Year: 1866

LET Us CONSIDER THE MAfTEH


CALMLY.


The ~ T. Times, after quoting what we said Oh
Judge Sharkeys estimate that half the slaves oil MIS-
sissppi in 1860 have since died, and his expectations
that the race ia destined (because of Emancipaton)
to become extinct-thus comments


whether his expectations as to their future extinction
weounded not must depend we think upon their rea
tOns with the Whites They are re- adapted to Ss se abS Sy
will be greater demand and better rewarded than ever be-
foe and nothing in the nature OF the case to render
life more precaols among them than was before they
mado free But cannot be denied that tho relations
which are exist between them and the Whites are IN this
respect as in oil others of the importance and should
take precedence OF all secondary mhttes In the pubic mlnd
this account partly ha We nave M SuoOned aSswsn Is &
the first step ard condition sine qud non OF RESTORATION IN
the present state OF the Southern mind universal negro su
rage forced upon the Southern people would ineyltaDy IN
the prejudice and hatred which are assumed 70 ex,
the negro and would thus lead to ana
conflicts which could not fail TO prove disastrous to the weaker
party Now Slavery Is exnguished there no shadow
Of Justice reason for excluding men merely on account o
color all personal civil AID political rights enjoyed Dy
the great OF the people, but there may be very strong
and prudence in the time and mode OF con
ferring those rights upon hitherto excluded om them
First let the relations OF capital and labor be mutual cordial
and friendly between The Whites and the Blacks el tmes aas
upon tue other shall bo felt will beand all else VIII
follow as matter Of course by the voluntary eoopesOn@ @ o
both GLASSES and will thus give tho best possible security of


are afd tbat our extreme men in Congress and else
T e wrong end and that their policy IL successful would
prove injurious aherthau beneficial to tho class hey 'sA 10
| serve"


Comments by The Tribune.


Judge Sharkey, it will he noted, expects that the
Black race in this country will become extinct any
ho,r. He does not say they WILL 1enfranehised; he
is not contemplating that contingency; he expects
their extinction because they haze been smancpated II
he is a safe guide in the premises the only way to
Ia and
Slavery.


The Times, however, Is not prepared to advocate
this alternative; hence, submit, it can make
nothing out of Judge Sharkeys expectations. And 1t
seems to us that they make for rather than against
Black Enfranchsement If the negroes are doomed
to extinction as unenfranchsed freedmen Gas Judge
Sharkey and tn Sharkey tribe "expect"), then, we
suggest it is better to try Equal Rights; since the
experiment cannot result more disastrousy than its
alternative il the issue Of that shall conform to Judge
Sharkeys expectation.


Mind; we DO not accept Judge Sharkey's prem
ises We do not believe that the -Four Million Blacks
living in the Slave States in 1860 have been reduced
SO low as Three Millions. Many have died. we know;
but good many have been born also; and wc doubt
that the mortality among the Southern Blacks has,
on the whole, been greater than among Southern
Whites. Many have, doubtless, left Mississippi
(whereof not half the Blacks living there
natives, and il was never favore State with slaves)
but thousands Of these are now in Texas, in New
Orleans, in Memphis in Louisville and in the North.
We are confident that tho next census will show mors
than Three Millions Of Blacks in this country.


The Whites of the South were generally identified
in sympathy and effort with the Rebellion; the Blacks
-ins,inctycly from the first; ardently practically,
after the appearance Of Mr. Lincolns proclamations Of
Frecdom-s,ood by the Union There were not, say
in l56i-5 thousand negroes in the whole country
vyho rrre not Lnonists. Yet when The Times speaks
Of " the Southern mind" the Southern people," it
ignores The Loyal Millions of Blacks and contcmplates
the Rebel Whites alone. We protest that this is ao
toTdant neither with fact with reason, nor with the
gratitude which hearty loyalty should inspire.


The prejudice and hatred" averred by The Times Of
Whites against Blacks at tho South is tho prejudice of
those who sought to destroy our Nationality against
those who prayed and fought for its preservation.
The collisions and conflicts are inspired or at least
intensified, by this antagonism. The Southern
Whites are no more prejudiced against their late
slaves than they are against us "Yanks;" and they
would be quite as much conciliated and pleased by
our dsianchisement as By that Of Black allies in
the late struggle. Yet The Tins, does not propose to
suppress universal Northern suffrage to placate the
constructed. Why not


As TO "csre and prudence in the time and mode Of
conferring those rights &c., The Times does not need
TO be told that our only time is the present If we do
not secure eniranchisement for the Blacks in the pro-
cess of reconstruction, We never can. The moment
=.
Congress, we shall be told You are too late! The
matter is settled You can neither amend the Federal
Constitution nor exact Black Suffrage in any form.
The subject Is disposed Of"


Those whom The Times called extreme men" did
not begin at the wrong end" They began by treat.
ing tho slaves Of Rebels as "contraband Of war"
Next they abolished Slavery in the District of COum-
bia. Then they enrolled and armed the Blacks to
fight for the Union. Then they abolished Slavery by
Constitutional Amendment. At length. they have
placed the Civil Rights of the Blacks under the pro.
lection of Federal statute And now they propose
TO crown the edice by securing to them the Right of
Suffrage You see, they began at the right end and
have kept in logical, workmanlike order to this
day.


1t seems to them that the true way to "make the
relations of Capital and Labor mutual. cordial and
friendly" is to place both under the protection of
Equal Rights and Equal Laws. That is tho course
pursued with the relations Of White Labor to Capital
and it has worked well. Then why not extend it to
Black also What reason can be given for leaving
this grave matter to the uncontrolled discretion of the
late sveholding Rebels that would not have been
good reason for leaving the Abolition Of Slavery to
their discretion as well


CARLYLE.
Mr. Carye's discourse meets with two sets of critics