The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1864-12-02
THE NEGRO AND THE WHITE NAN

Senator Richardson Of Illinois, in speech
al Peoria, drew this bfe picture of the differ.
ence between the negrS and the white man un-
der Abolition rule:
Now my friends, at all points we are feed.
ing negroes and supporting them You ask
then who supports them and the answer is,
''Ihe United States" Ask then who furnish
es them houses TO live IN, and they answer
ssThe United States" Ask them who paws
the doctor when the are sick, and they reply,
| 'FThe United States" Put the question to
| them who sends their children tc school, and
supports teachers for their etlacatiorI. and the
answer is, The United States" Ny friend
Ross, who is running for Congress in the ad-
joining district, informs me that lie once inquir-
ed with regard to their progress in the schools
| and was informed that they did not learn very
| fast, but they sang elegantly! and it might have
been added that they danced we'll Laugh
ter And in many places they viii tell you
that they are the relatives of soldiers in the
army.
But ask if the white people are SO suppored,
| and the answer is that they are white and can
take care of themselves. Laughter. This
wholesale support of negroes is notorious We
have IN the army Of the United States less than
$4,000 men OF the colored race bat we are
to-day supporting 100, 900 of those who claim
TO be their relatives. The relatives of the col
ored troops are very numerous In the last
two years all the proclamations eff Mr.. Lincoln
| last session, and Lincoln approved It, giving the
colored widows advantages over the white VIC
ows in the matter of pensions. A white wo-
man at the time of application for pension must
produce marriage certificate; but negro
woman's affidavit is amply sufficient. A white
woman who Is the widow of soldier nay
make oath that she was legally married, but
| that 1t is impossible TO procure marriage GER
| tilicate. She may have been married in the
I South, and now shut cut from all means of pro-
curing the required proof. Without it she can
draw no pension.
In the case of a white woman the marriage
certificate is indiSpensably necessary. But let
a negro woman who is the widow of colored
soldier apply for pension and make oath that
she was married to him, and her pension is
| ready for her without the certificate. But this
Is not all In the State of Illinois we did not
allow negro or an Indian to testify upon the
stand in court in favor or against white man.
SO it was in other States. The last Congress-
however, passed law making the negro a com
petent witness and allowing him to testify. sc
too. we did not permit man to testify IN cour
who was an atheist and did not believe in tht
existence of a God. If q man came in cour
as witness and was asked, ''Do you believe
in the existence of God?' and he should re
ply s'no." the answer of the law was, turn hin
ont: he has no right to be witness here. Bu
if you ask a negro the question now, the at
tornev stands up and says, ''you have no rlsh
TO question him in regard to that; the law 0
Congress has made him a competent wltnes
and beyond it you cannot go"
When they first employed the negro in th
army as a soldier, they said his service were no
az valuable as the white mans and his pay wa
e fixed at less fgure-I think at ten dollar
: ner month Bet at the last session of Congress
n a law was passed making his pay equal TO tha
of white soldier and dating that pay back &
the period of enlistment.
: While have served in the Senate Of the q
4 nited States and in the House OF Represents
@ tiyes. when men were arrested in my own Stat
=. Of Illinois and incarcerated in bastiies, 1 er
a deavored to induce these bodies to have a CON
d mittes of investigation appeined upon their c;
5 ses: but they said no, and refused me. An
J. vet if negro was incarceTated in the Vas
z inoton iaii, committees of investigation wei
j. Immediately appointed to know why the ncgi
/ had been placed there.
g They have rail cara in the streets of Was
,e ington, horse cars l believe they call them, ar
ID some are labeled 'for colored people" Tho
a are the cars for the negroes. But one day Il
i'd gro jumped aboard upon one side of viii
n mans car and the conductor very prompt
jumped him of the other side And imm
diately resolution after resolution was introdu
a. ed IN Congress to know why that negro W
IS put off the cars. Laughter]
IL But Twas never able TO get resolution pas
a ed asking why white man was incarcerated
of Government bastile. 4 senator happen
TO remark that 1t was but a few days previo
in to that he was put off the cars, Mr. Sumner
.r- piled that it was of no consequence that
he was OF less importance that the whole Sen'
il. of the United States should be put eff the c