Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1862-11-29
SPEECH OF SENATOR poMnnoY,

gir'cg Day. N0'' s7@' ises' :" "''""e'"
the last sesslon Of Congress, freedom wss give (
in this District; icries Of Eyes, thank Godyl and
other, are passing rom condition Of servitude e
one Of at least, nominal freedom tCries o
Glory .Isi,ss n \, so; ,ss c,.
annual thanksgiving. Of your new life, propose
plainly to discuss with YOU ior sbIief period, the
Ss., z,ss ~ sat5 need not remind You Of your frss
dom Of color you are, to-day. conscious ofthe one
! freedou, Gods great gin to human nature, and
S enough of oifsasisely & reminded Of the other
But, I am anxious todirect your attention not 90
much to an evident fact a. to your duties and ooi-
You are to-day men and women, part and parcel
OF the family Of mankind, and there are pressing
ssS sna Se S aside of She1
(Yes, veal These duties press heavily upon you.
They take direct hold Of the great interests OF your
one generation Of men represent, and in no small
decree have committed to their keeping, the pre-
cious life nheritances Of not only themselves, the
present living, but Of all generations down In
counted ages, that are to hold as legacy human
life by virtue OF their lives f
often give birth 10 the freedom and happiness of
untold generations; and In no unmeaning sense
has the freedom and happiness Of race been Sc
cured by the tolls, labors and sufierings Of few
heroic Slonsera, who counted not their lives
dear unto Themselves"
The great, paramount duty of all men, frec be-
fore the law, Is to secure as far as possible their
own freedom and happiness, and TO transmit the
same to those who come after them, an enduring
inheritance. A man has no more more, right e be a
applause, laughter, and cries Of Amenr'1 Once
free man, TO be free forever t' That's no ~ and
to 90 voluntarily into chsttei slavery, is to COM
init crime against human nature; and TO entail
that condition of servitude upon your children,
should oonsign your names to eternal infamy. Zap
BY your own selfloye, by the love you bear your
Offspring, you should seek and obtain an elevated
position In human society, Z. Amen ri when your
mensurate with your capacity, and when you shall
develope and maintain those sterling qualities Of
the human heart and intellect that shall make you
an honor to mankind. [Cries Of "Thats 30 ~
" Amen y "De Lord grantitWl ....-..
The question before you Is, where and how shall
the Declaration OF American Independence, so es-
sential 20 human progress and happiness. To stop
short Ofthat is 10 fail at the threshold, Yes, yes
before you have even acquired the benefits OF your
and YET, in the midst of your new enjoyment, I
be, that he did not find freedom to be the thing he
had for a long life sighed for." It's not freedom sim
ply, the oppressed man Is asking for. fshbrtghfs;
Rs. We What; want ss ni' ssaGeS
condition OF freedom which, under the ban of caste
and prejudice, may be an Improvement upon slave.
ry but It's very far from possessing the rights OF
your manhood {" That's so.'l
Such an advance in the scale Of society may, for
ha SS, snso rs
cIated when the claims OF your posterity listen
ed to; when you inquire into the co-dition and
nationality OF yOyr race, you will be impeiled to ask
II not demand, your rights as citizens-your equal
participation IN the enterprises Of the country
the functions ofthe Government t''Good, !" good"
II becomes serious question to your people,
" When and trheYs can we secure these rights p
Having now become free, II IL for you to choose
ssnt, Xnur m tn Ia roti nfr and
have resided here for the most part not from caoce
but from necessity. t"we know it.'l The very
Massachusetis, your fathers were brought In a low
Dutch ship up the James River, here In Virginia.
Two races were thus planted the same year upon
Ny ancestors landed on the 22d day Of December
while the shore was ice-clad and roek-bound
The two classes settled with this difference the
one came voluntarily, from choice, and, as they
thought TO better their condition; while the other
class made up the slave trade to this country and
had no choice about it.
Two institutions were planted by these two colo.
nies, in 1920. My ancestors embodied the senti.
ments OF the one, and your ancestors were made
the unwilling subjects Of the Others. Freedom and
sidrerV were thus introduced In 1870, and for 2iC
years these two institutions have developed theiI
characters. At the first, all the states were more
or less sicue Sdtes and not until the last forty
FIFTY years have any distinct lines been drawn.
But IL cannot be denied that these two systems
labor did antagonize, and began to be seen thai
slavery while II cruel In Its treatment OF you
was in It's reflex influence no less dangerous and
destructive to peops and our Government; so that
We ind that those people who upheld slavery had
in 1860 plotted the destruction Of the Government
itself. Thus we have one more demonstration o.
the great principle that "he who does irrong shal
receive the wrong" Yes, yesj that's true"l Thii
Government had been prostltuted to the interest,
OF slavery for the last twenty years, and Is to-day
undergoing terrible ordeal, which threatens IL,
very existence.
The two sections Of this country show the mark.
| OF these two systems of labor. Freedom com
| mencea, as have said, in high latitude, and In
month December, settlement
tered tine severest obstacles; they contended with
hard sol, barren rocks and hills long, consumin nj
winters, and wasting sickness-stin she kept oil
her way. Those majestic and interminable forests
which had stood 6Tm as the cedars Of Lebanon, de
flying the winds OF thousand winters, soon melte'
! away as II touched by the hand of omnipotence
Their alleys were loaded with corn; their hillside
were sprinlilea with nocksj the church and tn
were incorporated and sustained everywhere
| Slavery, on the other hand had milder climate
richer soil seasons and products OF peculiar wealth
yet, with al theee natural advantages, she move
tTiumphed, creepi in politics. Laughter and az
plausel Her manufactures and commerce die
out her free schoofs were never inaugurated, an,
she soon became the consumer Of the products q
her more enterprising neighbors.
Each Of these institutions, however, have eI
gagged In the effort to people and possess the con
tnont And slavery never gave up the contes
and TesoFted TO arns until the defeats in the cam
paign Of 1850 I. That's so Freedom, by tina
gone westward, planting the monuments of he
civilization upon the banks Of every stEeam-b.
slle the still WAt6fs oil our western lhkeB-ln IN
valley Of the 'lississippi and the hissouri-ove
the slopes the Rocky mountains, and even on tn
! golden shores OF the peaceful Pacific
And now, while slavery was plotting the vel
throw OF this Government, and the destruction @
the American Union, she herself has received tn
fatal shaft reyes, yes."l The proclamation {
general emancipation, to take effect on the opeI
Ing of the new year, lapplause, and cries
THANK God for that" 'Glory," "Hallelujah, 3
has entered like dagger into the life fountain Q
slavery, and the inscription Is already writer
"Thy days are numbered and hnished.n Lou
and long continued applause, with cries of Good,
Here, then, address you as the representative
OF the freed men OF America. Your numbers al
now counted by thousands, soon TO be augmente
TO millions laGod grant H."l What are you
duties and TespOasi ibilliesf Freedom Is TO be you
inheritance, and, also, Ihope the portion of YOU
children and your children's children throughol
the long sweep Of ages. t"Yes, yes" GLORY I
} Now, then, Is your time, and his the day OF YOU
salvation I"Soit is.'J While you are gratefull
accepting the priceless boon OF your Nvn freedom
and nus the freedom OF your race, its the golden o.
Dnrtuury for you TO strike for your right
t"Amenml the rights Incident and essential to yol
manhood, The eyes OF the nation-aye, Of maj
kind--aro turned upon you. The question
everywhere asked, "Will they rise or sink" [Lou
, cries of Rise" "Eise.nl WIN you assert and a
sume your position among mankind and the n
tons, t"Yes, yes u or will you lie supinely indife
ground yOul ["No, no, never"l
ThcSe are questions for you TO solve. You are u
representatives. of a stricken race, It's with
your reach to inaugurate policy, and give efhc
, ency and success TO measures that will place yc
2 beyond the reach of the power that has oppress'