The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-04-15


of their newspapers on that subject,
have had no seductive influence to
speak of upon the negro mind as re-
CARDS voting with the Democratic par
tv. Down in South Carolina, where
Democracy lowered earliest and rank
est into secession and rebellion, and
whore they are supposed to know
something about Ham and onesimus,
and where the "man and brother" is
not as yet classIcally educated, nor even
very materially reconstructed as 10
his 'ebo-shin," leading Democrats are
expressing themselves as to his politi-
cal enfranchisement in a manner that,
coming from any other source, ought
to excite the most uncomfortable indig-
nation In the breast of every genuine
Nasby in this latitude. For instance,
the Hon. james Chestnut, once a q. 8.
Senator, the man who applied the ia
nous term "mudsills" to the working
classes of society, In the Democratic
State Convention held at Columbia,
S. c., on the 4th of this month, in the
course of debate on resolution
pledging the Democratic party of that
State to qualified negro suffrage, SAID
"For one, lam quite OF the opinion
thar in addition TO the very material
announcement that we do recognize
the negro as an integral part OF the
body polite, we should declare mat ne
shall be admitted to the functions of
government to that extent TO which
Justice and his capacity may hereafter
entitle him; that Will imply the idea of
qualified suffrage. For my part 1
think it is matter of policy-a matter
of highland certainly 1t Is the legal
sequence of the action OF the people
themselves. When they declared eman-
cIpaIion it followed as legal and log1-
cal sequence that you could not nave
in the same State nm entire free popu-
latiou excluded in every possible man
ner from the privileges OF government.
Now, secure 10 the colored man quail
lied Suffrage in the wisest possible way
lit will not interfere with yOu--Rnd IL
will make him n good citizen ana a
firm ally"
Coming as The above expression OF
sentiment does from South Carolina
Democrat-one whose autecedents be-
fore and during the war were of a char
acter 10 shield him from The charge of
we do not see that 1t is pos
sible for the organs of the party at the
North to dispose of the utterance in the
manner, by denouncing 1t
as the emanation of some Ganatical fol-
lower of Thad. Stevens.
Another speaker in the Convention,
who ia called Col. j. P. Thompson,
took position on the resolution quite
to that CT Ex-senator Chestnut.
Indeed. his remarks must crate even
more harshly on the Democratic ear of
this latitude than the quotation from the
Hon. Mr.. CTS speech. We refer more
particularly to the following extract
therefrom:
1--WE have in our midst four millions
of people OF u race which we believe to
be inferior. Their roots extend deeply
into the soil, and the question which
comes home to every man is. what shall
we do with these people? We cannot
let them suffer; we cannot allow
them to be ruined; we cannot trans
port them to Liberia, for they
hnve attachments 10 the land
MS tender as our own. What then2 1t
Is our duty TO deal with them as mem
bers of the body polite. To deprive
them of all participation III the Gov
eminent Is contrary to the genius and
spirit of the age; contrary TO principle
and contrary TO policy"
"It may be suggested that such "A
course would be Inconsistent with the
| interests of the white race. Sir, It is
especially for the interests of the IDhitG
race that thiS measure as advocated. L
have faith in The prestige of my race,
in the AnglO.SaxOn energy that has
conquered wherever 1t has marched,
and under the influence of this moral
and equitable principle, 1 expect that
these freedmen Will ultimately find the
level which God intended them to o.
cupy."
1t might be worth while to contrast
such sentiments as the above from two
South Carolina Democrats with what
we are accustomed to read in Northern
Democratic papers on the same subject,
did time and opportunity allow Us to
hunt up some OF their editorials. If
ever our West Virginia Democracy take
up and chime in with such doctrines 1t
will, as like as any way, be after the
old Southern leaders whom they have
been accustomed to follow and to serve,
have set them an example which party
consistency obliges them to endorse.
As TO adopting sentiments OF the kind
simply on their own merits, that, of
course, is not to be thought of. 1t is
proper and also regular that such en-
barrassing doctrines should first be
enuuciated by Democrats whose war
record during the late "unpleasant-
ness" was unimpeachably conserva-
tive. An endorsement of negro suf-
frage from Robert Z. Lee, for instance,
would go farther with the Democracy at
large than all the arguments of all the
ITi6uHes and Stevenses OF the North
for twelvemonth. All such argu-
nents they are Just now accus-
toned TO dispose OF by pointing TO
the result of the elections at the North
wherever the question of negro sHf-
fraEe has been submitted. There are
many people who fail to discern the
very essential points of difference in
the merits of the question as regards
the North and South. They do not re-
cognize that the Acknowledgement of
the negro in the latter section stands
on grounds OF public necessity, and
thus becomes an issue such as never
can occur in any Northern State. An
article In late issue of the Cincinnati
Commercial sets forth the merits of the
two views in the following terse and
sensible terms:
I'm the North a large majority of the
white men are In favor OF the nations
Rlity of the Republic. The war party
OF the North came victorious out Of
the great war of the sections, North
and South. Tho members OF that