-
tween them and us, and trust delegates will
bear with me, for short time whilst take
sup their report, section by section, and strip
ping it of the handsome dress in which they
! have clothed it, show it up in its true light.
They set out. sir, with this proposition:
SECTION l. We cannot view, without serious
apprehension, the admission TO all the highest
rights and privileges of citizenship of race,
consisting, almost entirely of those recently
emerged from slavery and untitled by previous
educationa and habits of thought and self reliance,
for the intelligent discharge of the duties and
responsibilities, which would devolve upon them.
The first clause of this section contains an
affirmative proposition, and the balance Of
it the reasoning by which this proposition
was arrived at. l believe. sir, that these
gentlemen are sincere, in expressing serious
spprehensions of the result of admitting the
colnred race to the ballot 1t is not surpri-
sing. that those who belong to their school
of politics--who, from infancy to manhood,
have been taught to believe, that the Afri-
can was an interior race-a race designed by
the Almighty 10 be "hewers of wood and
drawers of water for their caucasian brctl-
ren; who adopted. as IN article of their po-
litical faith, the outrageous and iuhuman
doctrine, attributed to Chief Justice fancy.
that the negro has no rights, which a white
man is bounl to respect" say, it is not sur
pr;sing. that gentlemen, entertaining these
views, should look with serious apprehen-
sious upon the admission of this race to the
rights of citizenship. But, sir, imagine,
that their apprehensions upon this subject.
are much more serious now, than they were
! in May last, when the organ of their party
in this city called upon the coiored people to
join the Conservative party, and aid their
true southern friends in ousting the Radicals
from power. 1t turned out. if am inform
ed Alright, that very few co.ored men res
ponded to the CALL and that those who did,
upon a showing of hands, were unanimously
in favor of the Republican, and opposed to
the Conservative party. And when this
earnest of intelligence on their part, was
more fully displayed in our recent elections.
and the colored people rallied, as one man,
around the banner of that party which made
them free and declared to the world, that
those who fought for four long years to keep
them ill slavery, could never look for their
support, it is not strange, that these gentle
men became serious; and well they might;
for say TO them, this day, that those great
men, who are the gods of their political
idolatry, and whose names they are so fond
of parading here, are es dead politically, as
are those who lived in the last century and
new class of men, with new ideas, and full
ly up to the progress of the age, and deeply
imbued with the great principles of liberty
and justice, are henceforth to lie the leading
spirits in the State of North Carolina.
come now, Sir, to the second clause of
the first section OF the report, which con
tains, ostensibly the grounds of their appre-
tensions. Twill read from the report: o.
".Thus. it seems that the previous education
and habits OF thought of the freedmen unfit
them for the discharge of their new duties ::
and l must admit that the argument has
great force; but as l purpose, to refer to it
again, shall only remark here, that, in nv
Judgment it proves too much for our Con-
servatlve friends; for if the colored people
are unfit to be electors because of their pre-
ylous habits of Thought, which were those
o. entire dependence, may it not be urged
that their own previous habits of thought
which led them to believe that slavery was
dlvinely ordained institution, and that the
Union ought to be forever dissolved. unfit
them for the enjoyment of the elective fran.
chise." do not propose to urge this point.
but lcaution them against the careless use
of this weapon, which has two edges. and
may cut both ways. This brings me to the
second section. of the report ----.
l. 5"We,do not regard the right to vote as natural
I or inherent. but conventional merely. &C.
Now, Sir, ], hold that the right to vote
t-lslnherent In Republican governments. The
basis upon which our Republic rests, is the
will OF theIpeople-not of part, but of the
whole OF the people-not of one race. hut of
all races. And here will take occasion to
remark, that the watchword of the opposi-
ton party, that this is a. white mans gov
eminent, is absolutely false, both in theory
and practice. The great charter of our lib
ertes announces, in unequivocal terms that
all men are created equal, and there has
never been period in the history of this
! government when colored men did not have
voice in electing representatives and in
making laws. 1t is a well known historical
| fact, that even in the slave State of North
Carolina, prior to 1885, the negro was q yo-
b ter, and that he would have always retained
b that glorious privilege had not the moral
| canker OF slavery SO corrupted the popular
heart that the voice of right and justice was
hashed colored suffrage is no new doc
trine of the Republican party. It ia as old
las the government itself, and to restrict it