Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-02-05
There's many a slip
'Twixt cup and lip"
1.-TWO Negatives Make One Affirma-
tive" but Two Wrongs do Not
Make a Right"

Make a Right"
The principles of our political organi
cation in regard to its public officers are
that they are created for the benefit Of
the people, and not of individuals; that
public officers are the servants of the
people, and not of political party; and
that the qualifications for Office are
competency to discharge its du-
ties and good moral character
Political parties must necessarily
exist in all governments, because
of the different minds and interests Of
men, but they are under the govern
ment, not aboUe it. Political parties
must be based, moreover, upon the unity
of the political organization constituting
one people, or there cannot be union
securing stability and permanency.
There can be but one nationality OF
none at all.
In this country, the refugee of the
oppressed of all nations, it is imperative
that our unity Of nationality should be
jealousy guarded, and that immigrants
should be impressed with its justice and
necessity; and that when they
put on American citizenship they
cast off former nationality, and have
honestly and honorably adopted a new al
legiance without reservation, precluding
the formation of political party ties on
the basis of their foreign birth. Hence,
an Irish or German political party in
the United States, banding lrishmen or
Germans, as such, to influence political
action in the United States, separately
from the great body of the American
people, is a Justification of the naturali-
cation oath, and fraud upon the native
born citizens. If Mr.. Schurz, who has
the mental and moral qualifi-
cations for the position, was given
seat in Mr.. Hayes Cabinet because he is
of German birth, and on the demand of
German immigrants on that account, it
must be admitted that Mr.. SchurZ holds
Office as a German, and not as an
American citizen, destroying in SO much
the unity Of government the immigrant
Germans swore to maintain when
naturalized, and committing a great
wrong against the Constitution and the
peoples of the United States. So it is
equally a wrong if any Irishman holds
office because he is an Irishman.
These two wrongs cannot be urged,
therefore, by your colOred correspond
ent Progress" in your issue of the Sd
inst. Crhursday) in favor of the claim
of his race to seat in Garfields Cabi-
net, as the negro race stood to the Con-
stitution and peoples of the United
States, before being invested with their
civil and political rights, as alien as any
subject of foreign power The argu-
ment Of Progress" though plausible,
rests on false premises, and consequent
ly leads him to false conclusions.
The political theory of this govern
ment is opposed to privileged classes;
holding all of its citizens equal in the
eye of the law, and the avenues to poiti-
cal preferment open to all, without re-
gard to race, color or previous condi-
ton (Which includes foreign birth as
we'll as domestic slave birtb), but on the
two conditions-cOmpetencY for Office
and good character-without which
qualifications demand for office is i'm
modest.
General Garfield seems to have taken
this view in the recent audience he
granted to the colored delegation to Men
tor, and as it is the correct one, he will
be sustained in it by the people of the
country. The colored race must learn
this lesson. and not indulge in threats of
their political influence; which must
breed, inevitably, a war of races in both
parties; in which contest the negro will be
worsted, if not driven eventually out of
the country. That such will be the case is
foreshadowed by the unsympathetic re-
lations between the whites and the col
ored people in the Northern States We
applaud the ambition of the freedmen to
rise in social and political influences
To succeed. they must patiently shape it
with intelligence, and temper it with
mOdesty.
DEMOCRAT OF THE OLD SCHOOL.