New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-18

the United States is no longer to be inter.
preted by either courts or statesmen on the
side Of slavery or inequality Of rights. and
that all State legislation. to be in harmony
with the supreme law Of the land. IA the
constitution requires, must not discriminate
against any class of the people because of
race, color or previous condition, is but
partially realized. While the amendments
to the constitution are acquiesced in. and no
party or politician proposes to disturb them.
their logical and legal consequences are
resisted by those who have not conquered
preIudices begotten OF the slave system: and
there il unreInitting efforts to narrow the
meaning of the amendments, and preserve
determinations that make one class OF citi-
zens. politically, superior to another.
1t was plain enough to those who gave the
subject any study that emancipation i'm.
Piled enfranchisement and ultimately com.
plete Endorsement of political and civil
rights. As long as the negro Was held to be
property in the slave States he could only
be ranked with the brute creation. That
was inevitable. IL grew out OF the very
nature of the slave condition. lie could bo
no more in the civil system than the horse
or the OK. The moment he rose above that
condition, the moment he gained any legal
status, either to hold property or exercise
any functions OF citizenship, his claims fell
of, and he stood up man to be treated not
rs a chatteI. but as human being under
the law.
Emancipation, we repeat. carried with it
every right and privilege OF citizenship,
and Congress could NO more have escaped
the consequences of that war measure than
it could escape the control of the law of
gravity. The amendments to the cOnstitu-
ton and the appropriate legislation" Tor
tho enforcement were results which every
advocate OF emancipation should have
II, in fun RoaiatanoQ n
these results, no matter whether it came
from the South or the North, must. from
the very nature of things, prove Intellectual.
1t has proved SO in the past: it will prove
SO in the future.
There is but one way of escape. The peo-
pie of the United States may 60 back npon
all the measuree, and wipe out the amend
ments to the constitution and the laws made
in pursuance thereof, but they can not stop
there, it it be the purpose to deprive the
negroes of any or all political and civil
rights. They must restore the constitution
as it was, and make it possible to re-ens!ave
the blacks. Either this, or they must go
forward in the direction which national
legislation has taken since the abolition Of
slavery, and secure to all the people entitled
to citizenship whatever rights or inmunl-
ties apy class Ut them enjoys under the
laws.
We know of no considerable number of
people who would, if they had the political
power. restore the dark age of slavery. We
question whether were it left to the whites
OF the South themselves, they would re-
establish an institution that unques;ion-
ably restricted the material development
of that section of the republic and i'm
bruited the minds Of all classes of people.
The unhappy influences of the system
which Jefferson fOresaw and predicted had
their manifestation before it was torn Tut
by violence, and they will not cease their
operation during the present generation.
1t being then generally admitted that
there does not exist any purpose or desire
to speak Of for the establishment OF
slavery, there is but one solution OF the
negro question that will have the effect Of
putting the negro himself out of politics as
q disturbing element, and that is the gen
erOus and full recognition of his rights as
citizen. including all social rights that are
not left for each individual in the COM
munity to regulate for himself. In other
words, whatever rights, privileges or i'm
munities are derived from political organ
ization or proceed from legislation, whether
they are civil or social, must belong as in
disputably to the black as to the white man
before we can hope for a cessation of the
agitation Of the question of the enjoyment
OF rights by the people Of the United States.
We repeat that there are only one or two
courses to pursue-either to wipe out the
amendments and re-establish q system that
will crush the negro out Of legal existence
~ a human being, or make him absolutely
the equal of any other citizen, and then
leave him to work out the problem of his
existence as an individual and race upon
the same terms and conditions that attach
to all other citizens of the republic.
1t is time to look at this matter sGuarely.
To fancy that We can legislate 80 that any
portion of the people shall be half citizens
and half something else, enjoying one class
of rights and denied another class, and do
it without creating q disturbance, or SOW
ing the seeds of discord and civil trouble,
is folly of which q people qualified to
make and maintain free government
should hold themselves incapable.
The immediate solution of race Difficult.
ties in the United States, therefore. depends
upon the readiness OF the people to accept
the consequences of their own acts, and
abide by that principle Of democracy which
levels all political and civil distinctions.
wipes out all lines Of race distinction, and
puts all citizens on q common footing be-
fore the law. When this is done and &C.
quiesced in we shall hear no more of the
negro in politics than we hear OF the Irish
man, the German, the Englishman, or any
other tiOnality.-CincinnaH Commercial.
Judge Brndley's Decision.
The following is from the Washington