Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1864-03-11
Ghe 6ree press.
senators Collamer and Foot on equaIiz-
ing the Pay of Soldiers.
HC HCRLINGTON
FRIDAY MORNING MARCH II. 1864.

All persons enlisted or mustered into the SER
wee az volunteers under the call dated October
18th, 1868, for three hundred thousand volun.
teers, who were at the time Of enlistment actu-
ally, and for SIX months previous had been. res
ldent inhabitants Of the State in which they
volunteered, shall receive from the United State.
the same amount Of bounty. without regard to
color PTorided, holrerer, That the foregoing
provision shall not extend to any State which
the President by proclamation has declared IN a
state Of instruction
The remarks Of Senators Collamer and
Foot on the subjects are reported as follows.
They are eminently pertinent and worthy
OF the men and appropriate to the State
they represent
Mr.. Collamer said:
Mr.. President II ought perhaps to state bv
way Of preface and apology FOR presenting this
proposition the fact that in the State in which |
reside difference Of color between men IS not
known, either in its constitution or its laws. and
our colorei men were enrolled, subject to draft.
end drafted in the same manner as white people
When the draft Wa made last summer. some Of
our colored people were drafted After that
draft was through, when the call was made in
October again for three hundred thousand men
which we were assured if filed up would pre-
vent any further draft, exertons were made in
the state - do that, and they did il. II was
done ty adding to the bounty which the govern
zrent offered Of $500 for raw recruits, from
$500 to $500 apiece by the different towns
! The town IN which | live had in il some colorel
Inhabitants. We understood that they were 10
be all the same in the volunteers as they were
in the draft; We offered our bounties without re-
gard 10 color; and black men and white men
entered into the service and were mustered iu.
and they received the town bounty Of from $500
to $500 apiece without regard 10 color. After
the quota made up by the State and the
men had rendezvou>cd at Brattleboro, the gov
ernment proceeded to muster them into the SER
vice by inspection, and on ordering them pav
they paid the $500 government bounty TO all
the white men and they told the colored men
they must 20 without any. That was the first
intimauon our people had that there was anv
difference between them in relation to pay
| cannot state the precise number Of these
men, but there were from forty to sixty, a COM
pany Of them, and | would mention one thing
showing the character Of the men every
man among them wrote his name 10 his sriclest
of enlistment; not one made his marx There
wa no man among them but could have COM
manded his two dollars day at home They
=
A great sensation was produced not merely
among them, but among the white people and
the white soldiers who surrounded them; but
they were carried away without any pay and
without any assurance Of any or any hope Of
any that ! know Of, and went away in great dis ]
trcss
Under these circumstances cannot but feel it /
to be my duty to ask 70 have the bounty paid 10 Z
these men. l {. not ask that colorei men shall /
where and procured them. | ask and that is
nv proposition, that the bounty shall be paid /
alike to men, regardless Of color. if they we're
actually inhabitants, resident Of the State, and
had been 50 six months before the tim, Of their /
enlistment. | have no more to say about it. IL
seems to me a very clear case Of equity and ius-
tice, and I feel that it is my duty to claim it
Nh. Foor's RENAREs.
Ny. Foor said, Mr. President II shall vote for
the amendment moved by my colleague The
proposition. think, must strike every one As
eminenty right and just in itself. and particul-
ary after the explanation made by my colleague. I
1t is simply proposition to pay what, upon any
fair Interpretation, had been promised to be I
paid and which in the exercise Of fair dealing I
and good faith We cannot refuse to pay.
After the call Of last October for three hun /
dred thousand more troops, and with the view 4
probably to facilitate the raising Of the required |
number Of men, and II possible 10 avoid the nee
esslty Of further draft, it was deemed e1pedient I
by the War Department 10 offer a bounty Of I
$500 each for new recruits to all who, within /
prescribed period Of time, voluntarily enlisted I
in the military service OF the country for three I
years that is to say, this bounty was to be paid I
10 al able-bodiei male citizens or persons Of |
proper age who should so enlist; or in other /
words, to all accepted roluHteers. This is simp /
ly a proposition to redeem that promise /
promise published and proclaimed everywhere /
throughout the country; in every nook and cor /
ner of the country; at the threshold Of every .
hamlet in the country promise everywhere I
and by everybody understood as applying to and 4
embracing all accepted volunteers. without ex
ception Of class or color-a promise everywhere /
and by everybody 80 interpreted and so relied /
upon and 50 acted upon Now the question is, /
shall we not redeem that promise,
Under that call and under that offer Of bount-
les the Government have invited and have &C
cepted the voluntary services Of men OF color, /
as roluafeerS, and have sent them to the field to I
aid in the suppression Of this rebellion | sub .
nit that any discrimination between these and .
other soldiers Of the Union; between these and .
other volunteers enlisted under the same circum-
stances. at the same time, and under the same
offer; any discrimination between them in re-
spect to the payment of this bounty-payng 1t 1
to one class and Withholding il from the others .
alike invdious and unjust, and | may add, in I
direct violation Of the spirit and meaning Of the
offer which had been held out to them.
In my own State. as in many Of the Northern
States, these persons Of color are citizens recog-
nzed as citizens, enjoy the civil rights and priv
ieges and immunties Of citizens; are subject and
amenable to the laws citizens; exercise the
elective franchise, do military duty are liable TO
I and aude # of
State Militia as citizens. In short, they owe al
legiGnce TO the Government, and in turn, the
Government owes protection to them as citizens
Now, when the government calls for rOiuHfeerS,
when it offers bountes to volunteers, IT is under
stood that the call and the offer have reference
10 and embrace all the able bolled male citizens
or persons of suitable age actually enrolled and
subject to draft, including black well as
irhife citizens.-So everybody understands 1t /
The government has indeed been liberal and gen
erous and even bountiful to those who have vol /
unteered in its service in its defense; and it has
deemed it expedient to hold out strong pecunia-
~ inducements for voluntary enllstments, and /
and TO offer liberal bounties for volunteers, in 1
order ss have before remarked, TO secure, so /
soon as practicable, the requisite number, under I
the call of last October for three hundred thous-
and men. Under this call and under these in
ducements SO held out, many coiored persons,
black men, II you please, yet strong and able /
bodied men, brave and patriotic men withal, 4
have volunteered, have been accepted, have been I
mustered into the service Of the Government and /
have actually been sent to the field. They ex-
pectei, as they had every reason to expect, to
receive the bounty offered by the government to
volunteers. They had no reason to suppose or
apprehend that they were not included within /
this oifer.-They certainly come within the liter /
al terms of the order. There is nothing in the /
terms or in the language Of the order making I
the offer Of these bOunries which indicated that +
this bounty was to be paid to the one class I
and not to the other, nothing which indicated .
that this bounty To be paid to volunteers
Of iiqbf complexion, and not to volunteers Of
dark complexion as we'll
These men Mr.. President, entered the service
in full faith and reliance on the promise of the
Government in this regard-on Its faithful fulfill
ment-and that they would receive the proH,pd
bounty : anu this was the general, Will say the