Year: 1867

To the Editors Of the Union and Dispatch.


I propose to suggest to you, and to the
public through your paper, few thoughts
on a subject of very great importance to as
as people, just now. The Legislature
has, in its wisdom or folly, as is yet to ap-
pear. enfranchised the colored man of our
State with the right of suffrage, and thereby
made the colored voter a part and parcel
of the body polite; this being the fact, it
remains to be seen whether we, as a people,
have sense and philosophy enough to
abandon the dead issue, az to whether be
ought to have been enfranchised, and TO go
on and treat him as a goteg and part and
parcel Of the body polite, and as such, to
be treated and recognized as worthy to be
consulted and acted with for the good of
the country that be, in common with the
white man, is to occupy. /, for one, have
nothing to say against his tight to vote,
and do not in the future propose to discuss
the subject with any man, black or white I;
but upon the contrary shall take great
pleasure in aiding the eOlored man every
where TO elevate himselfi in all the walks Of
life to the full measure of his capacity to
make useful and respectable citizen. The
man or party that is in favor of enfranchis-
ing the colored man simply to get his vote
for himself or his party, is less worthy to
be clothed with the right to vote than the
most ignorant African in our midst Sirs,
what will the world and the colored man
think of a party who advocate the doc
trine that it is right that he should
vote, and confer the privilege, and be-
fore the change Of the next moon hold a
convention to nominate a candidate for
Governor, in which the colored man is
either ignored or overlooked, thus showing
that his vote is all that is wanted, and that
il can be had without condescending to ask
for it. Is il possible that the colored man
is so dead to every impulse that is common
to all men, that he will fail to see and APP
preciate this deliberate slight and insult
thus offered by those who profess TO be his
peculiar friends? Sirs, the colored man is
now a citizen by law, and should be taken
into account as such, and as a voter is GER
tainly with all men, at least who believe
he is capable of casting a ballot, entitled TO
consideration and respect, and will, by all
who are his real friends, be inUited to par
ticpate in all public meetings, and all
county and State conventions, where it is
proposed to nominate candidates for Office
who are 10 be elected by the people.
Taking this view Of the case, / think
the colored voter ought TO be invited to
come and participate in all public meetings
and conventions held for the purpose of
nominating candidates; and that party in
Tennessee who refuses or neglects TO invite
that class of our fellow-citizens to co-ope-
rate with them in the selection Of candi


dates to be voted for, shows to the colored
man that they have no respect for him and
DENY him all that he has gained by being
enfranchised for he isnot permitted to hold
office and if he can do nothing but vote


and is deprived of the right and privilege
Of assisting in selecting candidates TO be
voted for, his voting amounts to nothing at
all. /, for one, believe in the new state Of
things, that the cOlOred man is part and
parcel Of the body polite, and will have
| his politics just like other people, and
should be invited to, and co-operated with,
Just as other citizens are, and at once given
and made to feel, as far as can be, the re-
spOnsibility that attaches TO the new rela-
ton | have thought somewhat upon this
subject since the enfranchisement of the
colored man, and for the life of me cannot
see how the question is to be treated other
than in the way above indicated, and would
like to hear from you upon the subject and
to know if you understand whether the
colored man is to be part and parcel OF us,
and to exercise political influence in our
midst by mingling with us in our public
meetings and conventions. For myself,
| | think he should be invited most cordially
to meet us and consult with us for the best
interests of the country, and in every way
made to feel the responsibility Of his new
position. Very respectfully,


| 49, Jas. WHITNORTH.