Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-09-13
politicians AND NEGko s
FRAGE.

a. 80 o,ort and run down the anxious
faces Of politicians in our midst, wnen.
over the subject of universal suffrage Is
,ahaa IL sueicient to convince us OF
,ho aoonv that these gentlemen are now
,odergoing. 1t is hard for this class 10
make mn their minds as to which side
of the ouestion they will fall on. They
ara ALWAYS to be found in the BACK
oround awaiting the clear development
- the strong side of every new issue
that may arise, and should 1t De
,-,,o,I weight in the balances,
,nh;ob Of the two, the negative or the
Affirmative. that shall first kick the BEAM
then these little busybodies are, Tor the
,;me undone This class of men are ever
ready too. with an opinion, if matters 90
-, come round smoothly for their own
;n,erest which is generally in the nature
go eompromise. In fact, it appears as
q .ome men are made of and compose a
honals of compromises, who are ever
ready to yield up principle Tor the SAKE
80. documentary peace. Ask one of these
ro,.bouse fellows what be thinks OF
the negro's right to vote hefeaiser'
"a with an eye to ofice
himself be begins an elaborate explana-
eion Of what bis views are, and what pc
thinks best, and when the small man gets
through it would take forty Philadelphia
LAWYERS to interpret his meaning, and 10
say whether the disciple OF Licurgus Is
Zoe or against the negro He invariably
lodges q fair explanation OF his views
and walks off with The air and assurance
of one who had jast succeeded IN sue
cessfully vanquishing his interrogation
when, in truth. it is well known the man
ia only looking FOR the way the cat 10 ek-
pected to jump. As q quietus to al ~
care maneuvering by these politicians. we
would suggest that it would be as wen
Cor them 70 assume some position on TINS
great question of negro suffrage and TO
allv themselves with one side or the
other; for should the Fifteenth Amend
ment be adopted into the Federal Constr
tu6on. then will there be two parties IN
the State made up of the very same ma
terial that now exits-one white man
party, the other the negro party.
For ourselves, we are for white man
government, and shall belong to the
white mans party, which, even should
negro suffrage be forced upon as, Vil
ever oppose the negro's right to hold
Office. The party which shall oppose
chs must attach itself to the African, L
be with him on q platform Of social ant
political equality. We will have thos'
who arenow clamoring for the right o
the negro to vote to remember that tn
right to hold Office. sit On juries, ant
every privilege of a citizen must be &C
corded him, should he be empowered Vill
the ballot. 1t is the sheerest folly to dis
pute such fact, when we have SO mani
examples Of it all around us. Look q
the Conservative-Republican ticket II
Mississippi, just nominated few day
since at Jackson. It bears prominent
and among the FIRST names thereon, thu
of an African, very lately slave
This was, no doubt, found necessary b
the men Of that party, in order to appeas
and seduce the negro's vote for the entir
ticket. Those who do. the voting wi
claim a fair divide Of the Offices, and {
will the negro, when in this State he
enfranchised permanently by the Coz
stitution. The statement from the adv
Gates of universal suffrage, on the pie
that il will give peace TO the country, al
that we are strong enough in this Sta
20 vote the negro out Of all the office
is understandable, and will pro-
Abortive. The colored vote in u
State, Of forty or fifty thousand, W
always be sought for by small dem
cogues, and TO succeed in controlliI
this class of votes, the policy Of the Ra
ical party will be adopted of necessii
and that is to divide Offices and plsc
of honor, irrespective Of race, color
previous condition. We would be gl
IL some Of the sheets, which are stro
advocates Of universal suffrage, and }
oppose the Fifteenth Amendment, Won
be SO kind as TO give q sensible reas
why they favor the one and oppose
other. For the life Of us, We are unal
10 divine the difference between them,
far as the practical effects Of the d
trine is concerned, and so far as Ct
Germs ss. By the adoption Of
Fifteenth Amendment. the Radical pa
would take the question Of sufri
ont OF inc hands of the States. and FL
as part Of the Federal CONSTITUTE
interchangeable. But The advocates
universal suffrage, who pretend to opp
TINS. would e. The same right in the c
sliiuliou Of cur State in such q man