New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-05-18


that State that the very foundation stone O
Republicanism-that the majority shall gov
ern lis there TO be overturned, and in Soutl
Carolina the minority must rule the majority
The fact Is admitted that in that State there i
clear majority Of colored men but, say th,
minority they ought not to govern the State
why? Because they are ignorant becaus,
they are not owners of the property of tn,
State. No other charge 10 made against them
This, then. il | understand it, is what the
Southern Democracy claims that republican
government means, that the majority Shall no,
rule unless that majority are the owners of the
property of the State that the majority shall
not rule unless that majority is composed o,
the educated classes. And that too comes
from party that seeks sfiliation at the North
with the lrishman and German. and foreigner.
who lands upon our shores without knowledg e
| OF our Institutions and with scarce property
enough to bring him across the water Mark,
IL IL not who say that the ignorant Irshman
or Herman ought not to vote ii is the South.
ern Democrat who says that the uneducated man
ought not to have voice in public affairs 1t
Is not who say that the poor Irishman or Ger
man shall not have his fair share in his own
government it is the Southern Democrat. with
his Northern ally, who declares that the poor
man In the majority will be governed bv the
rich man IN the minority. On the contrary,
claim that all men are equally entitled to the
ballet as an Unborn right. believe in the
right OF the majority to govern. had rather
| cast my lot In land governed by an unedu-
Gated majority than by an educated minority.
l bold the aggregate intelligence of the mass
Ia determining the necessities and the laws of
! the society under which they live is better TO
| De trusted than the intellect, however refined of
the few swayed by their passions, preiudices.
and lust OF power. had rather take my stand
with the poor men governing country being
tue greater number, than be governed by the
rich men, being the few. An oligarchy,
| whether OF wealth, of BIRTH or of education. ali
experience has shown. is the worst government
of all. Better, far better. the rule of one man
than the rule OF many men less than the major
part OF all. His vices and wrongs divided
among the mass will be in6nitessimal in their
hurt. Their grasping desires and passions will
multiply the expressions of his in the ratio of
! their numbers
See the arrogant ingrattude of these South
Caroiinians, whose reasoning | take up AS a
| specimen OF the whole thought Of the South
W no are the cOlored men of South Carolina :?
Ihey are the maj ority of the laborers thew are
the majority of the wealth producers they are
the majority of the citizens possessing under
! our Constitution and under every idea of re-
publican government, the majority Of rights :;
and why should they not govern And what
Is that democracy. therefore, that says that they
shall not govern Are they the evil-dsposed
by no means. Witness their actisn even dur
ing the late civil war, when, being in the ma.
Jority, and having full power, if they had chosen
to use 1t, to have inflicted uatod injuries upon
their masters, they remained quietly about
their labors, even taking care Of the women and
children OF those who had oppressed and robbed
them during their entire lives
Are they, indeed, ignorant? Sufficient TO
answer those who complain of their Ignorance
that If so it is your own fault WHY didn't YOU
educate them If ignorant, what now is your
complaint That they cannot be trusted with
legislative power, because they are 80 eager for
! learning that their first acts are to adopt so
extensive and expensive school system that
the taxes upon property are too heavy that
their desire for knowledge is so great that thew
impose too heavy burdens upon the property
OF the State in order to get rid of that igno-
| rance which was forced upon them without
their consent and of which you complain. You
do not seem to accuse them of rejoicing in their
ignorance. And II their ignorance is so detri-
mental TO the State, the quicker il is rid of it
the better, the higher the taxes for that purpose
the better and their laudable endeavor to fit
themselves for their duties as citizens is the
last thing with which the educated minority
Or the property-holder of the State should
! charge as wrong done to yourselves You
aver that education makes the better citizen,
and still you complain of the uneducated be-
cause they seek education by which to raise
themselves to that higher plane where ONLY it
is asserted by the educated white man. the gov
erning power ought to reside Unreasonably,
you hrst declare that ignorance degrades the
man, and then object TO the means which the
ignorant man takes to dlspel his ignorance. 1t
Is agreed on all hands that education is a safe
guard against crime, protection to society," an
insurance upon property. Why, then, do We
hear from South Carolina the burden of com
plant against laws passed by a Legislature,
majority OF whom are colored men, which
taxes the property Of the State for the purpose
of educating the children of the State
But deny the ignorance of the colored men
OF the South. They were not taught from
books; but they learned, even as slaves-from
source cannot stop to inquire-how to be
loyal to their Government their duties and
obligations to the State; and that was more
than their masters ever knew. In fealty to
law, in his obligations to the Government of
his country, his obedience to superiors and sub
mission to rulers, the negro as a class has never
ialtered never has made mistake and his
conduct during the war has become the admi-
ration OF nations. How he acquired that
knowledge would be q curious matter of re-
search, Tor the principles which lie at the fOun-
datlon OF those duties of the citizen are the
subject of the most subtle Of the disputations
OF Socrates and of the most argumentative of
the epstles of Paul. Besides, to them as
slaves the Government had been nothing but
the guarantee of their oppressian. They knew
enough during the rebellion TO treat with kind
ness, consideration, courtesy, and humanity,
the helpless ones committed to their charge.
During that long war, when they were left
almost alone in the State, we hear scarcely an
instance OF henious crime, of rapine, of rob-
perry, OF murder, by the negro when slave.
How IS it that elevating him into a free man
has changed him into the demon and fiend
winch his late master would fain have us be-
leve the citizen negro has become, so that he
can only be controlled by disguised bands
riding At night to whip and scourge his person,
burn his dwelling, and murder his little ones
lie knows how to exercise the Christian virtues
OF charity, forbearance, and forgiveness, al
though oppressed from generation to genera
ton.
therefore, let me say, in all kindness of ad-
monitor to the Southern men who ride at night
10 murder the negro and burn his dwelling,
That they better not tresspass too far upon the
patient kindness of his nature, or the desire of
the negro for peace. warn them that he will
stand about so much killing, and that he bears
with the evils and wrongs inflicted upon him
by his midnight pursuers simply because he
looks to the Government for protection and
thinks it neither his duty nor privilege under
the laws to protect himself. But if, as | trust
will not be the case, the Government fails in
that duty, and he once takes up arms for his
protection, his hunters will quail and fee before