Year: 1865

cate in countryman of Lafayette and of
Carnot!


Benighted as the Freedmen may be, they are
not so ignorant or stupid as to vote power into
the hands of their persistent Oppressors and
traduccrs. Give them the Right of Suffrage,
and they will protect themselves, instead Of
needing protection against themselves. If, as
our opponents predict, they shall generally
vote the Democratic ticket, it will only be after
Democrats shall have ceased to insist on their
kinship with the ape, and on driving them from
work shops and from nearly every respectable
employment. There ia mt Democrat fool
cnough-however unprncplcd-to treat them
as Democrats now do after they shall have been
armed with votes.


But VIC stand ready to agree that Intelli-
gence Usefulness and Moral WORTH shall be
indispensable to the exercise Of the Right
of Suffrage. Make the rule as rigid
as you please, and We agree to'it, pro-
vdcd that you require it inilexbly of all.
Say that there shall be no voter who has not
paid a tax-whO cannot read with understand
ng-who is not good citizen and We re-
spond, Amen! But if you make Intelligence
qualification for Blacks only, and then shut
them ont of the Public Schools and in every
way discourage their education-if you disfran-
chise them, and them only, for ignorance, yet
keep dsfranchised those among them who have
acquired more than average inteligcnce-is not
your prescription proved unjust and its prctc1t
hypocrtical


The Blacks of Petersburg, Va, recently
held quiet and orderly public meeting to
petition for the Right of Suffrage. They pre-
scnted brief report for publication to The Err
press Of that city 90 city which gave unani-
nous vote for Secession, though it contained
scores Of unchanged Unonists, but it was per-
cmptorily refused an insertion, and the petition
ers were told (untruly) that no Northern State
allowed negroes to vote.


We entreat the early, earnest, candid atten.
ton Of conservative, peace-loving Southernen
to this matter They must see that it nearly
concerns not merely the integrity Of the Union
but the honor Of its upholders. We have called
the slave to our aid, and with that aid have
triumpbcd. We secured it by promises which
we are not at liberty to break. But we loa,he
contention and crave peace based on universa
good will. We want all prescriptions and dis
Embellishments, North or South, speedily and
utterly obliterated But Justice is the only
basis of true and lasting peace. No
settlement is worth having that is Eot
grounded in absolute Right. We ardently
desire and hope that this Suffrage ques-
tion may be settled in and by the States re-
spcclvcly But if those States insist that men
lately in arms against the Union shall have
power TO disfrancHse forever thousands who
fought as gallantly 70 preserve the Union. we
cannot IN honor consent. Only give the Freed
men a fair chance, and n ask no more. En-
courage them to study and work and save by
providing that the intelligent, industrious and
frugal shsll vote, and we leave the persstcuily
ignorant and shif,less to their .,te. But you
must not ask NJ 10 consent that a Rebel soldier
may enter and rob Union soldiers dwelling III
his absence, insulting and abusing his family,
set no member Of that family be a qualified
witness 70 the facts, SO as 10 bring the burglar
and robber to justice No: You must not ask
that the unialterng Unionists Of your State
shall mainly be put under the feet OF tho per-
sis,cnt Rebels That is not Reconstruction"
il is 20 perpetuate conflict and render hostility
eternal.


The HeraM (not ncgro-woTshiper, you
know proposes the following:


ave would give the suffrage n, once 20 four classes
of Southern negroes. fiis ard cmphaicaly, toe,cry
negro Who horne IN tue cause OF the United
States second 10 every negro who owns reel estate
third TO every negro Who read and write.
and fourth 10 eysfy negro who had belonged 10 any
lgious rganzsiion church Cor hYe years before
the war. Ihcre points would every that
ought 20 vote and they WOuld insure in cvery negro
voter spirit OF manhood well as discipline some
practical shrcwdness intellectual development and
nio al CONSCIOUSNESS and culture. IL IS Wen worth the
com liberation Of the President whether something like
this should not lie incnIed In the scheme of recon
struction."
We would be entirely willing to accept this !
as basis of concord and peace. Are we TO be
told that, from the South, nothing can or will
be prohered or conceded