Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1863-02-13
say, conteutmsnt and Esal and alacrity among

Y
black eoldiers after they shall have returned
from the battle-6eld7 Gentlemen have told
us that these enlistment are found necessary
in order that the Army Of the United States
may be made sufficiently strong TO accomplish
the work il has 70 do They tell US that We
| are in the very crisis Of the war They tell Us
that now is the time TO put forth our whole
power, or else the result Of the struggle is in
doubt They tell as that the white race alone,
so far as its strength basyet developed, is not
entirely competent TO render TO the cause OF
the Union and the Constitution an assured
victory. And they tell Us that these oolored
men are ready with their strong arms and
their brave hearts 70 maintain the supremacy
Of the Constitution and 10 defend the integrity
Of the Union, which in our hands to-day is i'm
periled.
What is that Constitution 1t provides
that every child ofthe republic, every citizen OF
the land, is before the law the equal of every
other II provides for all Of them trial by jury
| free speech, free press, entire protection for
| life and liberty and property.
| 1t goes further, II secures 10 every citizen
the right of suffrage, the right to hold office,
the right to aspire to every Office or agency
| by which the Government is carried on. Every
man called upon to do military duty, every
man required to take up arms in its defense,
is by its provisions entitled to vote, and COM
! petent aspirant for every Office in the Govern
ment You now say to these black men, come
to the defense of this Constitution. Come aid
us to maintain its supremacy. Come, aid as
to uphold Government which is thus bene6-
centfto all its children. Suppose your ut
most hopes are realized; suppose they ceme,
and that by their aid you Sresuccessful, They
| will come back with your victorious hosts, fol-
lowing the banner ofthe Repubic battle-worn,
and manned and SCARED What will you do
with them2 Will you consign them again to
political inferiority, to social isolation Will
you again deny them those privileges which
are guaranteed to everycitizen by the Constitu
ton which they have helped you to maintain
Or will you take them to political and social
equality with yourselves win you give them
the right of suffrage; the right to hold oficef
VIII you put them side by side with the white
citizens Of the lands
put it to my friend from Ohio, who has
Just taken his seat (Mr Trimble), who told Us
: that in every relation and in every condition
: of ,;fe he believed the negro was inferior &c
TIE white man. Iput it to the gentleman from
7 Pss nsylvania who sits before me (Mr Nc
: Paerson), as one of the jealous advocates o
2 this bill | put it to those gentlemen whether
after having called upon those negroes, as citi
= zens and loyal friends, IN the hour of their ex
e tremity to maintain this Constitution, it i
+ their intention again to consign them to socia
e inequality and political degradation, or to ele
: vate than to the level Of the condition Of tn
: white citizens? / get no answer to this quet
i ton
y The gentleman from New York (Mr. Sede
Q wick yesterday, with more franknesssJ thai
= any gentleman who has spoken upon this sui
: ect has gwen to us what can not bel
I thinking is with many of his friends, the tru
r motive for insisting upon tha passage Of thi
II bill He says
e "And yet these things have been yielded t
d as accomplished facts, and so it will be wit
1t this Proclamation, even though it had not tn
4; sanction Of the constitutional authority, whe
1t once you put this bill into practical operation
m for no community Of negroes, who have ono
had arms in their hands, can again be sui
.1jneated 10 the restraints of slavery: Histor
t, furnishes no such example. The arming
the slave population is the end of the institl
ton for all time, and no less the end of tn
a rebellion. ..
Ut 81 talk not about the Constitution It hi
become, in the hands Of the timid lawyers al
~ time-serving politicians, shield between Il
Ill Government and the persons and the estat
n OF the rebels TO such base uses has il con
TO at last 1t is continually frustrating the {
forts ofthis Government to put down this T
N bellion."
IS Is that the inspiration of this bll2 Is th
as the motive for these persistent efforts n w
lis il because "the arming of the slave popul
OF ton is the end of the institution for all time
Ir, that we we're required to pass this bill {
is Wednesday morning without discussion
M examination Was it because the party W
a. daolara uhat ha 0anflan,an r,o
,e- New York (Mr Sedgwick) has 30 frank
en- avowed, that a minority on this floor, feel
nd in numbers, were obliged to resort to evei
be expedient of Parliamentary warfare duril
-a the whole of Wednesday night in order th
er we might have this much of debate2 ? d
ry they hesitate to tell the country that mo CO.
nd munity of negroes who have once had arr
sls in their hands can again be subjugated to
lis restraints of slavery" and that this consider
d2 ton constituted chief reason for passi
so this bill2 But / question the accuracy wi
as which the gentleman states the lessons
EN- history. Greece and Rome both furnish
nd refutation of his theory. The Helots, t
BY slaves of Sparta, revoked against their mi
lg ters, aud we're reduced TO subjugation, not
the use Of arms, but of the rod. The serv
ch wars Of Rome, scant as is our knowledge
ed them, show that the possession of arms do
NJ not always secure the liberty Of the subje
In race. Armed slaves in rebellion, in posst
ell sion of their masters homes and famili,
dy have been brought to obedience, not by t
sti- use of arms, but Of the scourge.
1y The gentleman was but following in the 70,
he steps of that forerunner of his party to who
ry9 have Just alluded More than month az
lat in the discussion of the bill for the sdmiss
to of West Virginia, the gentleman from Pen
aO- svlvania (Mr SteVenal said t"'. p