The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-07-28

consummate barbarity than is condensed and
incorporated into the negro clause of the Ore
gon Constitution. Yet the Democratic mem
'bers of our American Congress, in the nine
teenth century, at MONDAY, with the gaze OF
the civilized world upon them, refuse to permit
it to be stricken out and, after they had passed
the bill, proceeded to the White House, keeping
step to the music of Hail Columbia, for the pur-
pose of receiving the congratulations of the
President and sir, they received them with
shame be it said) from window in the Presi-
dental mansion of free people. u
For them there is no excuse. Better be a
dog, under the control of the imps of darkness,
than under the control of men who delight to
triumph in such monstrous inhumanity. To
refuse to strike out such proyision-to rejoice
over its adoption because it deprives free col
ored people of all rights, simply because they
are colored, is strange indeed. Why triumph
over poor, weak, and harmless people, merely
because they are black? Why abuse them for
no fault of theirs Did not the same God make
both you and them? Did not the same God
that gave you your color give them their color
also? Go, then, if you do not like their color,
and blame God, not them. Say to Him, Your
works are not the works of wisdom" Have
you no compassion for the defenceless-no feel
ing for the oppressed? Should such ever be-
the earth Should every fibre of my heart cease
to vibrate with sympathy for the afflicted and
down-trodden, of whatever race or color, pray
that my heart may cease to beat altogether.
Life, in such condition, would be curse to
myself, and curse to the world
| repeat, for the Democracy there is no ex-
cuse. But for the Republicans who voted for
the admission of Oregon, there is an excuse.
They tried to get the obnoxious section out OF
the bill /; and when they found they could not,
they concluded to vote for it, for the purpose of
relieving the people of Oregon from Federal
control and Federal corruption; hoping that,
when so relieved, they might expunge the hate
full section from their Constitution. But, sir,
think the excuse hardly sufficient to justify the
act Better never do wrong, that good may
come of it. AS to myself, l may do many things
that ought not; may leave many things I'M
done that | ought to do but whilst the blood
of freeman courses through my veins whilst
| have a brain to think, or heart to feel;
whilst righteous God permits me to walk upon
this fair earth, and breathe the pure air of
heaven, which are His free gifts to all men,
without distinction of condition, race, or color,
| will never sanction, or seem to sanction, by
my VOTE such monstrous in Justice and barbara
ty as are embodied in the Oregon Constitution.
You may go back to the earliest monuments of
the human race, you may delve into the
archives of the darkest days of antiquity, you
may search the journals OF barbarians and pi-
rates, and bring to light their blacklist records
of infamy, and you will find nothing in them
more infamous and inhuman than the negro
section of the Oregon Constitution. To punish
innocent men by law to shut the courts of JUS
tice against them to deprive them of the right
to nurture their children, by penal enactments;
to deny them the right to lire, or be, on the soil
that God gave to man, exhibits degree of
wickedness never surpassed by the rulers of any
people, in the annals of the world.
When the stronger and more intelligent race
in this country shall deny all rights to the
weaker race-shut the courts of justice to their
cries for protection against robbery, murder,
and the violation of female purity-they will
have reached the lowest depths of moral and
political degradation. But thank Him who
made the black man as well as the white, who
directs the destinies of men and of nations ac-
cording to His own good pleasure, that He has
not permitted the popular heart of this mighty
empire to keep pace, in moral and political de-
clension, with the moral and political declen-
sion Of ito rulers