The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-08-12
pailp ARGUS.
PREJUDICE AGAINST COLOR.

PREJUDICE AGAINST OoLoh'
The recent ARRAY on tho steamer Dubuque
has opened full park of Republican "riil'
lerv of all calibres on prejudice against color
in general, and the Democratic party in
particular, as the sole inventor and patentes
of the article. The Dubuque outrage ia
directly charged to the account of this pref
udice.
For the pnrpose of saying something can
did on the subject and having it candidly
read, we freely admit that il is very probably
that if the clerk Of the Dubuque had placed
white men as guards at the stairway, no di''
fcalty would have occurred, and that the
sFray, in all probability, originated simply
because the rafSmen reyolted against the
idea Of being controlled ar regulated 10 their
movements by negroes, even though acting
under the orders Of white man and tina,
their feeling of revusion may properly be
called prejudice against color. Is not this
admission as full as to facts as our Republ
can contemporaries can ask? The adms'
sion, however, by no means commits US to
the Republican conclusion drawn from the
facts admitted. The conclusion is clearly a
HoH.seqlitur.
VIII any respectable Republican journal,
having regard for the truth, assert that PREF.
udice against coloror q partially for persons
of our own race, is confined 10 those who
vote the Democratic ticket? Further VIII
any such Republican journal assert that but
for the alleged policy of the Democratic party
Of this country on the negro question (which
we insist is persistently misrepresented there
would not exist a prejudice against that race
among white people Does not every nation.
atty even though having the same color and
speaking the same language with others,
possess more or less pref udice against them
and partially for its own The question is
not how Just such prejudice is nor to what
extent it leads those who possess it; does it not
as a matter of fact EXIST California alone Of
oil our states has a considerable population
from the Celestial Empire. Does not preju.
dice exist against them as a people among
our OVID nationality there And if so, is it
confined to one or the other political party =?
Again: Is the mind Of the white man per.
fectly free from prejudice against the red man
Of the West2 lie belongs to the "brother.
hood Of men" and has his origin in the
"father hood of God Not only that; he
has some redeeming traits of character as
well as a savage nature and pumpkin
complexion. Not only that; he is the origin.
al native Aurrican,' who in the distribu.
ton Of races and continents, fell heir to this
vast territory, and has natural and legal
rights which have not been regarded by his
Chris'ianizers. Yet we verify believe there
exists a prejudice against the Indians as a
people, and that it is not peculiar to the
Democratic party, and that it is not
responsible for it. We further believe that
there are other nationaities against which n
general prejudice exists Indeed there are
certain classes Of our own race, having as
clearly the patent Of God 3 nobility as others,
against whom prejudice exists-aud who
are not admitted TO perfect equality with all
mankind.
In conclusion it does honestly seem to US
that before prejudice against the colored
people as q race can be extrpated from the
white race they must bleach their sable cut.
Gle take on new facial contour particularly
Of nose and lips, have their feet entirely re
constructed, including the taking of two or
three reefs in their heels, have their scalps
canopied with finer and straighter locks, and
in short-become another being; or a radi.
cal and thorough transformation must take
place in human nature and that part of it
which now SO strongly, and may he wicked
ly, prefers grace to ungainliness and awk-
wardness, beauty to ugliness, symmetry to
shambliug deformity, Intelligence and
yivaclty to ignorance and stolidity, must be
lett out. AS for ourselves we confess that
We are afflicted with prejudices and prefer.
ences and human frailties generally but yet
we would not, deliberately and designedly
do even a colored man wrong. Fully dc
we concede to him, life, liberty and the pur
suit of happiness, and the belief that all mel
are created equal, but do not think thes
necessarily draw after them the absolute
right to do everything that anybody else
may do; nor do we believe it imposes upon
rs the duty of surpndering our tastes and
preferences. Hence we insist that we violate
no law, human or divine, and that we com.
NIT no srespass upon the most in6nitesimal
night of any human b,ing by indulging a
partlallty for our own race in any or all re.
spects. Our right in this respect is as clear
as it is to harbor a prejudice against red
hair.