The Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Ind.) 18??-1920, 1870-07-28

the STATE OF Indiana. The House OF
Refuge nj Piainfield was bull. i'm the
meantime. Then we finished the
Northern Penitentiary-a very heavy
expense left to us by the Demo cratic
party. Then we have enlarged our
/ Hospital for the Insane, and in the
meantime our school fund has been
increased until Indiana has the largest
school fund OF any State in the Union
f lCbeers Our common school system
has been vastly improved, until il now
approaches IN excellence the common
school systems Of New England from
which we first drew cur system.
] can not close tonight without say
ing something about the fifteenth
amendment. | want it distinctly un-
derstOod that | am i'm favor of that,
[ Laughter and applause and may say
that ] had something TO do with its
adoption and ratification. am glad
| did. That question has been now
settled, and settled forever. Mr.. Noor-
hees, and Mr. Hendricks, and Demo-
cratic politicians in Indiana may re-
solve that it was done fraudulently
and is not binding, but they might as
well attempt TO dam up the Mlssis-
sippi with straw. 1t il the law Of
the land, and not al the Democratic
In .
from the Constitution. The question
is settled, ana now we have equal
rights. The Republican party abol-
ished slavery. II found this land with
four millions Of sla, es, and now. thank
God, not "A slave treads our soil.
Every man is free. The Declaration
of Indepencnce has been realized; the
blemish Of slavery has been wiped
out
teenth Amendment, and resolved that
slavery should never exist in this
country. Then came the Fourteenth
Amendment, by which we declared
that every man born in this country
was n citizen of the United States, and
of the State, and that il should not be
in the power of any State to deprive
him of his rights. And then the cap
shea(-the climax of the whole mat
ter-was the ratification Of the Eff
tecnth Amendment, by which no
State was permitted to deprive any
man of the right of suffrage on ac-
count OF his color. Has it done any
harm any where? No. a great many
people were afraid they would be en-
dangered If n few colored people in
their midst had the right Of suffrage.
People that could ride in the same close
carrige with colored people, and live
with them constantly in the inter-
course of every day life, suddenly
found that it was offensive TO be in the
presence Of these people moment if
they were free, that ii was intolerable
if they had the right TO vote. Now
the right Of suffrage has been confer
red on the colored people in all the
Southern States, what is the result?
Do they not behave we'll? You have
heard Of riots in New York and Dos
ton, but you have not heard OF diff
culties arising anywhere because the
colored people were allowed TO vote,
except where white rowdies attempted
10 deprive them of their rights. 1t
has settled the whole question. 1t
gives peace, and what is more, il gives
Justice. We have done Justice 10
these colorcd men. Many Of them
went into the army and fought well
and bravely for our country. They
have received equal rights and privi
leges, and l have no fear that they
will abuse them.
But the Democratic party lived off
the negro n great many years. He
was their daily bread. They carried
election after election by the prejudices
they were able to excite on the subject
of color, and now we find prominent
politicians of Indiana going about and
appealing TO tie lowest passions of
white men on the subject of color, and
asking them if they want to stay with
a party and vote with party that
will let negroes vote. Thus they de-
graded themselves by appealing to
10, md NJ a Ill
the most of you have heard of Mr..
Hendricks laughter was in New
Orleans last winter, where the Demo-
cratic party If they can get any con-
siderable portion Of the colored vote
will have Il majority. He made
speech t. the white Democrats of New
Orleans, and what do you think he
said 10 them? i will tell you what he
did not say. lie never said "niggern
once. lie never spoke CONTEMPORARY
OF these coiored men, but spoke Of
them in the kindcst and most respect
full terms, and exhorted the Demo-
cratic party of Louisiana to conciliate
and cultivate the colored vote, and
went on to make an argument in ia
vor of the colored people. lie told
them how well the colored men had
behaved during the war, and how
faithful they had been, and after hav-
ing made an argument in their favor
that did him credit, he made another
argument. lie said political equality
did not mean social equality. He
said the colored people did not desire
social equality, or amalgamation; that
they preferred 10 live to themselves,
and that no danger of social equality
would result from political equality.
Ihat Ia the armlnnnnt Of Mr. Hon |