The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1870-09-29
Hon. Ralnh Leeie /:

Mr. DEAR SIR:-l publish your speech
in full in the Standard this week. l
always like to read your speeches, be-
cause you do your own thinking and
speaking, and your productions are not
a rehash of what others have said. You
and l agree, in theory, in much that you
say, But in many things | disagree
with you. l propose to call your at
tention to some of those matters where
| think you are amistaken.
You start out by intimating that You
think that slavery can never be restoredi
yet you must be aware that large por-
tion of your party is in favor of undo
ing all that has been done by the Re-
publican party, including the several
amendments abolishing slavery. You
even call the great Fifteenth Amend
ment, 'Ghe so-called Fifteenth Amend
meut," thus clearly indicating that you
do not regard it as binding.
You say that the ballot, or suffrage,
is the foundation upon which the Re-
publican form of government rests.
Then you arrogate TO yourself the pow
er TO say who has intelligence enough
to vote; because you pat your objec-
tiou to negro suffrage upon the ground
of want Of intelligence. You
very well know that the negroes, even
in the darkest corners of the South,
every man, woman and child of them,
were true to the government, while the
intelligent white people were nearly all
traitors. You refer to the 81, 900 majori-
ty in New York, as a condemnation of
negro suffrage You know that there
are districts in New York City where
the census shows that there were more
Democratic votes cast than there were
residents, including women and child.
rem. Here you would permit the men
who carried on the riot in aid of the re-
bellion in July, 1868, to vote fifty to
one hundred times each, to disfranchse
the colored man, who was true and 10y
al. And this is your idea of the true
principle of the basis of Republican gov
ernment What right have | to say
to you, or to any other man, you have
not intelligence enough to votei Al
the Egyptian said to Moses, "who made
thee ruler or a judge in this matter p
On the Chinese question you appear
to be much in earnest. You would pro-
hibit by law, the Chinese coming tc
this country. Now, what will you do
with this plank, in your State platform
"That the liberal principles embodied
by Jefferson in the Declaration of In
dependence, and sanctioned in the Con-
stitution which makes ours the land OF
of liberty and the asylum of the oppress.
ed Of every nation, have over been car
dinal principles ofthe Democratic faith,
and every attempt to abridge the priyi-
lcges of becoming citizens and owners
OF sell among us, ought to be resisted
with the same spirit which swept the
alien and sedition laws from our statute
books, and in order that we may more
distinctly declare our views of the meas
ures and policies of the present admin
istration," sc,
Mr.. Leete, have been censured fol
saying that you possessed statesman
ship. How can | defend myself, when
you go directly in antagonsm to the
platform upon which you accepted your
nomination. | suppose you intend to
construe your platform the same as your
party has always construed the DecIara-
ton of Independence, that all men are
created equal, except niggers by Cd.
You would make ours the asylum Of
the oppressed Of every nation, except
the Chinese by Cd. That is too con-
tracted view TO be taken by such a
man as | have always regarded you.
| am pleased to notice that You have
not come down to the narrow minded
prejudices OF the ignorant, as to the
character of the Chinese, Yet you
speak several times as if you think that
the influence of these people upon the
religious, social and political insttu-
tions of the United States, would be
detrimental
DIR. William Speer, in his recent work
on China, in his preface, says:
"A leading German philosopher.
(Frederick Won Schlegel,) in summing
up the characteristics of the Chinese
says that their skill in agriculture, and
their unique and, in their way, excel
lent, products Of industry and manu(ac.
tnre, prove the very high degree Of
civilization to which this people has
attainedi' that they are 'cntilled to a
high, even one of the highest, places
among civilized nations, and are ro-
markablc for the utmost polish aud re.
iinement Of manners 1t is hard to ac-
count for the common estimate of Chi.
m and its people in Great Britain aud
America otherwise than by attributng