Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1864-07-20
PrOf:s nation Of the Presidents
Grounds by "A Negro Picnic.


The 4th of July, 1864, witnessed what
no other day in the annals OF our country
ever saw On that day the negroes of
Washington city assembled in large num-
bers on the grounds south of the Presi-
dents house, and there beneath the very
caves of the building erected by white
men for the residence of the Chief Magis-
trate of a nation of white men, made a
nations park the chosen scene of their
feasting and revelries, under the sanction
of that nations President.
The incident bears a terrible significance
| from the circumstances connected with it,
and the horrible condition into which the
| country has been placed Here in the
! Capitol of the country, on the banks of
the Potomac, within the grounds sur
rounding the country's Chief Magistrate,
assembled vast herd of negroes to enjoy
! themselves in the gayeties of picnic.
/ The warm July sun, beaming in a cloud
| less sky, shone upon them, protected from
the tiercencss of its ray by the lcaty
branches of the thickly clustering trees.
| The breezes from the blue Potomac cool
| ed their dusky brows. The fountains
sparkled in The glittering sun for their de
light Their hearts were cheered by the
gayities OF the occasion, and loyOusly ex-
cited by the thought that in front of them
was hiS hose who, to bestow upon them
such pleasures, had stepped the country
to the very dregs of the bitterest cup of
woe ever held 20 a nations lips.
! And but a few miles away from them,
beneath the hot glare of Virginia suns,
and in the sitting atmosphere of Virginia
swamps. rendered still more horrible by
the decayiug corscs of thousands OF their
comrades, toilcd and fought the nob!est OF
the land. No trees TO shelter than no
cool river breczes TO refresh them-no
fountains splashing music on the air for
them. Parched with heat and worn with
toii-their hearts saddened by recOllcc
;ions of their noble comrades whose dead
bodies filed every mile of that terrible
march from the RaPpidan 10 the Apo
mattox-visions of the happy Fourths of
July stealing over their minds-this noble
army of ,Ukitc mcn-the very flour of the
land-wcre hurIing themselves fruitlessly
upon almost impregnable Notifications at
the commands of head long, and unre-
fiecting leader, for what That the ne
, gro should have the privilege of eujoying
himself socially and pleasurably on the
Fourth of July in the public grounds of
the Nations Cai al.
The question may be pertinently asked,
for what are we now fighting, and t.
5 what are we tending, when such disgrace
full scenes may be witnessed as the legiti-
mate result OF the efforts of those in.
trusted with the management of the war
D, We see the country torn and rent, tears
in every mothers eye, agony at every faith
G er's heart the proud prestage of the
e great Republic perhaps forever gone ; con-
. stitutional liberty and law ruthlessly i'm.
t molated upon their own atars. and con-
: temp:uouslv trampled in the dust the
last and the brightest hope of humanit,
= withered in the grasp of cowardly tyr
anny, like flowers in the frost of an an
Il tumn blast law, order and security be
I meath the iron heel of a fouly corrupt des
" potism; with the insane cry still goine
z ND for the continuance of this inferna
:, dance of death and as compensation fo
all these, we have the proud elevation t,
: social and political equality with Ameri
d can freemcn of race indelibly stamped
= by the hands of the Creator with tn,
mark of degradation-of a race who's
i finest instincts are coarse brutality, ant
= whose highest inspirations are a beastl,
sensuaity Great God is this a com
u pensation for the in fable horrors of tn
?. sacrifices the groaning country has mad
for the past three memorial years
this the restored and happy Union the Re
publican party promised us should emerg
a from the fiery furnace of this unholy war
Or is it but an experiment on the part c
these blood thirsty and visionary fanatic
to overturn the immutable laws of phys
D ical nature. and by destroying all tina
is dear to man, attempt an improvement
=" on the work of the Almighty?
1t is well that the people should ponde
these things. 1t is we'll that they shoul
think deeply upon the fact Of negro en-
joyment of the delights of life purchase
at the expense of thousand of lives an
countless millions of money. 1t is we
they should ask themselves crushed int
y hopeless poverty by the uncomfortable weigh
:. of public debt-their sons dragged off b
: the conscriPtion like sheep to the sham
bles-their recollections of past glory an
their hopes of future greatness alik
buried in the inextricable ruin to which n
things are tending, merely to increase tt
measures of and inferior race which