Year: 1865

/ -


For the Clarion.
Niggerism and "RecOrds."
1t is not improbable that there are a
considerable number of ambitious gen
| tlemen in our Leg islature-men who are
properly impressed with the necessity Of
making "a record" 1t has been intima-
ted that if the plain truth was known a
maj ority of them who oppose negro ties.


timony," so-called, do so because they


hope thereby to tickle the jaundiced


minds of their constituency. 1t may be
81. In former times it was in~dspensably
| necessary for candidate for any Office,
! from a constable up, 10 be Sound" on the
slavery question before he presented his


claims to the public. He was required


to swallow the negro fiat nose, wool and
all, and evince an absorbing solicitude
| lest the poor ignorant creature might,


with all his poverty of brains and means,


life his head higher than God intended it


TO be raised Is the same spirit dis
cerni5le in the Hall where now sits in


grave conclave the wisdom of the State


Do members really think themselves


called upon to make "record" on this
question Are they afraid to record their
votes for this fearful "mons frosty" !"
as the brilliant but playful edit or of the
| News styles it, 50 that their cons ituents
can see that they are ''sound" on the ne
gro question? Is a morbid hatred to


the negro necessary passport to pop


u'ar favor Is it possible that the ques-
ton Of justice to the negro never pen
etrated the film of prejudice which has
gathered over their mental eyes If
| left to their own prevoltion in the mat
ter, do they have no fear of perpetrating
gross outrage and a damning wrong
| against this helpless class of our popula
ton, who are now by the fortunes of war
and the act of the government we are
compelled to acknowledge as sovereign,
| deprived OF the protection of humane
masters We use the word fear in its
I moral sense. We desire to give the gen
tlemen full credit for all the courage t hey
display in breasting the ant lavery storm
of the North now that the war is over
and slavery destroyed But we put it
: altogether upon its moral aspect, and
stand upon the ground that no individual
or State or nation can afford to perpe-
trate against another individual, class or
people a great wrong, with impunity.
! There Is law of IetrIbution which will
J fall sooner or later in some way or other
upon the heads of those who disregard
this common principle of ethics.


If President johnson were to say to
the implacable negro haters of the Mis-
sissippi Legislature, gentlemen you must
do this thing, you must extend
to the freedmen this simple rihgt
for their protection" would they do
it Who has any doubts on that
score? That Is to say, would they do a
simple act of justice to the negro by
command from Washington, and yet if left
to be their own masters, coerced by no
0ytI1lG
but actuated simply by sense OF justice
and magnanlmIty towards an untortu-
nate people, withhold that act of simple
justice! is this the sort of "record"
that men desire to make? IF we, as a
people, IN our character of Insurgents
having failed In stupendous revolution,
expect llberality and magnanimity on the
parL or the government we undertook to
subVert, why Is it that We cannot feet a
disposition 10 be magnanimous and len
lent towards a class below US? Why is it
that we should exert all our powers of
mind to keep down class of people,
who, according to our own argument,
carry the stamp OF inferiority by the fat
OF God Almighty? Surely it is not nee
essary to trammel the negro by stringent
and Illlberal legislation in order to pre-
vent his becoming our equal when God





better than Legislatures can do it. Abo
lItlon may be wrong. Most of us think |
1t Is wrong. But the negroes are in no |
sense responsible for it. They were for
the most part, passive instruments in |
the mighty shock which ended in their |
freedom. Snail we hate them for wh4
others have done? Is it Just or is it |
manly


1t Is perfectly patent now to the world.
that the eagerness to save slavery at any
cost, and every sacrifice, DESTROYED it, 1t |
Is just as likely that this same eagernt ss
TO strip the freedman of such rights. as
are essentially necessary for the protec-
ton OF his person and property, will Fl.
nally result in the investment in him of
the right of suffrage right which he
Is by no means calculated to exercise
lhus the unreasoning and illiberal advo
Gates afford no rights to the freedmen.
and Will bring about the very result, thew
see m most TO apprehend.


1t is just possible that a member NAV
make great mistake in the matter Of
Tecorus. III the past Is any criterion by
"hich TO Judge the future we would
prefer different kind of record, even if {
We were actuated by purely selfish mo.
ives, and knew nothing, nor never er
- ANHO' all '9ilAS VI Tue JOYS OF |
clear conscience. We would prefer re. s
'ord like that of the talented yonno &
mem Der from Lowndes, Mr.. Arnold, and
nose who voted and spoke with him. In '
lis place, he hesltated not to say, with I
nanliness that does him high honor that {
le favored the bill allowing the negro I
ne right to testify, not only upon the
'round of private interest and public s
policy, but also upon the broader and bsner a
round Of Justice. We venture to saw that a
le will never be ashamed of his record il
n this question; but in after years when S
he eternal principles of truth and Justice n
hall have trampled out the last yestioe a
t an unreasonable and suicidal preiudice a
nd an undeserved hate, he will be able
0 congratulate himself upon it, and. if 8
ecessary to build upon il. b


JUSTICE.
TENNEssEE-Of the one hundred and ff
"enty-one inmates of the Lunatic Asv.
Am OF Tennessee, sixty are reported a. a,
aying become deranged by the excite h
aent incident to the war.