The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1872-09-11
Letter from John ii. smyth.

september Sth, 1871.
To tie Editor Of the State Journal:
l desire through your paper to disabuse
the public of statement made in the col
umns of the Richmond Wing relative to
speech made by me in this city. Iquote
and proceed;
"Smyth there declared that the mission
of the Republican party in America would
not be completed until the most perfect
social equality should be established"
" He said that the principles and aims of
that party looked to equal association of
both races, not only on the cars, &c., but in
hotels, churches, places of amusement,
schools, &c."
Here you have verbatim statement of
what | did not say in q speech delivered at
the Old African Baptist church, nor else
where, either in public or private, at that
time or at any other time.
Nay, more, by no construction, however
prejudiced that mind might be, that was so
impressed to my utterances of truth, and
however subtle philologist in taking adj
vantage of words and their collocation; it
would have been impossible to have made
the language spoken by me convey the most
remote idea of social equality, to say nothing
of the nearness of such thought.
Social equality does not depend on tex
ture or color of skin, mental excellence,
pecuniary successes, the richness or pow
erty of blood, not one nor all of these con-
siderations. but such equality is governed
by the law of affinity. r. T. Daniels,
ESQ. associates with Hon. Henry A.
Wise, not because he is white, learned
wealthy, is "blood," nor, forsooth,
because he (Mr. Daniels) favors the
straight-out Democratic movement"
but because there is something not known
to others than himself that induces the
selection of Mr.. Wise, for which one cam
not account, who is not cognizant Of that
kindred somewhat that eliminates in each
accepting the other and holding him his
| peer.
AS far as common law rights are con-
ccrned, together with all the rights EMU
merated in the civil rights bill, not within
! the perview of the common law, there
should be no exception taken by Liberal
or Republican. Consistently there cannot
be any exception taken to my words by the
Greeley party, and certainly every old line
Republican must repudiate such thought.
| Why? The Greeley Liberal party, as
an organization, and the Grant Union Re-
publican party, each stand forth before the
world, before the American people on its
platform. On these platforms as
their records, they ask the votes of
citizens. As to rights before the law,
rights guaranteed us by the constitution,
each party pledges itself on its platform to
enforce by appropriate legislation citizen
ship to the blacks, and recognizes the civil
rights bill, as the instrument by which
what now is black citizenship, shall cease
| to be, what now is white citizenship shall
cease to be in fine, that none other than
| American citizenship shall be, which recog-
nizes for all men the fullest, "most perfect"
equality before the law.
AS between the two great political or
CARNATIONS of the country, there is in this
| particular no issue. So say the Liberals, so
there does not prima facie appear. Each
is vieing with the other to accord the same
equivalent citizenship to the negro that
| the white man now enjoys no more, not
less. Else, if this be not the Interpretation
of the intent patent and latent Of the plat
form, what has the negro offered him as q
consideration why he should vote the Lib
eral ticket what has he offered as a
consideration, if this argument is denied
that he should vote the regular Republican
| ticket?
IT'S not policy to attempt to conceal or
evadc what the platforms declare. But for
the Liberals to deny the conclusion reached,
is to prove themselves noao, Jas am glad they
are willing and honest enough to do, UNI
faithful, false to the first paragraph Of their
platform, or palmer, liars as far as the
promise it makes the negro as an induce
inent for his vote. AS to the regular Re-
publican party, to deny, or glance over the
plank that is prominent in their platform,
the plank put in by Hon. R. d. Elliott,
the plank to which the negro
clings, by which he is to be saved
amid the political tempest; would be
to prove itself as party false to its pledge,
| false to the firm statesman, rich in COM
mon sense" U. S. Grant, who has placed
| himself on record as to cicit rights, and
false to good, honest, Henry Wilson who
has never failed in his vote, nor laltercd in
giving his influence to the civil rights bill.
With the black man, the question is this,
what party shall ! trust in the present
crisis, in view of what each promises? The
party that has oppressed us, used every
means to keep us from the possession Of
what we already have, or the party that
helped us to this height, and which now
promises to raise us higher? With US,
though both promise the same, we are to
decide which has the better reputation for
huth-telling 0eracity.
We decided at the convention in Phila-
delphia in favor of the Republican party
with Grant and wilson foremost.
JOHN Ill. SMYTH.