Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-12-17
The Negro and the White Man.


Senator Richardson of Illinois, in a
speech at Peoria, drew this life picture Of
the difference between the negro and the
white man under Abolition rule:
Now, my friends, at all points we are
feeding negroes AID supporting them
Yow ask them who support, them and the
answer is, "The United States" Ask
them who pays the doctor when they are
sick, and they reply, The United States
Put the question to them who sends
their children to school, aud supports
teachers for their education, and the an.
swer is, "The United States" My friend
Ross,who is running for Congress, in the
adjoining district, informs me that he once
inquired with regard to their progress in
the schools and was Informed that they
did not learn very fast, but they sang ee-
gantly and it might have been added
that they danced we'll [Laughter.1 And
in many places they will tell you that they
are the relatives of soldiers in the army.
But ask if the white people are so sup
ported, and the answer is that they are
white and can take care of themselves
[Laughter.] phis wholesale support of
negroes is notorious. We have 10 the
army of the United States less than so, 900
men Of the colored race but ne are to-
day supporting 100000 of those who
claim to be their relatives. The relatives
of the colored troops are very numerous.
In the last two years all the proclama
tions of Mr. Lincoln have been about the
negro. Each bill in Congress is the same
They passed bill at the last session, and
Lincoln approved it, giving the colored
widows advantages over the white widows
in the matter Of PENSIONS, A white wo.
man at the time of application for pension
must produce marriage certificate but
q negro woman's affidavit is amply suAi-
eient. A white woman who is the widow
Of a soldier may make oath that she was
legally married, but that it is impossible
to procure marriage certificate. She
may have been married in the South, and
now shut out..from all means of procuring
the required proof. Without it she can
draw no pension.
10 the case of white woman the mar
riaed certificate is indispensably necessary.
But let 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
10 the State OF Illinois we did not allow a
negro or an Indian to testify upon the
stand in court in favor or against white
man. So it was in other Statee. The
last Congress, however, passed law max
ing the negro competent witness and al.
lowing him 10 testify. So too, we did
not permit man to testify in court who
was an atheist and did not believe in the
existence of a God II q man came in
court as witness and wss asked, "Do
you believe in the exisance of God 2
and he should reply "no," the answer Of
the law was, turn him out he has no righ
to be witness here. But if you ask {
negro the question now, the attorney
stands up and says, ''you have. no right lt
question him in regard to that the law o.
Congress has made him a competent wit
ness and beyond it you cannot co.
When they first employed the negro in th'
army as soldier, they said his service
we're not as valuable as the white man's
and his pay was fixed at less 6gure-.
think at ten dollars per month. But a
the last session of Congress law wa
passed making his pay equal to that of
white soldier and dating that pay back t.
the period Of enlistment.
While have served in the Senate O
the United States and 10 the House o
Representatives, when men were arrested
iu my own State of Illinois and incarcar
ated in bastiles, endeavored to Undue
these bodies to have committee ofinves
tigation appointed upon their cases bu
they said no, and refused me. And yet i
a negro was incarcerated in the Washing
ton Jail, committees of investigation wer
Immediately appointed to know why TIL
negro had been placed there.
They have rail cars in the streets o
Washington, horse cars, believe the.
call them, and some are labelled "for col
ored people," Those are the cars for tn
negroes. But one day negro jumpe'
aboard upon one side of a white mans car
and the conductor very promptly jumpe'
liz o9 tba othar side A nd immed el