Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-12-31
THE NATURALIZATION AND THE
EEGRO.
Speech Of TV.Ass. n. KsicharSsosu, Of FIEiss0is,
In sSP a.. >. EEOHse Of ESepreseHfGfises.
DeceBsSer =, 1862

Speech Of TV'ss. II. FsicbarSsOrr, Of EIIimOii
Ia SHr a.. >. EEOEsse Of KepreseHfGfisei
The hou.e being in the committee of the whole th
! state Of the Union
Mr.. Richardson said
Mr. Chsirman; The annual message recently sent
this house by the President Of the United States tn
most remarkable Of any that has ever been delivered
Congress It is remarkable for what it says, and it
siil more remarkable for what it Omits say. One
half OF the twentyOne ses which it il devote
to the negro No page, sentence, line word
is given to laud, to mention the braverya
gsllantry the good conduct our soldiers il
the variOus bloody battles which have been fought NJ
sorrow is expressed for the smeRted dead No ausoI
is msde to the msmed aud wounded. No sympathy d
tendefed to the borrowing widow and to the heloess
phan made during the pregrsE Of this which coulC
have been avoided by honorable compromise, il tn,
President and his friends had chosen to do.
Sir it is a remarkable document. It is an e1traord'
nary message, when to think Of its sum anC
substance To feed, elothe, suy, and coonize tue
gro we are TO tax and mortgage the viii and his
children The white to b. burdened to the earth
for the benefit Of the black race
friend Of miae from New England the other day
mede mathematical analysis OF the message. he said
one from one an naught remsinL Naught from nAught
and the message rem.ius. lLaughter
So far asst relates to the white that mathemat
cal calculation right. SO far as il relates the
or in the language Of the President the free
American Of African descent" rivers Of blocd and
countess lions Of are not enough for his
beEeft and advantage.
Now, sir when our people have an1iously looked to
the message from the President Of the United State
learn what they have 10 he Of restored Union and
return Of the blSssingsf peace more their ire
sides, by inference learn il not d eety, that if
will carry out f the Presidents plans II win carry
cut his schemes thirty years from now the people
may again behold the restoration Of the Union and the
return Of peace True the message states at the end
OF those thrtyssven years but few Of will then be
living to enjoy the o sings once enjoyed in this
now distract and divided country.
But Mr.. Chairman, the'e a few passages in the
message extraordinary, wonderful that they re-
q q re he sill
s great anxiety fell and sxpTe sed by people that
this negro population shall interfere with them that
it hall at josie them in the occupations they have
heretofore pursued in the various industrial pursuits of
life in the great fertile regions Of the West The Pres
ident on that he ad uses the fol owing language:
And yet wish to say there is objection urged
nganst free cnOred persons remaining in the nry,
which is largely imaginary, II not sometimes malicious
It is insiset hist their presence would iniure and dis
pace white labor and white laboreTs II the-e ever
could be prOpsr time for catch arguments that
time surely is not In times ike the presens men
should utter nothing for which ihey would wi lngy
be responsible through time and in eternity Is IL true
then that tbs colorsd people disp'aee any more
white labor by being free than by remaining sIsves II
they stay In their places they iostle white labor
if they esve their old places they leave them open
to white sborers Logically there is neither mere nor
less of it."
Now sir, will not de IoE, the violence to say that
that is an argument. He tells reople, those who
him because they believed he and his party
intended TO keep the ron-ssVeholdiDg States and all
the ter ores Of the UNion fer The sole occupation Of
the white race il you do not like my plan Of dspOsng
of this black if yen fear from their introduction
among you that their labor viii be brought into
petition with that your all you have to do to
avoid this competition is to quietly leave ysur present
fields Of labor, homes to which, perhaps yeu nav by
asehed an the graYe' 81 your KINDRED aod migrate
and occupy the places made vacant BY the
exodus of Whist his ETceency terms the free Ameri-
cans OF African descent.' That is the sum and sub
stance of it.
But for the sake Il argument, admit II you choose,
hat all the plans of the President touching emAncipa
lion and colonization Of the negro to-day success
Il -. .1#
work Of restoring the Union No hIng-HROrse than
nothing.
The r4sidentrecomnnerds in his annual message three
propositions to amen The Constitution Of the Unt.d
s. ass viii! not trouble the committee with read3g
them; every gentleman here i familiar th ths srii
,les be proposes - adopt for am -ndments The hrEt
second and third for the bsReh OF the negro. The
peOpe sick ID tired of this eternal talk upon the
negro and thy have expressed thst dsgust unmisaka
ply in The recent election TIL Presidents Pronosed
neudments az whole, or either Of them could not
receive the susrages of majority Of the people Of
more than two States of this Union.
While upon this subject desire to call this attention
IF the commit to single feature in reston to theSe
In the message he reccmmS nds amend
nent 70 tn @, nstitu ion as follows;
ART. Congress may appropriate mon y, and
otherwise provide for cooniEing free coered persons
with th.ir own consent, at any places without the
United States.
In this recommendation he seeks give power to do
what he claims he has the power to do without and
by this recommendation he admits he has been eTrcig
ing unauthorized and illegal authority. Is ths
Itself an admission that the Constitution unsmended,
grants power to CoIgreE the Executive TO apprO
pirate the money of the people for any pGrP0eS
in this Amendmentl He calls upon Us to
compromise. What compromise y thstf FOE whom
does he propoBe compromise What fort In order
that you may hsve more power 70 adva ee the neg O.
That is all there is to it. and there Il nothing less o. II
He tells us there difference Of opinion among the
friends of the Union in regard to slavery and the Af
can race among rs he saws all Of those who differ
with him. surrender your convictions ana come to my
plan-and he calls that com PromsH Com promise
Yes 10 God the day nor far distant when ihe
people Of this country VIII compromise ana save tne
Constitution and the Union for the white people and
not for the black paspe Our people are for no other
compromise than that
Tb re are other portions Of the message upon which
should like to bestow attention, bn will forbesr
70 do so now for desire call the attention Of the
another proposition of the President con
nected with this subject
The u-oeIamatjon Of the % Of September last is
sued by the President took ths country by suTpre and
no one Of the citizens more than myself had fondly
hoped aud been anXiou that the President of the nted
States would 30 conduct himself in his high Office Of
Chief Magistrate, that could lend him my support.
have been driven with thou,ands Of ohers ine oppo
tion to the policy contained in THAT proclamation for
reasons which must CONNIE d themselves to every
hecting sincerely desirous of terminating this re-
bellion.
portieo Of this capitol took which he said
registered in Heaven to support the Constitution Of the
United States In his inaugural address delivered on
that occasion he said he had no lawful author in
clnation to interfere with the institution of slavery in
the States where it exists In his proclamation Of the
of September last he assumes tnat ne hH power 10
forever free all persons held slaves withi State
or designated part Of State, the people VIII rsof shall
be in rebellion against the United States thus violating
the pledge solemnly made in bis inaugural address
II the object of the proclamation was not to aid The
rebel on its eees Ithas rengthened the rebellion
by driving ato their army every person in the South
that posSib u drive theFe Was its intent 70
affect tn >ss alone in rebellioni Clearly not. The
slaves Of every in rebellious State were to be
free. The loyal owning twent' slaves, and the
man in the rebel army owning like number, were ~
tl,af foh he
The object Of the proclamation to benefit the ne
gro not the government preserve the Con
sttuton. 1t nothing more, nothing less Il goes
bow shot beyond anything Gone by this House at the
last session OF Congress-
But again. II the proclamation is to be earned iato
effect the must continue until every slave Is free
If every rebel should lay down his the 2 day Of
Jsnury next any subsequent day, and submit him
self TO the laws and Constitution Of the United States,
the war would still have go on unless the slaves
all Free for the proclamation declares that the execu