The Montana post., 1869-04-23

Wilkinson smelleth the battle afar of,
! and paweth gravel much. The blood of
! the fan Handle boileth TO madness in
/ his veins, and the names of his ances>
/ tors beckon him on in the name of Cir
I cassia and West Virginia. Grant has
appointed negro Ministers TO negro gov-
ernments. The cup of humiliation is
4 full. and enragcd and defeated Dpmoc-
4 racy paceth mp anc down the confines
/ of minority in helpless anger and rests
lessness after the manner of u mena-
gerie bear Come. let US reason to-
gether" We prefer TO rule out invect-
/ i've aud discuss this matter as man
\ should talk To man where rational con-
i illusions are sought.
| You believe with us, that Governs
ments derive their just powers from the
consent of the governed that all men
are created equal; that taxation with
/ out representation is tyranny: that the
| form of government ot these United
/ States and Territories is. and should be
! Republican; that the will of the major
| ity is the controlling power To which
/ 'he minority must submit. Thus far
I we repeat the same creed, but here you
| stop, accepting the theory but repuda-
| ting its practical workings and logical
| sequences. This may arise either from
/ selfishness. prejudice, ignorance. or your
/ mental powers have matured under a
/ certain pressure of customs and circum~
stances that renders you slow to appre-
ciate, develop and ado Pt yourself to a
| new order of things after the customs
/ and circumstances that moulded your
ideas and gave them form have been re-
moved. Your condition is, therefore,
either vicious or deplorable. You may
not believe il. but the world Is full of
progress. Consider geology, govern
men:, the arts. sciences, civiliZation-on
] every page is the impress of progress
sion. an approach to the perfect. Your
research will show you too, at every
step, that man has taken pward and
| upward for the good of his fellow man,
| others. in the very same condition as
| you, have derided, hindered, fought,
| prosecuted him. ottIme to the dungeon
| and to death. Some meant well-be-
lieved they were serving humanity and
God. They had matured and hardened
as Democracy has; were not apprecia~
tive that "the world still moves" not
readily susceptible of development, and
were in the exact condition TO be used
as tools by those seeing the truth but
| having ulterior objects to obtain by en-
cOuraging such obstinacy and supersti>
| tious prejudices.
There are a class of people to day who
are blind and laggard as any of history.
They have seen great civil war in
| America, and it's tangible material re-
suits in the suppression of a rebellion.
Do they think that was all , When two
| clouds meet, the storm ensues, the rains
| fall, the vapors eep away and the sun
shine again floods the earth. Is that
| all 2 Does not the grass and the grain
aud the flowers spring prolific as the re-
suit, TO give peace and plenty on the
earth Who sees but the storm and
believes no further is irrational And SO
from our storm of war has sprung up
fruitful field of new ideas, necessities,
principles and progressions.
One OF these is TO give practical life
and energy TO what was heretofore only
fetus in the womb of the Constitu-
ton. Negroes were recognized as ba-
sis of representation in tue South; they
were tax ed; served in our armies; voted
in some States, and in others were held
as slaves. The war freed all Four
millions of black people were in Our
country; VIII was TO be their status2
| They were no longer slaves; they were
not aliens, they were human beings, u
part of that governed people from whom
the just rights OF the government were
.
denied equality before the law-slaves
in all save the husk of name. This
condition was the result of slavery-a
crime against humanity and high heav-
en-, or else our bible our consciences and
constitution are false. Slavery ended,
we must return TO first principles and
follow them in the light of liberty. The
leaders of Republicanism led the way.
( The negro has his rights acknowledged
before the law. He is taxed and must be
represented. \ representation where he
may not choose his representative is a
/ farce Ii he is eligible to vote he is eli>
gibie 10 hold office, and it is discretion~
| airy with the voters or the Executive
whether he be ignored or designated.
Our Civil Rights bill and the 18th and
10Th amendments have brought us
I square up TO these issues. They are
! the avowed tenets and principles of the
/ Republican party, and with them the
/ party stands or falls. In accepting
principle, it must be taken il its
+ depth, and breath. and spirit. Thus
has the Republican party answered the
! question, What shall be done with the
/ negrOf' Ii recognizes him as a free
man il follows that he may become a
I citizen, a voter and official; an pquaI. as
I the law and common sense defines the
/ term. But il does not contemplate mis-
! cegenation or social equality, further
I than individuals may desire. and the
/ less Democracy says on this subject, the
/ less violence will be done the thousands
+ OF slaves and children of slaves who
have the Democratic blood of the South
! in their veins.
I A few years from now and these prin-
! ciples will have been established The
narrow preiudiceS of this day will have.
I fallen as the enmitv TO abolition has fall
len. and even the Democratic laggards
! Will have accepted the inevitable, al
/ though they take it now as castor oil,
and be offering feeble resistance to some
/ other prOpressiOn. as vet moi entered ON