The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1870-10-21

"a HAN AND BROTHER"
Old Jacob Gaskin, aged 50 years, APP
peared in his best broad cloth at the PLAIN
township poll on election day and cast his
first Uote. Old Jacob was proud, and
seemed to appreciate that he was now a
man and brother"
The election judges in old Democratic
Plain obeyed the XVIII amendment, and
treated Jacob as the man and brother"
although Of course he voted the mongrel
ticket. 1t was curious, somewhat, to old
and young, to see there as black a negro
as Gaskin. There has been no previous
m-iscegenation in his case-not a particle.
But Jacob is an exception to his color in
these parts, in industry and true worth.
He has lived in old Plain among the
white men that rule there for many, many
years, and has become wealthy, owning
three farms now. His accumulation has
been got by industry and economy. He
is about the only example of his race in
Stark county-probably the only success
full example.
Gaskin, for about fifty years in Demo-
cratic Plain, has had the same protection
of person and property-the same security
of life. as his Democratic neighbors had
The same laws that protected them pro-
tected him, and the only difference was
that they, white men, had the privilege of
voting which he had not. In short, Gas
kin has always been the equal of his
white neighbors before the law, so far as
regards "lif-. liberty and the pursuit Of
happiness"
In respect to lawful security Of life and
property. Gaskin is Just where he was
The mongrcl tyranny of this country
claims to have conferred upon him the
privilege Of voting-that is all and if
Jacob should live a few years he may
wonder what it amounts to. He will be
APP to set less and less store by the fran
chise as he continues to exercise it. 1t
will not add another farm to his domain
nor a mule to his stock.
The members of the Dunkard and 9TH
er religious societies in our country, many
of them residing in this county and good
citizens, steadfastly refuse to exercise their
privilege to vote. Our women are exclu-
ded by custom and law, and males under
81 years, as wen as foreigners not natu-
rallied. 1t will be seen, therefore, that
but q small fraction of the population vote.
At the late election IN Stark county not
n in six. Indeed the vote anywhere
seldom exceeds one in six
1t will thus be seen the elective fran
chise, as it exists in this country, is a
privilege, giving to the recipient thereof a
small voice in the management of Public
affairs if he chooses to exercise it under
standingly. When the negroes became
free they had the same privileges before
and under the law that the voter OF any
other person had. Indeed we see all over
the south the negro clothed with political
power, while the white citizens there are
deprived of that privilege, and that, too,
without having had a trial under the law
before a judicial tribunal. all which is spec
tally provided for in the Constitution-I
that is, no person can be deprived Of any
right except upon presentment, indictment
trial, conviction and sentence. Why, if a
set of scoundrels happen to get control of
government, they can continue in power
by passing an act DISTINGUISHING their op-
ponents. The wise men who framed our
Constitution provided that no man could
be arraigned and punished except by due
process Of law.
The short and the long Of it is, the party
in power have been arranging to continue
their hold upon the government, and con-
tinue to build up their moneyed dssRst
ism. HeHc07their exclusion of white votes
and the comforting of the elective franchise
upon the negro.
We desire to purge olsrseT of the XVIII
Amendment fraud, and its appropriate
legislation" We do not believe in trace
equality" The God of Nature has settled
that question long before the mongrellea-
ders wanted negro help TO retain political
power. We have no hostility to the ne
gro. but we do not wish to degrade the
caucasian race, the highest type OF man
kind, by miscegenation and mixing with
lower and degraded races. A eontempor-
airy very truthfully says:
at is not color the white Democracy
object to, but the inferionty' which the
said 'colored' species are born with, and
which has ever untitled them for s~elf-gov-
eminent. The white mans party declares
the white race as dominantthe world over,
and thousands Of years history proves
this. The white species possess a higher
organization. It has ever ruled the bal
ance Of human kind, and ruled intelligent
iy, and therefore successfully. It is
the most progressive of all the species,
while the negro the inferior of all human
species. has no progressive qualities at all.
The Africa of to-day is the Africa of a
thousand years ago"