Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1874-08-05
HYPOCRISY OF THE DEMOCRATIC LEA
DERS

risy and dealing still furthel
than it has been heretofore, if possible
A few weeks ago, when the county
elections were first being talked about
they began to agitate this question,
We have only to look back two years
to see the hypocrisy of these profes
sions. Let us see. 1t will he remem.
bered that in May, 1872, men who
called themselves Liberal Republicans
met In convention at Cincinnati and
nominated Horace Greeley for Presi-
dent. A platform of principles
was adopted, and afterwards the
same was adopted at Baltimore by the
Democratic convention. The two first
clauses of that platform read as fol-
lows:
FIrSt-We recognize the equality of
all men before the law, and hold that
it is the duty of Government in its
dealings with the people to mete out
equal and exact justice to all of what
ever nativity race, color, or persua.
sion, religious or political.
/ SecOnd-We pledge ourselves to
maintain the union of these States,
emancipation and Acknowledgement,
aud to oppose any reopening of the
| questions settled by the Thirteenth,
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amend
ments to the Constitution.
On the 4th day of May the Press
and Herald came out in strong edi-
torial endorsing the platform, in which
editorial the following language oc-
ours:
They have made a declaration of
principles which will challenge the en-
dOrSenlent Of every patriot in the land,
and upon which all men who desire
the publication of the Government, the
protection of the rights of citizens, and
the preservation of our Republican in
stitutions can honorably, take their
stand"
But this is not all. On that platform
the Democratic party, including their
organ i'll this city, supported Horace
Greeley, a man who had said stronger
things in favor of Civil Rights than
any man in the Union perhaps,
Charles Sumner and Wendell Phillips
not excepted. They can not now come
up and plead ignorance, either. Gree
ley's utterances were made through
his wideIy-circulated journal, the
Tribune, and upon the stump. They
had been oft repeated, and were no o.
rious. He was not only favorable to
mixed schools, but to social equality,
miscegenation and amalgamation.
In the Tribune of January
10Th, 1872, only little more than
three short months before the Press
and Herald, and the Democrats gem
orally, and less than six months be-
fore he was endorsed by the National
Democratic Convention, he said:
We have already assured the Vir-
ginidn that the editor of this journal
went to the same common school with
black children, not for few days, but
for three winters; sat on the same
bench, and recited in the same classes
with them, and received no possible
damage therefrom. " Why not take
notice of this assurance? And we
know of no rural school district in
New England from whose school, coll
ored children are excluded.
But notwithstanding he was in favor
of mixed schools and had attended
them himself, these men supported
him for the highest office in the land.
But this is not all On the 10th day
of March, 1864, Mr.. Greeley, speaking
of social prejudices, said
1t is hard to decide how long this
prejudice may continue to influence
society ; and it will probably continue
TO be felt long after all traces of it have
disappeared from the statute books of
all the States. But this thing is GER
tainly clear, that under the Constitu-
ton in its most liberal Interpretation,
and admitting our cherished American
doctrine of equal human rights, if a
white man pleases to marry black
woman, the mere fact that she is black
gives no one right TO interfere to pre-
vent or set aside such marriage.
We do not say that such union
would be wise, but we do distinctly as.
sert that society has nothing to do with
the wisdom of matches, and that we
shall have, to the end of the CHAPTER, a
great many foolish ones which laws
are poweTless to prevent, We do not say
that such matches would be moral, but
we do declare that they would be in
finitely more so than the promiscuous
concubinage which has so long shame
lessly prevailed upon the Southern
plantations. If man can so far con.
quer his repugnance to black woman
as to make her the mother of his chill
dren, zoe ask, in the name Of the divine
LdtO and Of deceHcy, WHY HE SHOULD
NOT MARRY HER? We are not in fa-
vor Of any law compelling a Copper
head to marry negress, unless under
circumstances which might compel
him to marry white woman or go to
prison but we insist that If the Cops
perhead or anybody else is anxious TO
enter into such union IL is not for the
Legislature to forbid him, or for his CeI.
tot0 creatures TO pronounce him u Uio-
LdtOr Ofhe tdtO Of nature and GOd.n
We might multiply these and sim
liar extracts al tnfnitum, but it is
unnecessary. Every intelligent man
III the land who has kept pace with
the history of the age kuowa that