Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-09-08
EAGER FOR THE FRAY.

EAGER FOR THE FRAY.
The white people of this State are
eager for the contest now being raised
betweea the advocates of negro equality
and those whites who oppose the doctrine.
The negro worsbiping organs would en-
deayor to pursuade the people that the
question had been finally settled and was
az much q fixed fact as the surrender
of General Lee, or the downfall OF
the Confederacy. That statement is
merely little strategic move on
the part Of these politicians to cover
mn the Importance of the issue, and
the deadly contest that will soon be
made for its utter overthrow in Ten
nessee. We wonld never be guilty OF
begging question. and only presume
in this instance that orr antagonist
claims the right of the old maxim;
"thst all things are fair IN war.
Well. be that as it may, we stand
resdy to discnss the question IN all fair-
meas and will not seek any advantage
by raising the false impression that the
v;ctorv has been won before the battle
40 he fought has taken place. We make
bold to proclaim, and fear not the
result of the election, when, within lew
months at farthest. the candidates Tor
our State Convention will take the field,
and then will be seen BY few stupid men
IN our community, that negro suffrage is
az d;stasseful to-day to the people OF
Tennessee as it vas ever previous to our
sutiugation. The question then IN the
abstract, and in every respect. Will &c
presepted to the minds Of the citizens OF
chs State to determine. But IT 1t
has been settled, as some OF our
contemporaries say, why then are
they daily hammering away at II
with the longest-winded editorials
inaginable2 Who would think OF writing
in favor of the Confederacy as govern
ment that was now existing, or the pro-
prisiy Of General Lees surrenderf 1t
the fact of negro suffrage being as firmly
Fixed as the doom OF the South and the
surrender Of the gallant old chisftsin.
then are we all fools who would attempt
by meeus of newspaper scribbling to es-
tablsh the thing otherwise. But such 10
not the fact, for the equality OF the races
and the effects of the question upon the
future government of the country at
the ballot-box is the great living
breathing, allsbsorbing Issue OF the
day. 1t underlies cur entire So
cial and political poliiy. and will make
all interests, financial So well as politi-
cal, bend before its mighty power. Men
who fear the contest that is now raging,
and fear to meet tie issue boldly like
men, beg to let the sui ject drop and have
no more Of it IN the public prints. We
know our duly as a Journalist, and shall
not fail to develop every fact and circum-
stance that surrounds this sutjsct, upon
which the future of our State and the
general Government depends.
The effect of forty or fifty thousand
ignorant voters turned loose at the polls,
in the elections of our municipal, county
and State ofIicers, will be in q short time
felt throughout the commonwealth. We
have before us the light, or. more prop
erly, the darkness, Of the Governments
in the South, controlled and carried on
BY negroes; ard IL we had no other fact
or data upon which to place our otjec'
ton 10 this class of persons as
voters, It would itself be sufficient
TO satisfy our minds that the
beast is incompetent for the business.
1t is ell fol-de-rol TO say that by de-
priviDg the negro of the franchise, that
We make him the enemy Of the whites,
and render him otherwise than useful
member Of society. The right to step up
TO the ballot-box and shove in a small
piece of red, brown or white paper, with
some ones Dame either printed or writ
ten thereon, is, we hold, not at all essen
tial to the negro's well-being or happi-
ness in the community. He will maxi
JUS as good 6 laborer, mechanic
brick mason. or any thing else Of al
industrial nature, deprived Of ID,
franchise ss he would il possessed with I
double forty-horse power right to vote
The Liberalist would eudeavor TO max
+, II appear that we oppose The negro be
cause be is poor Very probable "
are opposed 10 poor people because We
ourselves, with every honest man IN tn
South, are in the same category. Iii
now honorable 10 be poor, and any ma
Who is ricb, after The devastation that ha
Just swept over The land, can scarcely b
counted as an hcrorabie man, becanss
forsooih, such ueFe=not performing thei
duty in the past TO the country. Th
negro, Ike us, IL not only ccsde~ns