The Wellington Independent. Wellington Independent. "NOTHING EXTENUATE; NOR SET DOWN AUGHT IN MALICE." SATURDAY, 1st FEBRUARY, 1868.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXII, Issue 2630, 1 February 1868, Page 4

The Wellington Independent. Wellington Independent. "NOTHING EXTENUATE; NOR SET DOWN AUGHT IN MALICE." SATURDAY, Ist FEBRUARY, 1868.

The negro has ever been the curse of the United States. Before the late civil war his wrongs, real and imaginary, formed a hopeless barrierbetween North and South, and ever kept up a bitter feeling between those two portions of the nation ; and now the clash of arms is over, and the negro rejoices in the possession of all the civil rights of an American citizen, he appears to be as fruitful a source of discord as ever. He is still the citadel for the possession of which political parties fight; but the quarrel is not now over his wrongs, but as to whether he has not received more than his fair share of political power. Nor is the contest of little importance ; on the contrary, upon its issue depends the advance or retrogression in civilization for many years of several States of the Union, and, it may be, its issue will decide whether or not the country shall be again plunged into the miseries of civil war. The late elections have revealed in all its startling characters the vast political influence which the blacks have acquired in the Southern States since they had the franchise bestowed upon them — a result which all thinking men in the United Statesmust, of course, have long foreseen, but which is nevertheless now distinguished with that clearness with which an existing fact always strikes the mind. Four millions of blacks, we are told by a New York paper, are now armed with the vote, and ie many places, the black voters outnumber the white ones. What the effect of this will be cannot readily be foreseen. A people trained in bondage, with minds often filled with fanaticism, are not very likely to make a calm and just use of power, when they have, so to speak, their old masters under their feet, and when, moreover, they are backed up in every action by a powerfully-organised white party, full of ambition and eagerly striving for place. In the late elections the Radicals and negroes worked hand in hand, and, consequently, in most parts of the South, carried all before them. To the party which has given them political influence the negroes are bound with tho strongest ties of gratitude, and such a coalition will not readily be severed. The moderate party in the North are greatly alarmed at the combination, not only because it gives their opponents such an immense advantage, but from a natural and patriotic fear lest the sudden preponderance of the negro element may prevent that reconstruction of society in the South which every well-wisher of his country mu«t wish to see speedily effected. It must be remembered that the late war reduced the Southern planters, almost without exception, to absolute poverty ; since not only did an immense destruction of property take place during the conflict, but almost the whole of the specie in the South was sent out of tho country to pay fur war materiel, and the currency was confined to Confederate not es, which became valueless when the Northern armies triumphed, and the Confederacy waß broken up. In order, then, to enable these ruined planters to cultivate their estates once more, and gain possession of that comfort which is the surest guarantee of the internal peace of

any country, it was necessary that they Bhould be put into a position to borrow capital and to obtain cheaj) labor. But so long as the country is in a disturbed state, there will be a difficulty in borrowing money; while the negro, the old tiller of the Southern soil, finding himself invested with political importance, and being naturally idle and vain, is not at all likely to. apply himself to monotonous and wearisome labor at low wages. Idlenoss naturally leads to destitution, and as all history teaches us, destitution, when armed with power, becomes dangerous. A careful perusal of the American journals will show that idleness and disorder reign throughout the South, and our latest advices tell us that " the accounts from the Southern States represent that the greatest distress is prevailing there among all the poor white classes," and it is also feared there '* will be a general rising of the negroes against the whites on the Ist January." But even supposing this political revolution did not cause material hardship nor tend to embitter the two racesagainst each other, this sudden gift of political influence to the blacks must still be deplored, as tending, not only to hinder the advance of civilization, but also to cause a reversion to barbarism. When an ignorant' and headstrong race are entrusted with the making of laws, they are sure to frame them for their own advantage and in such a manner as to injure their opponents ; more especially when the remembrance of bitter wrongs still rankles in their minds. JNor is a legislature mainly composed of blacks and their supporters likely to do much for the encouragement of those arts which tend to refine and polish mankind; or indeed to meddle with any matters save those which may either subserve what they consider to be their material interests, or enable them to give effect to their rancorous feelings. Enlightened views of government are Beldom to be fouund in uneducated minds ; and the natural inclination of untutored man is to use power for his own advantage, trader these circumstances, the transference of political power from the whites to the blacks, which has taken place in the Southern States, must be j deplored by every thinking man.