Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1874-06-13

me as a Statesman or Christian.
5 The facts and incidents connecte
, with the Colored Convention at Nasf
! Vile, and the insolent demands {
that convention, are familiar to
large portion of the people Of Eas
Tennessee and to Mr.. Bartlett. II
knows that that convention passe
resolutions denouncing me by nam
as a "Judas" and ''traitor" because
had, IN courteous and mild language
J expressed opposition to the enforce
I co-educatiOn of the races. Mr.. Bart
lett in substance re-echOed this charge
reply to it by quoting thelanguag
fof the most largely circulated and in
L. huential Republican journal in th
United States. The New York Times
of the date from which / have quOtel
above, says:
'It has been urged that this bill
required to complete the policy Of re
construction upon which the Repub
lican party entered at the close of tn
rebellion. But that policy contem
plated nothing more than the politica
enfranchisement of the blacks, ant
this was secured by the constitution
al amendments. 1t was no part o
the Republican purpose to force mix
ed schools upon the people, or to con
fer upon any class the privileges
| specially accorded to the negroes by
this bill. "
Recurring again to this convention
Mr.. Bartlett knows that it publicly
resolved that they (the cOlOred people,
"would treat all white men as then
private, personal enemies who were
opposed to mixed schools" This
and much more of even a more inso-
lent description characterized the
proceedings of that convention.
In replying to the attacks of the
convention upon myself l was but
exercising the right of self-defense.
Mr.. Bartlett says it was ''unchristian'
in me to do this.
Here Mr.. Bartlett and myself differ.
1 never supposed that because the
colored race were made free and en-
franchised it deprived a white man of
the right to defend himself, when
publicly denounced or knocked down
on the street by a negro.
Again Mr.. Bartlett and myself diff
fer III our opinions of the rights of
the 'poor white trash" of East Ten
nessee of whom he speaks.
This designation embraces nearly
all the white people of East Tennes-
see, because they are nearly all poor.
l believe these poor white people have
some rights which eUen the Congress
of the United States is bound to re-
spect.
1 am opposed to this Civil Rights
Bill becauseit is a usUrpation of the
rights and an oppression upon all
classes of white people in my State
and section. But no feature of it is,
to me, more edious than that it is
especially burdensome to the poor
white people, and in utter contempt
of their rights and interests. I am
the friend of the poor white people,
as l have always been. Because L
want their children educated IN the
public schools 1t the expense of those
more fortunate than they who are
able to send their children to private
schools, that oppose this oppressive
and abominable usurpation. The pas
sage of this Civil Rights Bill will
destroy the free schools of the State,
as it ought to do, for it is better to
have no schools at all than such as are
arbitrarily dictated under this bill.
The mere threat to pass it is the
greatest insult and outrage which has
ever been attempted upon the honest,
hard working people Of small proper
ty, or no property at all
The RegTo-loorshippers, who believe
that poor white man in the South
should not have equal rights with the
negro, and the politicians who urge it
in Ignorance OF the needs or in disre-
gard of the interests of the people of
the South, say to the poor white men:
eve know you do not want to send
your children to mixed schools; we
know if Congress forces this measure
it will destroy the schools, but you
shall have mixed schools or none at
all" The poor white. trash" of
Massachusetts, whence Mr.. Bartlett
the insolent demands of politicians,
but the poor people of East Tennes-
see viii never be driven like sheep to
the slaughter-pen by any class of poll
ticians or by any political party
They know their rights, and dare
maintain them. They have always
been freemen, and they viii always be
such. The whole Southern Confed-
eracy could not subjugate them, and
all the small politicians and dema-
gogues of their own political faith
can not do it. The invigorating air
and pure water of their mountains
and valleys are incompatible with a
state of slavery. East Tennessee is as
invulnerable to this assault upon her
liberties as her own eternal hills.
'sThe Hills, the everlasting hills,
How peerlessly they rise,
Like Earth's gigantic senttnels
DiscOursing through the skies
Hanl Nature's storm proof fortresses,
BY Freedom children trOd;
Han! ye invulnerable walls,
The masonry of Cod
Yesl Mr.. Bartlett, you can rally the
brigade and the white
lodging politicians who agree with
you that the poor white people have
no rights, and 1 will meet you with
the honest laborers and poor men
whose rights are outraged and tram
pied upon by this abomination.
On the general subject of the So
called Civil Rights Bill, and what its
advocates cali Protecting the Ne
gro" have n few words to say.
The negro now has the equal pro-
lection of the laws. In other words,
he has equal political rights with the
whites. Beside this, in all the South
ern States, he has equal facilities for
education at public expense, though
he does not pay one tenth of one per
cent. on the dollar of the taxes which
are collected to support the schools.
No invidious distinctions are made
against him. Education in these
States is out of the sphere of politics.
The negro is amply protected, and the
National Legislature should cease
lesislating on the educational ques-
tiOn, and creating turmoil and bad
blood where progress and good feel
ing is being secured. For several
years the greater portion of the time
of our Legislators has been occupied
in legislating for the negro race
Amendment after amendment to the
Constitution has been adopted and
law after law for the further protec-
tiOn of the negro, has been passed,
until he is now the political equal of
the white man. Now that this has
been achieved, the negro business
ought to stop. The country at large
Is becoming diSgusted with the efforts
now being made to oppress the whites
in the passage of a bill which is not
essential to the protection of the
blacks. What the people and States
of the South need is to be let alone by
Congress and given a little opportu-
nifty for recovering from the desola-
tion and waste of war. The Southern
people have been whipped in the
battle between the sections, and ex-
cept a small class of fossilized politi-
clans and a lot of weakminded young
men who part their hair in the middle,
they acknowledge and feel it. In no
State is the negro deprived of full and
eiual protection before the law. But
in several Southern States, like South
Carolina, the white man has no orights
which the negro is bound to respect.