The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-10-26
The Presidents Duty
As Seen by the Post.
Constitution IN Relation to
Past and Present.
GOVERNOR TANNER AND THE
BLACK MAN.
New York Evening Post.

New York Evening Post.
ri hold that there is no reason in
the world why negro is not entitled
to all the natural rights enumerated
in the Declaration of Independence
the right to life, liberty and the pur
suit of happiness hold that he is
as much entitled to these as the white
man I agree with Judge Douglas,
he is not my equal in many respects
certainly not in color. perhaps Dot
in moral or intellectual endowment !;
but in the rights 20 eat the bread,
without the leave of anybody else,
which his own hand earns. be is my
equal, and the equal of Judge Doug
las and the equal of every living
man."
Thus spoke Abraham Lincoln at
Ottawa, III on the 2lst of August,
1858, in the first Of his speeches in
that famous joint debate with Ste
phen A. Douglas which led to his
nomination and election to the presi-
dency, and thereby to his signature
of the proclamation which emanci-
pated the slaves
Forty years have passed since this
utterance was made. The constitu-
tion of the United States has been
amended 80 that the black man is as
much a citizen as the white. As
such, the second section of the fourth
article of the constitution applies to
him-that "the citizens of each State
shall be entitled to all privileges and
immunities of citizens in the several
States - while an amendment adopt
ed expressly for his benefit provides
that "no State shall make or enforce
any law which shall abridge the priv
ileges or immunities of citizens of
the United States, nor shall any State
deprive any person of life, liberty or
property, without due process of law, /,
nor deny to any person within it's
jurisdiction the equal rights of the
laws"
Colored citizens of the State of
Alabama, seeking to better their con,
dition in life, left their homes last
week to accept employment in an
Illinois coal mine at better wages
than they can earn in the south
Upon learning of their coming, Gov
ernor Tanner publicly announced that
they had no right to enter the State. and
that be would not protect them from
a mob which threatened their lives if
they should come that, "while it
is true there is no law that would
authorize the governor to keep them
out Of the State, yet at the same
time l did not feel it my duty as the
governor Of Illinois to use the arms
of the State to give protection to
mine operators in operating their
mines with this class of citizens,
thus depriving our own citizens of
the opportunity of labor - and that
be would give the operators the pro.
lection guaranteed by the law only
on condition that they would agree
not to import labor into the State,
and would employ bona-fide citizens
of our State -
The negroes were brought into the
State. When the train bearing them
reached Virden, the place where they
were to work. it was fred upon by
the MOP. and the engineer had to pull
the train out of town at once in order
to prevent wholesale slaughter The
blacks were taken to Springfield,
where stands monument to the au
thor Of the emancipation proclama
tion. out nobody wanted them there.
A suggestion was made that they be
taken to Pana where some southern
negroes have already found employ
ment, but Governor Tanner immedi-
ately issued orders that "under no
circumstances should any negro from
another State be allowed to enter
Pana. and the commander of q body of
State troops stationed there announ.
ced that ''if lose every man under
my command, no negroes shall land
in Paaa - The railroad shipped the
negroes to St Louis, and the mine
operators made another proposition
to send them to Virden, but it was
announced yesterday by the military
officers who represent the govern
or that "the governor will not
change his policy, and they are under
orders to prevent the landing of any
more negroes here from Alabama or
other points " Meanwhile, the ne
groes, for lack of better quarters. lie
in Jail at St Louis-imprisoned for
the crime of leaving Alabama in "tbe
pursuit Of happiness, to accept the
employment in Illinois to which they
are entitled as citizens ofthe United
States.