The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-06-02

any other Representatives,, will hav
to be admitted to the President
levees and other places of public re
sort, with their families. This is tn
commencement of that social equalit.
that precedes amalgamation, the mex
step of Radical progress, just as IT,,
X1Vth amendment, which recognized
the right of the States to control theil
own elective franchise, subject to pen
alties, is now superseded by the XVII
amendment Men who were shocked
lat negro suffrage, will, for party pur
poses, take this last step, already fore
shadowed by the social equality bills
! just passed by the negro Legislature:
of Louisiana and South Carolina, tc
the enforcement of which, forever, the
effort is now made to pledge the whole
white race of the North and West by
federal authority.
We command to these coming lights
of progress the following passage from
the great naturalist Professor A gassiz,
in his late work on Brazil, 293: 1
s'Let any one who doubts the evils
of this mixture of the races, and is in
clined, from mistaken philanthropy,
to break down all barriers between
them come to Brazil He cannot de-
ny the deterioration consequent upon
an amalgamation of races, more wide
spread here than in any other country
in the world, and which is rapidly
effacing t. 9 best qualities of the white
nan, the negro, and the Indian, leav-
ing mongrel, nondescript type, def
cent in physical and mental energy.
At a time when the new social statues
of the negro is a subject of vital i'm
portance in craftsmanship, we should
profit by the experience of a country
where, though slavery exists, there is
far more iberality toward the free ne
gro than he has ever enjoyed in the
United States. Let us learn the
double lesson-upon all the advanta-
ges of education to the negro, and give
every chance which culture gives to
the man who knows how to. use it,
but respect the laws of nature, and let
all our dealings with the black man
tend to secure, ss far as possible, the
distinctness of his national character
istics and the integrity of our own" .
Governors Cox and Morton, with
Professor Agassiz, all Republican au-
thority, stand arrayed against the
principles of this amendment But,
greatest of all stands Thomas Jeffer-
son, the author of the Declaration of
Independence, whose oftquoted Ian
guage,- ali men are created free," has
so long, under false Interpretation,
been made the rallying cry of this
crusade which he, in prophetical anti
cipation of this very question, in his
notes on Virginia advocating the alb
clifton of slavery in 1777, says "Noth.
ing is more certainly written in the
book of fate that these people (the
negro) are to be free: nor Is 1t less GER
tam that tile t,oO races equally free, cam
not lire IN the same Government. Ma
ture, habit, opinion, have drawn in
dellible lines of distinction between
them. 1t is still in our power to di-
rect the princess of emancipation and
deportation, and in such slow degrees
as that the evil will wear off insensi-
bly,, and their place be pari passas, fill
ed up by free white laborers. If on
the contrary, it is left to force itself
on, human nature must shudder at the
prospect held up. We should in vain
look for an example in the Spanish
deportation or delition of the Moors. ?
(Jeferson's work, vol. 1, page 40. }
g The warning Of Jefferson was disre-
garded by an extreme party in this
country, and the land has been filled
with mourning and bloodshed. Let
another; party learn from the results,
and give an equal weight to all his
words on that subject. - -' .
Jefferson, in a letter to the histori-
an, Sparks, February 4, 1924, refers
again to this matter, and thinks the
emigration of the negro from our
midst to Mexico, or some more tropic-
al part of America, as the true solu-
ton of the difficulty, and results have
proven the wisdom of his teaching.
Why, now, by the adoption of this
amendment, induce the negro to re-
main in our midst, further to compli-
cate our political relations, and thus
delay that final exodus from the coun-
try along the Gulf to a region of mixed
races which will inevitable work itself
out by the operation of natural causes
under the great law of emigration.
We therefore, recommend the re-
lection of the proposed XVIII amend
ment, because
1st-It centralizes too much power
in the General Government. !.
2d-The State of Ohio having re-
jecied negro suffrage for herself, would
violate the golden, rule of doing to
others as you would be done by ere
she to aid in forcing it upon other
States.
3d-The doctrine of mongrel races
in our Government will be destructive
to the workings of our republican in
stitutions, and result in permanent in
jury to both white and black
4th-That the adoption of this
amendment would effect such a radi-
cal change in the nature and princi-
pies upon which our Government is
founded, as to call for its ratification
by convention of all the States be-
fore it forms a part of our Constitu-
ton. -.
For these reasons, thus briefly stat
ed, with many others that might be
given, we recommend the adoption of
the resolution rejecting this proposed
amendment.
Respectfully submitted,
WIN. LAWRENCE,
MANUEL MAY,
G. III. ScR1BNER,
S. HARMoUNT.