83. LXXXIII.
ON THE DIVERSITY OF THE RACES.
Saint's Rest (wich is in the Stait uv Noo Jersey), }
September the 24th, 1865.
Whenever yoo ask the people to adopt any given line uv
ackshen, yoo hev got to give em a tollable good reason therefor.
Troo, this never hez bin so necessary in the Dimekratik party,
whose members hez alluz follered their leaders, without askin
the why or wherefor, with a fidelity beautiful to behold. But
people, ginerally, are inquisitive, and wun reason why we hev
never succeeded with the slavery question, is becoz we never
hev yet given a good reason why the nigger shood be held in
slavery.
Wunst it wuz sought to be defended on the ground that the
nigger wuz inferior to the white man, but it woodent do.
Why? Becoz the full-blown Dimekrat thot to hisself to-wunst,
“Ef the stronger shel own the weaker — ef the intellectooally
sooperior shel hold in slavery the intellectooally inferior, Lord
help me! Why, I might ez well go into a Ablishn township
and select my master to-wunst.”
The same argument won't do ez to nigger equality. Why
shood we say that the nigger shan't vote, on the score uv his
not bein fitted by educashen or intelligence, when the fust and
chiefest qualificashen uv a strate Dimekrat is his not knowin
how to read? Why, to-day, in my county, ef a Dimekrat kin
rite his name without runnin his tongue out, we alluz refuse to
elect him a delegate in the county convenshun. It exposes
him to the suspishun uv knowin too much.
I hev quit all these shaller dodges, long ago. We must hev
the nigger, for jest at this time there ain't no other capital for
us to run on; but he must be put on maintainable ground. I
put my foot on him, on the ground uv the DIVERSITY UV THE
RACES! He is not wun uv us. He is not a descendant uv
Adam. Goddlemity probably made him, ez he did the ox, and
the ass, and the dorg, and the babboon, but not at the same
time, nor for the same purposes. He is not, in any sence uv
the word, a MAN! His color is different, the size uv his head
is different, his foot is longer, and his hand is bigger. He wuz
created a beast, and the fiat uv the Almity give us dominion
over him, the same ez over other beasts.
Does the theologian say that this doctrine undermines the
Christian religion? I to-wunst reply, that that don't matter to
us. Dimokrasy and religion shook hands and bid each other a
affecshunate farewell, years ago. Uv what comparison is
religion to a Dimekratik triumph?
Doth the ethnologist say that the difference atween the
Caucassian and Afrikin is no greater than atween the Caucassian
and Mongolian? I anser to-wunst that he is rite — that
the Mongolian is likewise a beast; becoz, don't yoo see, there
ain't no Mongolians in this secshun uv country to disprove it.
Doth the Ablishnist pint to a nigger who kin read and rite,
and figure through to division, and in sich other partikulers
show hisself sooperior to the majority uv Dimekrats? I alluz
draw myself up to my full hite, assoom a virchusly indignant
look, and exclaim, “He's nuthin but a d—d nigger, anyhow!”
wich is the only effective argument we hev hed for ten years.
Doth the besotted nigger-lover pint to the mulatto, and say,
“What will yoo do with him, who is half beast and half man,
who hez half a sole that is to be saved — for one half uv whom
Christ died?” I anser at wunst, that I don't deal in abstracshuns,
and git out ez soon ez possible, for there is a weak pint
there, that I hevent ez yit bin able to git over.
This wun weak pint is no argument agin my theory, for
happy is the Dimekrat who kin propound a theory that hezent
a score, instid uv wun, weak places in it.
This doctrine kivers the whole ground. Ef the nigger is a
beast, Dimekrats hev a good excuse for not givin to mishnary
societies, for uv what use is it to undertake to Christianize
beasts, who hev no soles to save and fit em for the skies? It
gives us a perfect rite to re-establish slavery, for doth not
Blackstun, who wuz supposed to know ez much law ez a Noo
Jersey justis uv the peace, say that we hev a rite to ketch and
tame the wild beast, and bend him to our uses? Also, he can't
vote; for wood the lowest white man consent to vote alongside
uv a beast, even ef he did walk on two legs? Not any.
Let this doctrine be vigorusly preachd, and I hev no doubt
suthin will result from it.
Petroleum V. Nasby,
Lait Paster uv the Church uv the Noo Dispensashun.
