The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-08-09

several hundred negroes, some as team
sters, and some for other purposes, to the
exclusion of white laborers, thousands OF
whom, together with their wives and chill
dren, in our large cities are suffering for
tire want of employment | speak advi-
sedly when say that the Republican
party are already paying, of x-gathered
money, in this District alone, over three
hundred thousand dollars per annum to
buy, clOthe, feed and exalt, the African
race. Thus for the negro you expcnd
more in a single year than you appropri-
ate for the government and protection Of
all the people in all the organized Terri
tories of the United States The negro is
made superior, in your legislation, to the
pioneer white men that settle the great
West, and, amid hardships and dangers,
lay the foundations of new common
wealths; the hardest and noblest men of
'-E'.,..r :.'7'~c''g= .N:A,.<tY,
So the people are taxed more yearly
:; .:5'ssse S~-2Lfsep- &j1Nr bSAck race in this
District alone than it costs to maintain the
burdens of State government in either
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Con-
necticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Del
aware, or Maryland
But it is not in this District alone that
you require the people to pay tribute to
the idol of your affections. Wherever
you lind our army, with one or two hon
orabie exceptions, You will find that hun
dredS of rations are being issued daily to
unemployed negroes who rendezvouz in
and around the camps; wherever the
army is they are employed in various ca
pacities at good wages, and 10 the utter
exclusion OF Ghite labor that now Ian.
guishcs in irksome idleneSs throughout
our country. state, therefore, and |
think truthfully, that the Government is
already paying 100000 per day for the
support and employment of negrOes-pay-
ing it, too, out of the money raised through
the toll, deprivations and taxation of our
own kith and kin.
In my district, Mr.. Chairman, my con-
stituents are selling corn at eight cents n
bushel in order to support their families
and maintain the honor and integrity of
our Government. Shall the money thus
raised and for such purpose be diverted
to the entertainment Of the African? VIII
my people, will the people anywhere, en-
dorsc the party and the Administration
that thus seeks the elevation Of the negro
even at the cost of the ruin of their Cwn
race?
! One might suppose that your ardor in
the care aud protection of the negro would
stop and cool here; but no, you go still
further. Having made him your equal as
civilian, you now seek to place him on
! the same level with American sailors and
! soldiers. First came the order of the Sec
rotary Of the Navy, Mr.. Welles, which is
as follows:
/ NAVY DEPARTMENT, April 20, 1862.
. SIR: The approach Of the hot and sick
|y season upon the southern coast Of the
United States, renders it imperative that
every prccaution should be used by the
officers commanding vessels to continue
/ the excellent sanitary condition Of their
crews. The large number Of persons
known as coutrabrands" tockiny to the
protection Of the United States flag, af
!ordS an opportunity to provide in every
department of a ship, especially for boats
! crews, acclimatcd labor. The flag officers
( are required 10 obtain the services of these
I persons for the country by enliSting them
1rCety in the navy, with their consent, ra
unS them as boys, at eight, nine Or ten
dollars per month. and one ration. Let a
. monthly return be made of the number of
this class of persons employed on each
vessel under Your command. | am, re-
( specially, your obedent servant,
GIDEON WELLES.
Under the plea of the approach of the
! slckly season, Mr.. WeleS issues this or
der; under the same plea the negro may
be called into any service in the South,
through the Sickly season, but the terri
bIe effect it may have upon our Army
and Navy was not thought of by any Re-
publican official until very recently.
Having made this progressive step in
our Navy, Gas my colleague from the
Bureau District Mr. Lovcjoy would call
lt),it lemaiuS to be emuatcd in our Army.
Not long does it await an imitator; Gen.
ID. N. Hunter commanding the military
department Of South Carolina, Georgia and
Florida, issues an order TO enroll cOmpa-
MES, regiments and brigades of negroes
in the military service Of the United
States.
Thus, in less than two years after the
accession to power Of the Republican par
ty, the negro is made, as far as possible,
the equal Of the white man as IA civilian,
sailor and Il soldier Nay, more than
this; the Constitution is violated that
white men may be berelt of their guaran-
teed right. White men are stripped of
the arnor of american citizenship in or
der that the negro may be clothed therein.
All this has been done against the earnest
! protest of all conservative men. And
/ propositions and amendments to bills,
appropriating money for the suppression
of the rebellion, which provided that no
money should be diverted either t. the
freeing, the support, or the enlistment Of
negroes, have been invariably voted down
by the Republican party in this House.
Worse than this even. Gen. Hunter, in
his zeal for the negro, withdraws the pro-
lection of bis army from the loyal citi-
zens of Jacksonville, Florida, in order to
perfect his great negro boarding house
and African military ACADEMY at the
mouth of the Savannah river. This is un-
doubtedly in harmony with his brilliant
discovery that African slavery and mar
tal law are incompatible. Common minds
have heretofore considered that martial
law and slavery, either for whites or blacks,
were among the most concordant ins,itu-
tions upon Garth. This proclamatory
commander, who vies in profundty with
the immortal General Phelps, undoubtcd
ly considers martial law the very jewel
caSket of American liberty.
My mind Mr.. Chairman, revolts at the
idea of degrading the citizen Soldery of
my country to the level of the negro. Sir
the American volunteer has always been
our reliance in peace, and our vindication
in war. | am opposed to eqaization in
in the ranks Of citizens and slaves Hav-
ing made such efforts for the negroes of
the United States, it would seem that