We are told that if the Negro were given the free exercise of his
political powers he would ruin the industries of the South, that
Northern capital invested there would be sunk, and finally, that the
wealth and intelligence of the South will not submit to Negro rule. Too
many have been found ready to listen to this cunning apology for crime.
It is true that the Negro has registered no oath of allegiance to the
Democratic party, but to the best interests of his country his heart is
as true as the needle to the pole. Wise men may smile at his ignorance,
the rich may mock his poverty, fools may despise the color of his
skin; but an ignorant man, a poor man, a black man who is thoroughly
loyal, is a better and a safer voter than a rich man, an educated man,
and a white man who in his heart is disloyal to the Union and who
openly violates the Constitution and defies the laws. It is true that
conditions have changed and new issues have arisen, but the principles
of our government have not changed, nor have the rights guaranteed to
citizens by the Constitution been repealed. To the exclusion of almost
every other issue we have taken up