Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1882-03-30
Abraham Lincoln on the Inferi-
ority of the Negro.

@AOA0AoA 0AACVAA oA GA0 AAAoAA-
ority of the Negro.
In the course Of his speech on the Chi
nese Immigration bill, Senator Teller, of
Colorado, (Chairman of the Teller Investi-
eating Conlrnittee as will bo rem embered,
in South Carolina directed the attention,
of the Senate to tho opinions of Abraham
Lincoln 90 the differences in races. Mr..
Teller said
No man in this country ever discussed
the question of the rights of tho human
race with as much intelligence as Abraham
Lincoln did, and yet he declared over aud
over again in that memorable debate be-
tween Stephen A. Douglass and himself in
1858, which attracted The attention of the
whole world, that the negro was on inferior
race to the white man. Ie repeated it
again and again, and notably at Columbus
in 1859, that the negro was and must ever
remain tho inferior of the white race Now,
because he thus asserted did he deny to the
negrocany rights that man ought to ex-
orcise7 He said: "Because he is my infe-
ri0r in intellectual and mental development,
and because he has color to his face not
as good as mine, it is no reason why l
should deny to him any of the rights that
wero given by the Almighty" It was,
however, fast that the man was lower in
tho scale of human development, and he
ought not to be deprived of anything that
would enable him to rise. That was Abra--
ham Lincon's position upon this question.
l have it here and will read it, 80 that no
man can misunderstood it, bccauso Abra-
ham Lincoln repeated it again and again,
and 1t was not an accidental speech that he
made whom he was led into saying some
thing that reflection might have induced
him to change. He said:
~ will say, then, that am not nor ever
have been in favor of bringing about in
any way the social and political equality of
the white and black races; that I am not or
ever have been in favor OF making voters or
Jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying thcm
to hold Office, or intermarry with the white
people; and L will say in addition to this,
that there is physical difference between
tho white and black races which believe
will forever forbid the two races living to-
gether on terms Of social and political
equality. Aod'inasmuch as they cannot SO
live, while they do live together thorc must
be the position Of superior and inferior, aud
l, as much as any other man, am in favor Of
having the superior position assigned to the
white race.
/ understand that Mr.. Ln.oln never
changed upon the question of the infcri-
ority and superiority of the races; but when
in the logic of events it became necessary,
absolutely necessary in my judgment and in
the judgment of other people, that this
class of men, our intellectual and mental
interiors, should have protection at the
hands of the Government, We determined
that the only and proper way to protect
them was to give them the advantages of
citizenship ia all it's terms. It was not
desirable thing to do, and nobody knew it
better than the good hearted men who sat
in tho Senate and helped do it. Theie
was not on intelligent American who looked
upon that problem at that time who did not
fear that the result would be that the an
tagonism of the two races would eventually
swamp this country. But we had them
hero. AS said tho other day, common
humanity, common decency said: "You
must take these men and put them upon
plane where they can be elevated. and all
that God hasput in them they must have
tho oPPoi'uuiCJ W uibuS out. NOuuuy
believed then, and nobody believes now who
has studied the history Of the races and the
history of the world that they will ever be
equalin all'respects to tho Caucasian race.
The Senators from Massachusetts, do not
believe it, and the people Of Massachusetts,
know that it is not expected Of this race
of men. Is that any reason why we should
deny to them righte7 Not at oil. If they
are weak intellectually, then we should give
them assistance They wefo part of the
people here;w could not send them abroad
and because we treated them with humanity
with righteousness, and with justice, shall
shall wo say that we aro bound to extend to
all the nations of the earth tho same rights
that We extended to- them?
This is sound doctrine, although the Re-
puo'icans are late in the day in coming
around to It: We firmly bolevo that un-
qualified suffrogo for the negroes would not
havo been imposed on tho South if Mr..
Lincoln, to our almost irreparablo loss, had
not beon murdered. Suoh men M An
drews of Massachusetts, Morton Of, Ipdiana.
and Horace Greeley were unouestionnbly
opposed to it. Their desire was ,o a. tho
freedman for tue suffrage before il wss e;vcn
to him, and that was tho right course. Tho
ballot is no protection to those who havo
not the Intelligence, tho experience and the
courage to use it worthily.