Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1869-04-08
Cant About Cast.

Mr.. John c. Jacob. of Kings county,
New York, has lately made telling
speech in the Legislature of the State
against the proposed ratification by that
body of the Fifteenth Amendment of the
Federal Constitution. After exposing the
indecent haste of the Radicals in pressing
this amendment; their partisan purpose in
voting down the proposition that this
question should be submitted to conren-
lions, because just at this, moment three
fo0rths of the Legislatures of the States
are Radical SIR. Jacobs made the follow
= ing point, not only showing up the Puri-
tanical hypocrisy about Caste" but pro-
claiming with great power the solemn
warning which history makes against the
efforts to bring into social contact two IN
eougenial, antagonistic and utterly ire
concilable races. a Mr.. Davis had in
troduced the subject of caste" To this
Mr. Jacobs replied:
Then the gentleman spoke of CASTE
Ffe told US that caste and the prerogatives
Of caste must give way to the progress Of
The day Why, sir, away down in Mas
sachusetts-and I think the gentlemen
from Duchess (Mr. Hegeman) spoke of it
III his speech-away down in Massachu-
sets there was settlement years ago OF
white men coming from foreign cline
They founded a colony they found a foe
in the Indian. Did they assimilate with
him? Not at all. They kept away from
hin; What is the result? Why, the har-
dy race of New England. Away down in
South America the white men made set
clement and they assimilated with Indians;
and what is the result? Let the rotten re-
public of Mexico and the degenerate re-
publics OF South America answer. Talk
about caste. Why, his own ancestors
repealed association with those not of their
own race. Other white men would not
follow their wise example and become de-
generate like the negro. [ tell you, sir,
that caste lives. You cannot eradicate
it. The white man will always feel that
he is a white man. He will always res
pect himself as white man. 1t is impos-
sible that he should do otherwise. Take.
sir, negro, care not how light in col
or, Or how intelligent in mind he may be
take negro and give him the benefits
of the best education that can be procured
give him wealth, make him as much the
gentleman as you can, and my friend from
Orange would not for a moment associate
with him-not for moment, sir Take the
commonest laborer who walks the streets
of New York, who digs in its sewers or
cleanses its thoroughfares, put money in
his pockets and fine clothes on his back,
and the gentleman of Orange would walk
arm in arm with him down Broadway
That is one of the distinctions made by
caste. 1t is to the race 1t exists. You
cannot eradicate it. When you will not
associate with the negro, when you will
not give him the privilege which you
would give besotted man who has mere
ly money in his pocket, is it just, is it
fair, or is it right that you shoald ask us
to vote for an amendment to the funda-
mental law Of the land, placing that negro
upon political equality with US | say
that the man who can never become So
cially our equal the equal of the white
i say that man is utterly unfit ever to
become our political equal What do the
people of the State say about it? They
say, by almost as many majority as the
gentleman's party has votes, that they
agree with us. They have always said it.
The people of most all the Radical States
of the West have said it, and they will
continue to say it as long as the gentle
mans party gives them an opportunity.