The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1871-03-23
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1t is notable fact, that notwith-
standing the persistent efforts of the
radical party to iegislate the negro D.
| to equality with the white men of the
| country, that there is to-day as great
a repugnance TO embrace s.the man
and brother" as existed in the days
when the pro-siaverF element was
| dominant in the politics of the land,
and made and moulded public senti-
ment. The radical leaders are fully
cogniZant of this, as is shown in their
management of the question, never
daring 10 submit it to the people, but
CARRYING it through legislatures by
means of a liberal application of the
party lash to the shoulders of such
members as gave any evidence of an
I indisposition to swallow the ebony
dose. In defense of this conduct,
which they declare to be anti-repub-
lican, they mount an extremely ele-
| vated political horse, and say that the
masses need not to be educated up to
the new dogma that prejudice on ac-
count of race or color is the result of
ignorance, and that after the new re-
form has had practical test, the
masses will quietly acQuiesce, and the
car of progress will roll on to new
triumphs. This is the salve, we say,
that radicalism applies to the sore of
discomfort. and with which it hopes
to stifle the cries of its white follow
ers. But the remedy has lost its
strength and healing qualities, and
every day the antagonism TO negro
equality becomes more intense and
powerful. We have seen a negro in
the Senate chamber of the United
States, and in the various State Leg
islatures, as we'll as in the lower
branch of the national legislature
white men have shook these dusky
children of Ham by the hand; have
sat in public conveyances with them;
have dined at the same table; drank
out of the same vessel, and, as far as
it were possible, have given a practic-
al recognition to the new doctrine,
and yet what effect has this had upon
the multitude? Not any. Here in
Pittsburgh the negro is thought no
more of socially than he was ten years
ago, if, indeed, there has grown up of
late a more decided aversion to him
on account of the aggressive charac-
ter of the new claims his friends have
set up for him.
We do not propose TO go into
learned disquisition on the cause of
this; we simply recognize the fact
that there is an instructive and uncon-
querable repugnance among major
ity of the white men of the United
States to the negro, when the latter is
thrust forward as the equal of the for
mer; aud that instead of this growing
feebler as the people are familiarized
with the proposition the opposite is
really the case.
This opposition to the doctrine OF
negro equality does not go so far as
to deny him equal figlete- -eeFore the
law, and his entire freedom to work
out his destiny in his own way.
1t is based simply ON that pride
which will not admit that there is no
difference between the beautiful and
the hideous; the upright and the de-
formed ; the idiotic and the intellect
ual. Some people may say this is
very sinful, and that it is not at all
charitable, but with the aspect of the
question we have nothing to do.
That which is instructive is not of
necessity logical, nor according to the
written law but it is in accordance
with the law of nature, which draws
very distinctly line of demarkation
between the higher and lower grades
of life, as we'll in vegetable as in ami
NAL life. However political forces
are at work, the cauldron of puplic
opinion is seething, and ere long the
dogma of negro equality will be bur-
led beneath an avalance of ballots, and
the era of white supremacy will have
returned once more.-IRe Paper.