The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1883-10-12
From the Cecil Democrat.
A Word TO COlOred Men.

For half generation, the colored race has
been endowed with the franchise. 1t had
been forbidden to them by all parties alike.
If it was right to exclude them, all parties
shared the honor. If was wrong, all par
ties were alike censurable. The white people
of Maryland did not take kindly to the idea
of the negroes voting. Even after they were
all made free, the leading Republicans were
bitterest in denouncing the scheme of giving
the ballot to the negroes. The Constitution.
al Convention of 1864, controlled entirely by
Republicans, refused the negro the franchise,
nor was it ever looked on favorably by the
Republicans till the Democrats beat them at
the polls. After that their only hope to
gain power was 10 get the negro vote, and
they favored it because they expected the ne
| groes to vote with them, just as the Demo
| Gratis opposed it because they apprehended
| the negroes would vote against them. In
the Constitutional Convention of 1864, two
prominent figures were William III. Purnell
and John l.. Thomas, both of them leading
Republicans to-day. Hear what they had 10
say in that convention on the rights of the
negro to equality and TO public school edu-
cation.
Mr. Purnell during the debates said:
docs any one profess upon this floor
that the negro will ever occupy the status of
the white man2 Is there any individual
who can ever bring his mind to the conclu.
sion that that degraded race will ever be
raised TO the degree of the white race? |
mean exactly what say because they are
inferior to the white race there is no doubt
The God of nature, when He created, stamp
ed upon their forehead the mark upon Cain.
Is there any man who would elevate them to
the degree of the white man cannot think
so. The idea that the negro can ever elevate
l.,.x
preposterous"
Hon. John L. Thomas in the debate upon
free colored schools said
II am utt' rly opposed to being myself tax
ed for the education of any black man. / do
not care who he may be. Now we do not
propose to give the colored man the right to
vote, or the right to hold office"
The Constitution adopted by the Republi.
cans opposed the Acknowledgement of the
colored people and all their political plat.
forms down to their defeat in November,
1866, contained planks to the same effect.
The unconditional Republican State Conven-
ton, which assembled in Baltimore on the
9th of June, 1869, adopted the following as
portion of their platform for the ensuing
campaign
Resolved, That we are pledged to the
maintenance of the present Constitution of
Maryland, which expressly and emphatically
prohibits both rebel suffrage, and negro suf-
frage and we are equally determined TO
uphold the registry law, which DISTINGUISHES
rebels and excludes negroes from voting, and
have no desire or intention of resembling or
either the Constitution or the reg
istry law.
Yet, Notwithstanding such utterances and
such acts, the negroes as soon as the Repub-
licans, for purposes Of their own, conceded
them the ballot, began to vote like
flock of sheep, all in one way and they
have kept it up ever since. The Republ-
cans, when they had power refused to give
the negroes public schools. When the Dem
ocrats got power they gave public schools to
the negro, and he has been enjoying their
privileges ever since. And yet he does not
seem to use his memory or his reason. 1t is
to the interest OF all that he should be an in.
dependent voter. What the intelligent white
voter has to do is to bring the colored voter,
whose opportunities have been so meagre up
to his own level and teach him by example
how to WELD the ballot for the highest and
best ends. What the colored voter has to do
is to prove himself worthy of the ballot, and
regard himself, not as colored man with
separate race interest, but as a citizen with
only that interest in politics that is common
to all citizens, white or black. Then his
vote will be solicited as are the votes of
Others The difficulty thus far in Maryland
has been that the Republican party desires
to retain the colored man not as voter but
as Republican voter The difficulty with
the celored man is that he does not see that
his interest, as well as his manhood, requires
him to be an independent voter.