The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-10-25
A Leading Abolitionist is Aston
ished.
Parker Pillsbury's First Visit South
The Negroes Unfit 10 Vote.

Editorial Correspondence of the n. Y. Revolu.
CHARLESTON, October 1869.
You ask me to write q letter to The
Revolution. The thing seems scarcely
possible from this locality. Not that
material is wanting, but because it is
too abundant. Slavery, you know, was
my theme for thirty years, now it is
suffrage. For the former, am too near
it, or its relics and ruins, to see and
speak of them to advantage. Some OBJ
jects are so huge as to be seen best at
distance. And as to suffrage, begin by
saying that though it is the right now,
and will one day be the duty of every
woman in the nation, the present is not
the time to agitate it here in the South.
Push il at the North against all Obstac-
les and opposition; sparing nothing
sacred or prOfane, that lies in your way.
But meantime we Ray rest the suffrage
question here, for period at least, until
some much more elementary culture
and elevation are secured. He surely
must have low estimate of the solemn
responsibilities of a government involv
ing the liberty, the person, the property
and life of every individual in that gov
eminent, who would force the ballot on
thousands and thousands to be seen all
over the South. And forced it rds on
many men, rhererer the Slares hare voted;
as much as were ever their tasks in the
cotton field. They kRew no more and cared
no more for rhat they did in roting, than
as If they iUere as iWdntile in years as
they as in citizenship and in political er.
perience.
That they are thus lost is what l was
endeavoring to show. In moral culture
and domestic and social position, their
case is more deplorable than in the
merely intellectual. The white people
here prate continually of their ignor-
ance and inferiority. But they should
remember that they themselves have
had the teaching aud the training of
them through ten Of their generations,
and this, of which they now complain,
is the melancholy result. Intcmperance
here is frightfully prevalent, and the
colored people share almost universally
in the evil. The whisky here is diabol
ical, and yet they love it more than any
thing else! women as we'll as men.
They drink it red-hot frem the barrel,
clean and pure, and have seen moth
ers pour it thus down the threats of
their six months old babies. And what
is worse, there are very few white men
who employ them to any extent, that
does not keep barrel on tap, and fur
nlsh 1t to them whenever better bar.
gain, or more work can be had thereby.
There are no traces of a temperance
association among them, so far as have
seen or heard. The marriage tie is not
even beau-knot among them. There
is no tie about it as a general fact. On
the plan tations, very few children very
few, are born. Infanticide is common.
it IL said, but marriage Is rare, unless
forced upon the parties, and that is not
frequent. In the towns it is somewhat
better than in the country, but every
where, apparently, among those poer be-
ings, the legal restraints of marriage
are but little regarded. The ballot
may be the one thing needful there; but
it seems to me, soap, sand, fine tooth
combs, pots, kettles, chairs, table knives,
forks, spoons, decent food, cooking and
clothing, glass windows and even look
ing glasses, should at least go side by
side, if they may not precede the rights
OF suffrage and sovereignty.