Year: 1876

THE NEGRO In POLITICS.


From the recent speech of Hon. l.. Q. C. Lamar in the


House OF Representatives.


Sir, but the other day a distinguished
senator from the Pacific coast made u
most striking protest against the further
immigration Of Chinese into the cOmmu.
nifty there and still more recently both
parties seemed to be vying with each
other as to which should 90 farthcst in
preventing this admixture of the Mongo-
lian race with ours To illustrate the
disturbing force of this measure, let us
suppose that in the six New England
states and the states Of New York and
New Jersey, whose population ceres.
ponds most nearly to that Of our south
ern states, in one night 1000, 600 Of un-
accustomed, incongruous population,
such as MeXicans and Chinese, should
be incorporated into the political sys-
tenn of those cOmmonwealths, and by
some paramount power outside those
states should be so compacted together
a, to gain control of all the departments
Of our government, Of all the Offices all
the institutions, state and municipal in
a word, invested with the entire sovcr-
eighty of their body-politic. ask you
would not the rcposc of society be dis
turbed would not the assurance of law,
Of hcathful industry, of business ar
rangements and invcstmcnts-would not
all confidence give way to dismay and
pcrpIcxity, to restless fears, wild passions
and bloody scenes? Why, sir, the more
splendid their political civilization, the
more complex their system of laws, and
the more perfectly adjusted their social
an economic forces, and the higher the
moral tone of their society, the more
hidcous would be the ruin and the more
refined the agony of the ,eople subjected
to suCp a catastrophe.


But the case as supposed is not as
strong as the case which actually oC-
CURED in the southern states. The A.
100000 people who by scratch of the
pen were made citizens and crushed into
our political system, the 100000 voters
and otlice-holders and legislators and
magistrates, had just emerged from the
immemorial condition of slaves.


This fearful experiment was regarded
by thinking men all over the world with
the protoundest concern and misgiving.
1t was viewed with disfavor by large
majority even of the republican party.
Its most able and most extreme leaders
looked upon it as committing society
to the sway of Ignorance, servility, cor
ruption and tyranny; and such was
their sentiment until the conflict Of the
republican party with president johnson
and one other cause, which shall notice
before | close, seemed to sweep away
consideration of reason and justice.


MoRToN's VIEWS OF THE NEGRO IN 1865


In 1865, the year in which there was
in the south certain legislation which
has been the subject of much denuncia-
ton of the south and the occasion and
excuse for the oppressive and humiliat-
ing methods which have been applied to
her people, say in that year Mr.. o. p.
Morton, in a message to the legislature
of Indiana, used the following language


"lt is fact so manifest that it should
not be called in question by any that Il
people who are just emerging from the
barbarism of slavery are not qualified to
become part of our political system and
take part not only in the government of
themselves and their ncighbors, but of
the whole United states.


SO far from believing that negro sui-
frage is remedy for all of national ills,
doubt whether it is remedy for any,
and rather believe that its enforcement
by congress would be more likely to sub
jcct the negro to merciless persecution
than confer upon him any substantial
benefit.


"By some it is thought that suffrage
is already cheap enough in this country;
and the immediate transfer of more than
half a million men from the bonds of
slavery, with all the ignorance and the
degradation upon them which tine sla-
very of generations upon southern fields
has produced, would be declaration to
the world that the exercise of American
suffrage involves no intellectual or moral
qualifications, and that there is no differ
ence between an American freeman and
an American slave which may not be re
moved by mere act of congress-"


Now, sir, in speech which this gen.
tleman made in Indiana before those peo-
pie became invested with any political
rights, here is his language:


81 believe that in the case Of four
million slaves just freed from bondage,
there should be period of probation
and preparation before they are brought
to the exercise of political power Il 4 y
What is their condition? Perhaps not
one in five hundrod-I might say one in
thousand-can read, and perhaps not
one in five hundred is worth five dollars
in property of any kind"


Now, sir, notice the language OF Mr..
Morton in the following sentences:


:" Can you conceive that body oi mer,
white or black, who have been in this
condition, and their ancestors before
them, are qualified to be Immediately
lifted from their present state into the
iull exercise of power, not only to govern
themselves and their neighbors, but to
take part in the government of the
United States? Can they be regarded
as intelligent and independent voters
The mere state of facts furnishes the an.
SWpr tn tho nnoot;n, IT, oax