Year: 1867

Senator Morton, Of Indiana, in his


magnificent speech at Columbus, Aug.


27, made the following eloquent and


unanswerable appeal in behalf of loyal


oolored men to vote. We hope his


argument will be carefully read by
every one who will bear the RESPONSE


bility of a vote on this vitality impor


tant question.


The question of impartial suffrage


is now submitted tothe people Of Ohio.


It is proposed to allow the eolOred


man to vote on ike terms and cOndi-


tiOns with the white man. After the


great events which have transpired,


the great changes that have taken


place, this can hardly be regarded as
an open question. The people of the


North, through Congress, have con


ferred upon the colOred men of the


South the right of suffrage, who but
yesterday were slaves, the most of
whom are wholly Uneducated, who


have grown up in States where it was
felony to teach them to read, and made


them politically equal to the whites
And shall they now refuse to do equal


Justice to the small number of colored
people ia their midst who are better
educated, far more Intelligent, far bet
ter qualified every way to exercise pol
.itical rights Can you, with self-re-


spect, and a decent regard to the Opiu-
ions Of mankind, refuse to execute in
this great State those immortal Drinei-
kples of5equal rights and justice which
you have asserted and enforced in
other States2 You who have. squared


your faith by the Declaration of Inde-
F Fpendence, who have proclaimed to the
I tbe world the equal rights of men, Will
not I am sure, -stultify yourselves by
+ refusing to the cOlored men of Ohio
! thatimpartial suffrage to which, by the
example Of your action IN the South,
/ they are so fully entitled. E
/ IF You shall refuse, you will then
! stand naked before your enemies. 1t
will then be hissed scornfully into
/ your faces, that your Immortal priR-
1 ciple Of equal right" isonly for South
i ern5 consumption, and that the radical
ism of Ohio IS but a cheat and a sham.
But let US consider this subject brief


", indepeudeBtlof all questions Of con-
i sistency or policy We admit that


i God has created all men equal. We


do not mean equal in physical and


]
. | ofappcarauce-but equaliu their rights


Now. where two races are living to-


gether 10 the same State, and the right
to choose all public offices 10 make
{ laws and execute them, Is confided C
j one race exclusively, will you tell me
that all are equal2 And will you tel
me by what right one race exercises
Z absolute government over the other
We admit that God has endowed
! men With certain inalienable rights
, that among these is.the right of life
= liberty and the pursuit of happiness
. We call these divine, or, If you please
D natural rights. If we have these right
D have we not a devine or natural Ilgh
. to protect ourselves in their enjoyment
e Can there be right which w
0 have not the right to protectt Ih'
j right of self-detense IS said to be thu
r first law of nature, and it may be eXer
e cised by your hands or by weapon


by yourself'or by your friend. Ih
& law of nature does not point out hoy
IS il shall be done, whether by hands OK B


II weapon. but certainly embraces th
It use of the adequate means Whateve
is they may be. il would be very absur
d to say that self preserYatlOn is the hrs
d law of nature, but that the law doe
d not give the use Of means of preserya
r tion. 1t is not less absurd to say tha
e men have divine right TO life an
7 liberty. but have no divine right to pr'
/ tect themselves in their enjoyment
e Can you conceive of a right which az
= other man has d right to take away an
er which you have no right to defend
e IF it be admitted thar men have a d


vine or natural right TO life and libert
C, then must itsnot be admitted that thl
ge have a divine or natural right to pr
ne tect themselves in their enjoyment
re And if it be admitted that men have
We natural right to protect themselves
d. the enjoyment of life and liberty, th
st right must carry with It the use Of q
or necessary OF adequate means. And nc
u. what are the necessary OK. adequa