Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-05-13
The OOlOred Vote.

The New York Herald recently pub |
hshed letter from George T. Downing, |
leading colored citizen, on the subject
Of HThe Colored Vote" The letter Is
dated Washington, April 90. We extract
/, from Fas follows
The late amendments to the Constitu-
ton, adopted because the rights Of black
men have been outraged, have each sec
tioa empowering Congress to enforce
them by appropriate legislation. The
.colored man knows that il is essential to
have retained in power the parties that
proposed these amendments, to the end
of having such appropriate legislation
enacted as shall enforce the provisions In
question, as well as for the general inter
est of the country he knows that 1t Will
be necessary to have ajudiciary and exec.
utivp to interpret and enforce the same
until all parties shall readily acquiesce
therein. This points TO the colored mans
Adhesion to the present dominant party,
and gives no hope to any movement either
y In the Interest of Mr.. Chase or any other
probable party.
"Can the Democratic party hope for
Our Yotesunder any circumstances Oer-
atainly not, so long as 1t loses no opportu-
sJnity 10 Unnecessarily, in obedience to
seemingly inveterate hate, oppose every
move looking toward respect for us. Some
sfiuenoes, some Remembering comparative
akind actssl some through misrepresepta-
stions, fraud, fear, starvation; some through
bribery human nature dwells in white
and black Che saine'--but the mass of the
Rcolored people will be found voting with
the Republican party. / ask it to be CON
.sistent and liberal. The number will be
more or less large as the mass shall be
more or less informed. The leading men
IN Aaa ,,if Of ha
with by those known to them, who can
get near to them, who shall be
well informed, going among them
quietly, dispensing Information, and
urging them to beware of the wiles
ofthe enemy, and to be true to the party
that has done so much for them to dis
regard the overtures of parties who
while they speak Mandatory of the colored
man, at the same time, to the discerning
disrespect and outrage them. do moi
know a more fitting illustration of the
,sJsame than the article in LtpptncottS Mag
dsine for April, entitled 'The Negro in
the South, by Edward A. Pollard. The
animus of the entire article is open to 9
most severe criticism, which, however,
do not propose to give. The author con
fesses that he was educated to regard the
ytnegro as specifically inferior to the whit,
mana lower order of human beings
l%** He stigmstizes it as inso
lence' for negro to attempt to intrud'
'' into theater, hotel, or railroad car, whert
the distinctions of society have excluded
him. He attempts to deceive by calling
this social equality No intelligent col
ored man, like intelligent white men, de
srmands any legislation which shall maxi
social intercourse imperative. Social in
Stercourse is and should be left matter o.
choice with parties. l should never con
sent to admitting into my social circle, u
social intercourse, all of the white persons
tafI might meet in theater, hotel, or rail
road car. / should claim the right to {
choice, to have regard to character, ap
pearance, worth, education, refinement
but, nevertheless, in all these places, in
stituted for public convenience, this rgh
to. assist being obtained by license,
claim by virtue of my civil rights to b.
respected therein without regard Il
- my color. The same party, usinl
;. the argument of the old slave driver
says in the same article that the negroe
i of the South want most of all, champion
-, among the Just and thoughtful white peo
10 pie of the South that if they are wis
~ they will seize every opportunity to vot
into Office every native white man OF tn
JJSouth willing to concede their rights. III
'S' says the world is giving the negro grea
-SEnotice. tits we'll disposed to every etfor
h,she puts forth to make progress and +
take off the reproach of his race. He says
l,sl let this large and beneficial regard en-
- courage him to continue for time pu
: pilage, to work steadily on, and not tC
q, ruin his future and destroy the whole ex
pertinent of his race in this country by al
eager, childish desire to suddenly appro
pirate a civilization and influence beyon
his time and present capacity. He say
there are decent and honorable whit
men in the South who are willing to Civ
the negro his proper rights. He ask
=, the negro to give up his causes of resent
-, ment against the native whites of tn
- South, and to abandon as well his falls
friendship with the North and his hope
with the selfish and feeting policy of al
alien party. To all of which l would i
brief reply. Why confne the champion
ship to white persons Why not haV
some from among themselves? Why no
If the objection does not lie in his color
select a Bland, whose ability he so highl
y'iiextols in his article, to vote him into o
81 fee? Does not the old spirit stick out her
1"the negro is very well in his placer" VIII
draw this nice distinction between natiy
white men of the South and others
Does it not partake of the 'mud-sill' tn
,yory hitherto SO common among the Pc
lards of the South? / know that thel
are honorable native Southern men,
whom have more confidence than ca
have in any one who can write as abov
What reproach is on the negro, save IL
very submission he would urge upon hir
The 'pupilage,' the working steadi
on he would have true of the negro
would assimilate his relation to that
the submissive, dependent slave your Pc
lards would have him to be. The neg
must not appropriate a civilization al
influence beyond what Mr.. Pollard T
CARDS the negro's true and present capaC
ty, while white men who are less capab
may. The matter turns on the gentl
mans term, the 'negro's proper right
This Is the rub. The gentleman qualit
z as to rights. There are rights prope
specifically for the negro; rights in cor
amoR the eonnot realize. He admits tn
the negro has causes of resentmel
against the native whites of the Sout
but asks them to give them up-to aba
don his friends in the North The al
mating spirit of this entire article is
transparent that had not the Republics
party no higher recommendation for Il
support of the negro than is furnished
- ,thissaEticle it could not hope for his su
poft"
Animal Instinct.
a1aTHE instinct of animals is sometim