The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1865-12-30
Negro suffrage I'm Washington.


At recent meeting In Washington TO
consider the subject Of negro suffrage, now
agitatcd in Congress, Mr.. T. u. LLOYD,
President of the, Board of Aldermen, made
the following dlsdiesures report of
which we copy FROM the National fAtelti-
0encer: I
alt WINS statedby Mr. T.E, Lloyd. Pres-
dent of the Board of Aldermen, In his re-
marks upon the subject of negro suffrage
at the last meeting Of that bOdy, that n,ost
of the negroes who went from this District
into the army wore taken possession OF by
men Of their own color, and sold Into the
service of the United sState4,' and n WIS
added By Mr.. Gnlick, that, many of them
were ereIitcd TO. the STATE iof Massaclli-
sctts'
IAN who are acquainted TO any consider
able extent With the nini,ner w which the
enlistment of eOlored troops In this District
was conducted understand very well that
the above statements are positively true.
Many soldiers were enrolled in the spring
of 1864 for the Fiifh Massachusetts,. (colorcd)
cavalry. For each OF these recruits the
State paid ~ bounty of $326, and the towns
and cities paid an additional bounty for
each recruit of from $50 90 500. II is a
fact susceptible of the clcarest proof that
none of these recruits ever received over
$500. OF the residue of this bonnty they
were robbed by Government officials aud
Massachusetts agents.n H ..uaul
lit may be further added that this infa-
nous robbery Of these poor colored people
who were thus seized by scoundrels is not
confined 10 Massachusetts, but was perpe-
tlated in every State that received colored
soldiers To I'LL its QUOTA and could the facts
OF these wicked transactions be spread bo-
fore the country. IL would awaken a tenn
pest of Just indignation. aud cause all good
men to blush for the heartless depraVity of
their species. aI.| YH4 lIa .i IlUIHH.H'.
Mr. Lloyd continued, and said all he had
stated could be proven, The negroes now
most active for suffrage were not those who
were in the service of the United States.
How was the first negro regiment raised
here? \ company of COlOred troops pa
raded the streets, followed by a large num-
Der OF idle colored peOpe. The company
halted ia front of the Treasury Depart
ment, and, at the word Of command, each
soldier seized an lille negro aud carried
them 10 Analostan Island, and thus the
first regiment was started. Yet to these
resident negroes Is ascribed the greatest
praise. while scarcely company was in the
service. .. Wig 'H
some of the great arguments was the
services rendered by the negroes during
the war. lie was not there to decry their
services, but on All occasion of this kind
when it was asserted that the negroes, ont
OF population of $4,000, had furnished
G,000 soldiers, and that the whites. out OF Il
population of 10000, had furnished but
l.5O0 soldiers, il become our duty to nail
the lia To the mast. OF the negroes who
were residing here In 1861 and 1852, when
these troubles commenced, not one hum
dred entered the service of the United
States; but those who did go were refugees
and Contrabands, who came here to seek
bread, and who were taken possession of
by men of their own color, and sold into
the service of the United States.r uf ri