The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1864-02-13
Mr.. Fesscnden aud the Colored Soldiers

Mr.. Fesscnden aud the Colored Soldiers.
Remarks were made by Mr.. Phillips in his
lecture on Wednesday evening, and also by
Mr.. Douglass on Thursday evening, from
which il might be inferred that Mr.. Fessenden
is opposed to placing negro troops, so far as
their pay is concerned, on level with white
troops, and that he has used his influence in
the Senate to keep them on scale in this re-
spect inferior to that occupied by other sol
ders This is entirely mistake, and a to-
tai perversion of Mr.. Fessenden's position on
this question. We have before us the Wash
y ington Globe of Feb. 9TH, containing full re-
port Of the speech of Mr.. Fessenden TO which
Messrs. Phillips and Douglass referred, and
it contains no word to justify their inference
while it expressly negatives any such idea as
they seem TO have gathered from it.
Far be it from our design to charge either
of the lecturers referred to with Intentionally
misrepresenting our distinguished fellow
townsman. Probably neither of them had
read his speech or seen fun or iair report oi
it. We did not hear Mr.. Phillips lecture, but
we did hear Mr.. Douglass, and from his high
tone his evident desire to do exact justice,
his whole souled yet discriminating praise of
the administration, his readiness TO do act
oil generous justice 10 Mr. SeWdru-a piesenb
a mark COR the thunderbolts of too many
public rostrums-and his gentemanly spirit
throughout, we feel confident he would have
said ne word eensuring Mr.. Fessenden had he
been familiar with the facts, and we regret
ted his unlavorable illusions TO Mr.. F. all the
more because ofthe general excellence OF his
lecture, which, in all the elements of popular
merit and also in real, genuine dramatic eff
as feet, has seldom been exceeded in this or any
other city.
The facts are these. The joint resolution
for equslizing the pay of U. S. soldiers, was
under consideration in the Senate. This res
49, olation proposed not only 10 equalize the pay
In future giving to the coored soldiers the
same compensation as is allowed to the white
soldier, but it proposed TO go back, and make
their pay for past seroice equal to that Of the
white soldiers
as Mr.. Fessenden opposed the retroactive pro-
vision of the resolution. The law of Con-
gress gives ten dollars month to negro sol
diers When this law was before the Senate
he opposed it on the ground that the black
troops should be put on perfect equality, in
point of compensation with white troops. He
was oyefruled by the Military Committee, and
the chairman of that committee Mr.. Wilson,
said $40 was sufficient and his views pre-
vailed The troops had been raised and paid
according to law, and while Mr.. Tessenden
would cheerully raise The pay of the black
soldier 10 future to equality with that of
the white soldier, he opposed that kind of
looseness in legislation which is eternaly
seeking TO disturb contracts, to grant extra al
Iowauces and to patch up past work. 1t seems
to US Mr. Fessenden is strictly right in prin-
oiple aud those who denounce him for this to
be consistent, should insist that the towns and
the State shall vote to every soldier enlisted
in the early part of the war, the amount
of bounties that have been reached in the
times OF our greatest necessity, and they
should also require Congress to pay the sol
diers, during the first few months of the war;
the same amount that was paid after Congress
raised their monthly allowance.
The following is the conclusion of Mr.. Fes-
senden's speech and shows his position:
| only say this. that 1 think it is dealing
very curiously with the Treasury, when we
sr have entered into contract TO pay certain
number of troops certain sum of money,
and they have enlisted with knowledge that
that was the amount they were to receive, for
us to 20 back and pay them more. Ii they
have been abused and have not received
i.ra enough IL may be very good reason for it;
but should like to have the matter defnitly
and distinctly understood.
l repeat what | said originally, that we
ought TO have placed the colored troops pre-
cisely the same footing with other troops
from the beginning thought so for various
reasons. | gave my opinion then that if we
paid them less OF money we should, in
a degree, give an excuse to the Confederates
for saying, rs they did say, that they were
not soldiers TO be regarded in the same light
that other soldiers were, and wished TO take
away from them the shadow of
for placing them any other footing
than white soldiers. In fact the whole thing
ought to stand on this level: that all soldiers,
without the slightest aluson to color in any
way whatever, that all soldiers of the United
States belonging to the same arm of service
shonld receive the same pay No distinction
should be made. These soldiers are men,
They render the same service. Whether as
whole class they rendes good service
faa not do not know, but certainlya great many
OF them are much better than some OF the
white soldiers, If we may judge from the ex-
perence OF the country.
Now, sir, having explained my views
this subject and called the attention to this
departure from principle in our undertaking
ICES TO deal with the Treasury in this matter as it
is my duty to do, that is to say, to the fact
that we are called upon to pay what the Trea-
~, sury does not owe, if Senators choose TO say
that il is right and that we ought TO do it in
this particular case, acknowledge that there
are very good reasons for doing it, but want
fs them 10 understand precisely what II amounts
10.
IL was alleged that in some cases, as in
Kansas and Massachusetts, negro troops had
been raised under encouragement that the
Government would raise their pay to that of
white soldiers, and thus the faith of the Gov
ernment was committed. Mr.. Fessenden
would have such cases fully investigated,
aud do all that Government was committed
in honor 10 perform Mr.. Sumner, whose re-
gard for and interest in the coored race will
be questioned by no one, took substantially
the same ground Mr.. Fessenden. lie sug-
gested that the Government was committed
in Kansas aud Massachusetts, but not in Ten
nessee and other Southern States and said:
| wish 10 eolored troops treated like
white troops in every respect. But would