The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1900-06-08
The Wessenger.
As TO THE FIRST ADOPTION OF
NEGRO SUFFRAGE.

Granville bar, and who has practiceo
his profession for some forty years.
I He is a gentleman of high
and excellent abilities and writes like
"a gentleman a scholar" He sets
forth his views Of the suffrage amend
ment in a paper that would fill some
two columns of the folio Messenger
Although writing after so many strong
and so many prentice hands" have
tried their skill in discussing the
amendment in all of its manifold
phases, he presents in agreeable Eng
lish and in interesting style the ques-
ton. He goes back to the course of the
federal ngress after n wal had
ended in dealing so r~evengefully with
the sout-. He says, and we quote it be-
cause it brings out a fact not generally
known to voters of the present time,
that when congress armed these
emancipated slaves with the ballot and
turned them over to unprincipled ad-
v%enturers to be arrayed against their
former masters, then it was that the
cup of bitterness was rendered TO the
lips Of the o~verpowered and
ished south, and the great crime of
the century against civilization was
contaminated. If the motive for this
had beer to benefit the negro it could
have been forgiven and approved, but
it was too evident that the purpose
was to punish the white man of the
south and TO perpetuate the supremacy
of the party e in power. This was
done. too, without any p~retense OF con-
stitutional authority, but by the use of
military force in a time of peace. Ii
was disapproved by President Johnson
in a message to congress, and was con-
trary TO the expressed views of some
of the best jurists of that day. Incon-
sistent and illogical as it may seem the
negro was first given the ballot and
then solemnly asked to vote upon the
question as to whether he should use
it or not"
Everybody of sense in the south
knows that all this was cruelty wrong,
affecting the white race and injuring
the blacks, for it put false notions in
their heads and made them poor citi-
zens and lazy. The civilization of the
south up to 1861 has never been
surpassed in any land. There was
less crime than has been ever
known in any country. The south
ern whites, remember, did not
willingly have much hand in putting
negro suffrage over that civilization.
1t was the work of the north mainly.
MIR. Hays refers to the proclamation
issued in June, 1865, by William w.
Holden, a traitor to his people in war
and in peace, who vas made provis-
ional governor of North Carolina He
paid his respects to the negroes.
then electors by act of the north:
ct is no to be expected that you
can comprehend and appreciate as
they should be comprehended and ap-
preciated by a self-governing people,
the wise provisions and limitations OF
constitutions and laws; Or that you
can now have that knowledge of pub
lie affairs which is necessary to quail
ify YOU to discharge all the duties OF
the citizen. No people has ever yet
bounded at once into the full enjoy
ment of the right of self-government.
But you are free, in common with all
our people, and you have the same
rlgnt. TeguldISu ny Ed"r llol CeN~
have to enter upon the pursuit OF PROS
perity and happiness"
Mr.. Hays also tells of Hon. Edwin
q. Reade's open letter. He left the
whites who were down and united
with their enemies. He was afterwards
a Justice of the supreme court, and
was a man OF capital abilities. MIR,
Hays quotes from Mr.. Reade, that
although this constitution contain
ed provisions that were o~bJecton-
able. it was better that the peo-
ple should ratify it in order to be
relieved of a military government, and
because it would be their privilege al
forwards to amend or alter such OF lts
features as they might net wish to re-
tain"
We said lust now that the south did
not fix negro suffrage upon the coun-
try with willingness on their part.
Many of the best white men could not
vote, were d~isfranchiSed. Others voted
to ratify because they were under the
vilest, most oppressive military gov
eminent. Not a southern state, oy
vote of the whites, would have sustain
ed negro suffrage. 1t was as Mr.. Hays
saws. but "a choice of evils" 1t was
the negro vote that fastened the 18th
amendment on the country. If you
.donht. read this from Mr.. Hays:
1.-The 18th amendment to the consti-
tuition of the United States soon 1oi-
lowed. 1t required three-fourths OF all
the states to carry it On the goth Of
March, 1870, the secretary of state OF
the United States declared in his proc
lamation that % Of the 81 states mao
ratified it. Eight of the states a re
fused to ratify it. OF the 29 voting
for it, IL were southern states in wh1c
the negro had beef. given the ballot
The state Of New York, counted in this
proclamation as voting for it, had
withdrawn its vote before the procla-
nation was issued. So that exclusive
of the negro voting states there Were
. only II, less than one-half, that rat