Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1876-10-28
TIL COLORED PEOPLE.

people, they tell them that the demo-
Gratis. if successful, will remand them
to slavery, and that the way debt OF the
c~ontederacy will have to be paid we
take it tor granted that these white re-
publican politicians know. when they
make such statements, that there is not
one word of truth in them. To suppose
for a moment that they believe their own
statements, would be supposing a degree
OF ignorance which would disgrace Il
school-boy. The fourteenth amendment
of the constitution abollshes slavery IN
the United States forever. so that 1t
would be impossible to r~e-establlsh H.
even if any set of men were insane
enough to desire it. But the democratic
party would be quite as far as the repuo-
lican from wishing it and, further, we
believe, if there is any difference. 1t ls,of
the two, actuated by higher and more
patriotic motives, and is consequently a
better friend to the colored people. To
prove this, we have only to glance at the
condition of those states where demo-
Gratis are in the ascendency, and h at
those where republicans rule. In the
first, order prevails; the colored people
are given steady employment at remun-
eratlve wages; taxes are light, and peo-
pie and government are fast getting out
of debt, and are on the high-road to
wealth. Where republicans rule,
all is misrule the jails are full; murder
is of daily occurrence; no work is to be
found for those who wish to work; both
the people and the state governments
are head over ears in debt, and their
condition is getting worse every year.
These are plain facts, and cannot be
truthfully denied.
But what about assuming the rebel
war debt? When colored people are
told such stories by white men, let them
thereafter set them down as either ras-
calls, trying to impose on them, or,as lg-
porant fools, not worth listening to.
The same amendmentto the constitution
which abolished slavery, abolished the
rebel war debt, and all republicans,
with any claims to enlightenment, know
it. They know. that the constitutional
amendments expressly forbid the pay
ment of that debt. This is the language
c.-s ,on&o, 0f tho f0y1rtanntl
amendment:
..The validity of the public debt of the United
| States authorized by law, including debts incur
red Tor payment of pensions and bounties ioi
services in suppressing instruction orreDeiiioh
| shall not be questioned. But neither the United
States, nor any state, shall assume OF pay any
debt or obligation incurred in aid of insured
ton or rebellion against the United States, OF
any claim for loss or emancipation Of any slave
but all such debts, obligations and claims shall
be held illegal and void
Thus it will be seen, it is impossible
for Il democratic government to pay any
war debt, even if democrats wished 1t
which they do not. No; the questions
dividing the democratic and republican
parties are widely different from these
Democrats hold that the war is over, anl
that slavery is dead. The south is again
back in the union. Black men are a
free as whites, and not only that. bu
have the ballot, and ought to be encour
aged to exercise this right with intehl
gent observation-disclosures marched to tn
polls like a flock Of sheep, by som
schemer, who seeks to use them as S
many tools to accomplish his own sells
ends. The black man is a citizen has
right to buy and hold property, and
take 4 part in public affairs. All OF thes
things have been fixed, un~alterably, b
constitutional amendments, and coul
not be changed, by any party, if it wer
so desired. Whether the republicans G
the democrats obtain control OF the gov
Ornamental affairs, the status OF the co
ored people in all of these affairs remain
the same. Their rights, guaranteed
the constitution, cannot be any MOI
changed than can those same rights ;
enioyed by whites. These facts bein
admitted, leaves the interest Of the co
ored people in the success or defeat
either of the two great political partie
precisely the same as that of the viii
i, people; and it is their duty, as INTEL
GENT voters, to examine into each, al
determine tor themselves which is like
to benefit themselves as individuals al
> as citizens most. They have had a ia
e trial of republican rule, and what HI
. been the result? All kinds Of enterprl
) have been crushed out ;people can scare
i ly make the two ends meet, and, for
boring men, work is hard to obtain, ev'
at low wages. The democratic par
t want all this changed. They want
start up factories and mills. They wa
to give steady, remunerative emplo
}. ment t all who are willing to work,a
they believe that with an honest, intel
gent government, all these desirat
I. changes will soon be brought about.
II The republican party has employ
tie men in high positions who have stol
Mt millions of dollars which working peol
I'd have paid in the way of taxes. 1t
IN robbed the people in a thousand wa
lv and the colored people themselves
DIS robbed by N of the most heartless Al
at the same time. most gigantic swind
that ever educated men perpetrated
. those who trusted them. 1t establish
~ the Freedman'sBank it started branc
~ all over the southern states. and
vited colored people to place their ca
ings in them for safe keeping while at
" same time, they were promised inter
on their money. By such representa-
they obtained eleven millions of dol
out of the colored peoples hard-ear
wages. Eleven millions OF dolla
Think how many hundreds and IL
sands of black men and m to
through long, weary days to get toge1
such L sum. And what then? W
these republicans, whom the colo
de- people trusted, stole more than Sc
ing millions Of their money. To this
so the colored people have got back
on forty cents for every dollar they put
the and will never get another cent.
,ain The democratic party will tolerat
oar such scoundrels rs these. 1t wan