The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-02-26

-itis rthat.this privilege hfw4thteld fromA
him, .il. he arrivcsat acetainase;A but'his
right to vote is inherent, and is only in abey-s
ance during the periodof his minority. Ther
reasons why women do not vote are baseda
upon other grounds. Their constitutions
and their instincts fit them forslcnestie du7,s
ties. Their home is their world and a pures
intelligent. vIrtuous woman reigns over her
household with a sway as despotic rs that of {
any oriental monarch over his dominions.
She is satisfied with her proud position, and j
does not ask to rningle in the dirty whirl.
pool of party politics But !! go not hest
tate to say that believe herright to vote is
Inherent, and Is only suspended by her con.
sent; and, for one, whenever mn. considcra'q
BILE proportion of our female population de.
mand suffrage, shnll be In favor of accord.
ing it to them. But with the lcolored PEG:
pie the case IS entirely different from both
that ofwomen and of minors. sTlHy are
men, as we are, and freemen, too. RThey
demand the right of the ballot, and as sure
ly as the morrow's sun will rise, just SO sure
" will this inherent right he guaranteed to q
them and to their posterity forever. n
But again: They say" the great mass of
them are so ignorant md ,prejudced that
they easily become the dupes Of designing
adventures and demagogues. &c. 9-ssWell,
Sir, suppose they do listen to the advice and
follow the counsel Of sncli men, (who, by
the way, are generally those who perilcd
their lives in defence of their country's flag0
do they in thus acting show more igno.
rance or stupidity than did the great mass !
OF the white men of North. Carolina in 1851,
who, against their own interests and in vio-.
lation of every patriotic duty, rushed into
A bloody rebellion, which was inaugurateG
for the purpose of building up great slave
aristocracy, and of riveting the chains OF
despotism upon their limbs forever. IF these
gentlemen are sincere and honest. as l have
no doubt they are, they must answer no
And undertake to say here to-day, and
challenge reiutation, that there is no argu-
ment which can be adduced against grant
inc suffrage to the colored people, which
does not apply with equal force to every un-
educated man in the country. 90 - 9.
The third section of the minority report
commits the conservative party to two pro-
positions -
list. That no man ought to be qualified
voter, who is not intellectually and morally
fit to administer the government-thus an,
nouncing the broad proposition, that the il
literatc of both races should be excluded
from the elective franchise.
I'd. That property qualification for office
is indispensable to the salty of the State.
hold, sir. that both these positions are
false in fact, and are totally at war with the
Spirit of Republican government. l hold,
that every man. born in this Union, has an
inherant right Of suffrage whatever his race
or his intellectual requirements. To dis
qualify man from voting is to place upon
him the ban of slavery for no man can
have that consideration or exercise that in
fuence to which by nature he is entitled,
without the power OF suffrage say the
power of suffrage-for 1t is a power, indeed.
In the present state of public feeling. no
colored man can feel secure in his freedom,
or can receive that equal justice which is his
due without the privilege OF the ballot. 1t
isabsolutely necessary that politicians should
court his vote, in order to secure to him the
full protection of the courts ofjnstice. As a
matter OF experience, do not hesitate to say
that have seldom seen justice accorded to
our colored population in the court house,
before the passage OF the reconstruction acts
ct Congress The truth of the matter is this.
that all men. of all races and of all grades of
intelligence must he allowed the elective
franchise. or republican government is fail
ure. And in regard to holding Office, l would
say, that a property qualification is relic
of aristocracy, which will not. be longer
tolerated in this free republic The hest and
the most honest men are too frequently total.
y devoid of financial ability, and often die in
poverty but the State cannot spare such men
from her counsels 1t is time. that these
efste notions of property qualification for
Office, were abandoned, and the gates were
thrown wide open to every man of merit,
without regard to the amount of property
he may have acquired. Republican govern
ment must prove success or failure, and
sir, for one. would carry 1t to its legitimate
results. And if it must fail let it go down,
with its colors flying. and not make any
compromise with monarchy or with arris
tocracy in order to prolong Its EXISTENCE
Every male person born in the United
States and every male person who has been
naturalized, twenty one years old or upward"
in the language of the majority report,
should be entitled to vote; and every voter
should be eligible to Office, who is not dis
qualified by age, by crime, or by want of
moral character. -. SD q
I shall pass over the fourth section of the
minority report, with the single remark, that
the supervision, exercised by the Freedman's
Bureau over the colored people is intended
for their protection and sustenance, rather
than for their tutelage. F
The fifth section of the minority report
under consideration, assumes that North
Carolina is State of the Union, with the full
powers of every other State. Now. sir, I
agree with these gentlemen in the PROPOSE
ton, that North Carolina is q State. Ihold
that the ordinance of secession was nulland
void from the beginning; but differ with
them in assuming that North Carolina has
any rights under the constitution. If seces-
sion meant anything, it meant withdrawal
from the Union and announcement of eve
ry constitutional guarantee and protection.
If the surrender of the Confederate armies
had any significance, it was this That the
people of North Carolina having renowned
their allegiance to the government of the
United States, and having set up a new gov
eminent in hostility thereto, and having APP
pealed to the God of battles to sustain their
cause and having failed when they laid
down their arms, they confessed themselves
conquered. and yielded to the power of the
victor. Their rights are all forfeited by re-
bellion, and their very lives are subject to-
the clemency of the power which subdued
them. To sum up the whole, in Il few words,
North-Carolina is State in the Union, and
always has been. Her attempted secession
relieved her from no obligation which, the
Constitution imposed but her rights are all
forfeited, and it is the power and the duty
of Congress to prescribe for her such terms,
as when complied with, will entitle her to az