The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-10-01
MR.. FREEMAN ON AMERICA.

bIo-Hosiurty to CbInese-Our Fed.
crnI system.
From Mr.. w. A. Frecmnn's second article In The
Fortnghtly Review for September
II strikes me that as the doctrine of state
rights was pushed 10 n nischIcvoug extreme twenty
years and more ago, there IL danger now Of the
opposite doctrine being pushcd 10 mlschievous
tfemc Tho more look ~ tho American Union the
moro convinced am that no vast region taking In
lands whose condition differs widely IN everything
can ho kept together only Ivy Federal systom cav-
ing large independent powers In the hands Of tho SOW
orai States. No single parliament could lcgslatc,
no single government could administer, for Maine,
Florida, and California Let these Statcs bo loft to
great oStcnt independent, ard they may remain
united on those points which II Is well that they
should remain united. To iuslst too close union
| is the very way to lead 10 separation. know Of no
Immediate to fear any attempt ut centrallza-
| tion such as might thus lead to separation. But Il
docs to he possible danger; II sooms to- that
| thorc arc tendencies ut work which arc moro likely
10 lead to that form NJ error than Ia It's opposite
Nothiug can 10 palmer matter of history than tho
fact that whatever powers tho Union holds holds
by tho grant Of tho States. u Is equally plain that
tho grant rrcvocabc, except far It's terms
may bo modified by constitutional amendment.
| Aud tho power Of making constitutional amend
mont W Itself part ~ the grant " tho States which
thus agreed that, In certain cases. fixed majority Of
tho States should hind tho whole Tho errors of tho
Scccssoulgs lay In roNung irrGyocabe grant NJ "
ithad boon reyocahlo ono. Thcdoctrnc Of the tgh
NJ secession, ~ constitutional right absurd
the face OF w. Secession from tho Union was as
NJ the time was the original revolt VI tho Colonies
against the king. Tho only question In either cho
whether those special circumstances had arisen
which can iuRtify breach Of tho ordinary law. But II
Is pity, In avoiding this error Ia run Into the oppo
site one. and TO hold. not only that the grant made
by the States To the Union was ittcvuCaOe, hut that
the grant was really made the other way nnd that
II " tho received doctrine In quarters that the
States have rights int ouch as tho Union allows to
them. Ono " tho Ioston newspapers was angry he
cnuso staied IN one o my lectures tho pa,u hiBor
teal fact that tho states, n' In theory nj least, indie.
pendent commonwealth, surrendered certain defined
powers 60 tho Union and Kept all other powers In
| their own hauds. Tho Boston paper was yet more
angry because large part OF n Boston audience
| warmly chccrci-warmiy, that IT, for BOston-such
dangerous ductrinos. I was simply ignorant; those
who Cheercd mo were something worse.
Nowhere does tho asslmilal'ng process 70 on more
vigorously than In tho United States. Men NJ various
| nat'onaliues are easily changed into good Amcri-
cans, ~ and the good American must bc, In every
sense that Is not strictly geographical or political
good Englishmnn Aud, regards large part "
can give them other than y hearty welcome. The
German. and sti more the Scandinavian, settlers are
simply mon Of our own race who have Jagged behind
In the western march, but who have ut last made It a'
single pull, without tarrylng for Thousand years
IN the Isle of britain. Hut there other settlers,
other inmates with whose presence the land onr
would think, might lie happy u dispense. I must
hero speak my own mind ut the great risk NJ offend
Ing people on more sides than Men better vcrset
In Amer lean matters than myself point out to thc
fact that the negro vote balances the Irish votc hui
one may be allowed to think that . reutouic land
might do better sil without any IrBh vote, that ~
Aryan land might do better stil' without any negr'
| vote. Aud what venture TO say on tho housc,op'
has been whispered In my ear In closets Ivy not . few
In America who fully understand tho state AMI th'
| needs of their country. Very many approved when
suggested that The best remedy FOR whatever wa
amiER would he II every Irislman should kill nrIr,
| and be hanged for II. Those who dissrutcl,
| dssented most commonly the ground tha
II there were no Irish aud no negroes the,
! would not 10 able to get any domestic scr
| wants Tho most serious objection came from
Rhnlc Island, where they have No capital punishment
aud where they hal NO wish 60 keep the nisli nj The
public expense. Let no one think that have any III
fcellug toward the Irish people In their slart
have every sympathy with them. argued long ag'
IN the pnges NJ this review behalf OF Home Rule NJ
OF any form OF Irish Independence which did not In
volvc, some schemes then proposed did involve til,
| dependence of Great britain. should indeed he In
consistent II to refuse to tho Irishmau what
have sought to win FOR the creek, tho Bulgarian ant
| the Dalmatian.
fact that the Irish element L. In the English lands ~
both sies Of the ocean, iniSrhievOus element. rh'
greatest object of AL IL for the severed branches of h
Engils' folk Ia live In the fullest measure of FREUD
Hhip nuh unity that " cousstont with their
state. Now ,hn Irish element IN America IL thu
| greatest OF nll hnlranCcs In the WAY of this hnppl
stat" OF thiugG 1t Is the worst, AMI perhaps tn
strongest, of seycra, causes which help To give ba'
name to American politics. Political men in nj
times and places lie under strong tcmutatiunS
and do things which they otherwise would not 81,
and do IN order to gain some party advantage. In
on no political men of any time place has this Kin,
of Influence been more strongly brought 10 bear thar
It Is On political men In tho United states who wiSl
grows and grows: no party, no leading man, can az
ford Ia dcspisc IT, Parties and mon arc Therefore
driven Into courses to which otherwise they wUul,
hnvo 10 temptation 10 take, AMI those Tor the mos
part, courses which uufr,ondIy 10 Great Britain
Any ill-focllug which other courses may awaken he
tween tn" two severed branches ut tho English people
" prolonged nnd strengthened by tho presence Of IN
Irish settlers In America. In some minds they may
really plant hostile feelings toward Groat Irita,
, | which would otherwise find place there. At an
rate they plant IN many minds n habit OF speaking
and acting as II such hostile feeling did find place
habit which cannot but lead to bad effects In man.
| ways. The more rtimor, the mere thought, OF re
calling Mr.. Lowell from his post In Eng
e as in os Thst such '' tni"s sou
even have beon dreamed of shows the balefi
nature OF irish influence IN America and how spe
cally likely 1t is to stir IN strife and lfcclIug he
| tween Great Britain and America, even at time
when setting Irish matters aside, there is not tn
| falutGst ground OF quarrel on either side.
The Irish dinculty Is Troublesome lust now; 1t l.
likely to he troublesome for some time to come; but
Is not likely to last forever. hut the negro difficulty
must last either TIL the way has boon found out BY
which the Ethiopian may change hsskin or Till clthe
tho white the blnck departs out of the land
The United States-and. In their measure, other part
Of tho American continent aud sands-havo to grappl
| with problem such ms no other people ever had Il
graphic with before Other communities, from TIN
beginning OF political society, have been either
ayUwedy practically founded on disnctonsO of
There has been, to say the least some people, nation
or tribe which has given Its character to the Who'll
body, and by which other elements have been assimi
Lated. In tile United States this part has been played
far as the white population Is concerned by theorgi
nal English kernel. Round that kernel the foroig
elements have grown 1t asslmilaes them; they do
assimilato 1t. But beyond that range lies anothe
|
eternal laws OF nature the eternal distinction OF color
forbid the assimilation of the negro. You may Civ
him the rights OF citizenship by law: yon cannot max
Him the real equal tho roal fellow, OF citizens OF
pean descent. Never before In our world, the wor'
OF Rome and Of all that Rome has influenced, has suc'
| an experiment been tried. And this though In som
ages OF tho Roman dominion tho adoption and az
simintion OF men OF other races was carried 10 the ex
, trcmcst point that the laws OF nature would allow
| Tho bestOwai OF citizenship on the negro is ono %
those cases which show what law can do and what |
} cannot. Tho law may declare tho negro to be til
I tt.,
| equal To the old question, Am not man and
, | brothcrp l venture to answer: No. lie may be
, man and brother IN the same full sense in whic
every Western Aryan Is man and u brother. "
cannot he asSlmilaci; the laws of nature forbid 1t
And 1t is surely dangerous experiment ~ have II
any commonwealth an inferior race, legally equal [
the superior, but which nature keeps down below til
ons I'm This particular ease because the Negro ia "n In
whole peaceful and easily satisfied creature. H.
has no very lofty nmhtlon he Is for the most par
cOntcntcd 10 initiate the ways Of the white IA
ms ho can. high-splrited people IN tho same cas-
, would be avery dangerous element indecd. No on
pleads for slavery; but id the abolition of SLAYER
necessarily Imply The admission OF the emanclpatc
slave to full citizenship There Is, allow. dincult
and danger In tho position OF u class enjoying civ
but not political rights, placed under the prOloctIO
Of the law but having no share In making the law a
In choosing It's makers. hut surely there Is create
| difficulty and danger IN the existence Of ccrtai
class Of citizens, who nj the polling booth equal
other citizens, but who are not their equals anywer
. else. We are told that education has done and
doing much for HE younger members OF the
| shaved race. Hut education cannot wipe out III
eternal distinction that has been drawn by the han
= | OF nature. No tcnchng can turn black nau int
= IA white one Tho question which. IN days Of con
| tToycrsy. the North hoard with such wrath from III
: mouth Of the South: " Would you Ike your dauGl
II tor to marrya nggerY'' He's at the root Of tho
ter. Where the closest of human connections Is
any lawful form. looked on ~ impossible, there IL
real brotherhood no real fellowship. The aTtinci;
| tie Of citizenship h IN such eases mockcry. An
4 | cannot help thinking that those in either hem
sphere who We're most Jealous for the emancipation
tho ncgrO must In their heart Of hearts. feel seer,
shuddor nj the thought that, though morally inpoi
sbe, 1t " c0nstituionally possible that two yea
hence black mon may he chosen To sit IN tho seat
u | Washington and Garfield.
}, An acute American friend polluted out to me tn
distinctions between the three races which give rise
tho difficulties that beset the United States IN III
9 matter The Indian dies out The negro is very "a
from dying cut; but II no cannot be assmilated h
a tho white man he NJ least initiates him Hut n
| Chinaman does not die out; he IL not asslmilaed;
- does not imitate he is too fully convinced Of Il
= superiority Of his own ways TO have the least thOugl
orcOpying ours The Chinese In short In tho Unite
states belong 10 one Ot those classes OF settlers vi
form part OF tho people ~ the land, who contrlbu
n nothing, hut who swallow up great deaf Now,
Il - Na lNN aa