New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-06
himself and Senator Pratt. OF the unreas-
onableness of the prejudice he says:

Onableness OF the preJudlce ne says:
| There is something very remarkable in
the operation of this prejudice against color.
Persons who in their infancy were nursed
slept and played with negro children, in
| youth and manhood were the daily COM
| paniOns of negroes in the workshops, upon
| the farm, in the carriage, and upon the
| journey, who employed negroes as body
servants, and in that way were almost con-
tinually in their society, dressed by them,
| shaved by them, nursed by them in sick
ness, and in various ways inhaling their
breath hundred times day, and having
with them physical intimacy and contact
which does not exist between equals in So
ciety; yet when the same negro, as a free
man, presumes to stop at the same hotel, or
| to ride ib the same car with them, or to
send his children to the same schools with
| theirs, or to kneel in the same church, they
are inexpressibly shocked, and declare that
social equality will degrade and destroy
society.
| The ignorance this pref udice would intilct
on the negro he declares will return to
plague the community.
Such are the mysterious rulings Of Provi-
dence. Even now the people of the South
are complaining bitterly OF the ignorance
| of the cOlored voters by whom they are
surrounded, and by whom, in some of the
States and many of the districts, they are
outnumbered. The poisoned chalice is COM
mended to their own lips: Only few
| wears ago the people OF South Carolina,
louisiana and, in fact, every Southern
State, made the education of negroes a
felony.
He refers to the Ostracism and murder OF
the teachers, and dense ignorance Of the
slaves:
But there came grand revolution. The
masters embarked IN wicked rebeillon
in which hey were defeated. The slaves
were made free and clothed with equal civil
and political rights with their late masters.
In some of the districts, and in two or
three States, they were numerically In the
majority, and took the reins OF government
naturally into their own hands. They were
| not as a mass very we'll qualified to govern,
and the moral as well as the intellectual
education Of many of them was sadly de-
fective, for slavery is a very bad instructor
in morals teaching honesty neither by pre-
cept nor example.
But the negro of the South is improving
rapidly, and is everywhere distinguished
for his desire to get an education. Even
| the old are learning to read and write, and
all are anxious for the education of their
children.
On the Democratic resolution arraigning
Morton and Pratt, and accusing the gov
! ernment of taking possession of schools,
etc., he says:
arraign the authors of this resolution
, for gross ignorance Of the provisions of the
civil rights bill which passed the Senate.
and Of the constitution of the State of
Indiana The bill does not ''attempt to
! take control of all the schools, colleges,
churches, hotels, railroads, steamboats,,
theatres, and grave yards" on the part of
, the government OF the United States, but
leaves that control precisely where it is
now. 1t simply makes 1t penal offense to
, deprive the negro of his equal enjoyment OF
these institutions because of his race and
color The provision of the civil rights bill
in regard to schools is in these words: THAT
, all persons within the jurisdiction of the
United States shall be entitled to the full
| and equal enjoyment of the accommoda.
tions, advantages, facilities and privileges
of common schools and pub
lie institutions of learning or benevolencee
supported in whole or in part by general
taxation"
He proceeds to cite the constitution OF
Indiana, and the case of Lawrence town
ship to show that the laws of the State
already enforce the equal rights of colOred
children.
The school, hotel and graveyard questions
are about the last hold the Democracy have
upon the prejudice against race and color,
and we must expect to see them make the
most Of them.
The future is long, and revelation history
and reason alike teach us that justice and
the right will triumph in the end. The doc
trine of civil and political equality to all
races of men has been firmly entrenched in
the constitution, and Notwithstanding the
obstacles thrown in its pathway by inger
ing prejudice and the exigency of parties
will march to a speedy and final triumph.
In reference to the Democratic party Of
the South he pictures its central idea Of
opposition to the civil and political rights
Of the negro.
Democracy in the South means a conflict
of races and has no use for the Democracy
of the North, except so far as it recognizes
this race conflict and the principles OF the
white mans government. The Republican
party placed the thirteenth, fourteenth and
fifteenth amendments in the constitution,
and is bound by it's allegiance to the con
stitution and to the eternal principles OF
, the declaration of independence, to pre-
, serve and defend the negro in the enjoy,
ment of his freedom and Of his civil and
political rights. And here is presented a
i, great and vital issue between the two par
ties. The Democratic party is pledged 0y
it's constitution, it's history, affiliations and
. hopes OF the future to undying hostility to
, the negro race. The Republican party Is
: pledged by it's history, by it's sacred prlnci
pies to stand faithfully by the 5:OoO,Ooo OF
newborn freemen, and must continue to Dc
> in the future, as it has been in the past, the
> party of liberty, equality, Justice and the
indissoluble union OF the States.
He emphatically denies that the Presi
dent sympathizes with the Southern Dem
t ocracy on this issue:
In his December message he expressly
? recommended "the enactment of law to
better secure the civil rights which free
dom should secure, but has not effectually
, secured, to the enfranchised slave;" and
repel with indignation the suggestion tha,
the President will prove false to the prin
, ciples of the Republican party.
He ascribes the troubles of South Caro-
lima not to political causes. but the natural
out-growth of the condition of the State
and of society as they emerged from the
rebellion.
He measures the responsibility thus:
That the Republican party prevented the
dissolution of the Union. abolished slavery,
clothed the negro with civil and political
, rights, and gave them an equal partlclpa
tiOn with their late masters in the recon
struction of the State government which
had been DESTROYED by the rebellion. For
the mental and moral condition of the ne
groes the old slave-holding Democracy is
responsible, and for the fact that the ne
groes have an equal right to liberty and to
|, | a voice in the pOyernmant hv which theV