The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-02-09

feel and think that I understand mot to be
egotistc) what should be the true direction OF
this question, and what course of policy would
result in the amelioration and ultimate ele.
walton not only Of the .colored, but of the
great mass Of the people Of the United States.
say that if have not given evidence that I
am ! friend Of humanity, and especially q
friend of the colored man, in my past conduct,
there is nothing that can do that would. /
repeat. all that possessed, life, liberty and
property, have been put in connection with
that question, when had every inducement
held out to take the other course. by which l
would have accomplished perhaps all that the
most ambitious might have desired.
While l say that am friend to the color
ed race, do not want to adopt a policy that
/ believe will end in a contest between the
races, which, if persisted in, will result in the
determination of one or the other. God for.
bid that l should be engaged in such work
now. .,. 4se., :.
1t is always best to talk practically and Ia
q commOn-sense way. | have said and re
peat here, that if the colored men in the
United States could find no other Moses, nor
any Moses that would be more able and effic-
ient than myself, | would be their Moses to
lead them from bondage to freedom; that
would pass them from q land where they had
lived in slavery to a land, if it were in our
reach, of freedom. / would be willing to
pass with them through the Red sea to the
land of promise, to the land of liberty.
But am not willing. under either cir
cumstances,to adopt policy which believe
will only result in the sacrifice of his life and
the shedding of his blood. l think | know
what say, l feel what say, and 1 feel as
sursd that, if the policy urged by some be
persisted in, it will result in great injury to
the white as we'll as the colored man.
There is great deal of talk about sword
IN one hand accomplishing an end and the
ballot ccomplishing another at the ballot
box. These things are all very well, and
sometimes have forcible application. We
talk about justice, we talk about right, we
say that the white man has been In the
wrong in keepingsthe blacks in slavery as
long as he has. That is all true. Again,
We talk about the declaration of indepen.
dence, and equality before the law You I'm
derstand all that, and know now TO appreci
ate it bat now let US look each other in the
face; let us go to the great mass OF colored
men throughout the slave states let us take
the condition in which they are at the pres
emit time, and it is bad enough, we all know
and suppose by some magic touch you could
say to every to every one. You shall vote
Tomorrow how much would that ameliorate
their condition at this time?
Now let as get closer up to the subject, and
talk about it. Whas relation has the c0lored
man and the white man heretofore occupied
in the south? | opposed slavery on two
grOunds-First. il was great monopoly, en-
aiding those who controlled il to constitute
an aristocracy, enabling few to derive great
profits and rule the many with rod of iron,
as it were, and that is one great objection to
il in government-its being monopoly -
| was opposed to it on the abstract principle.
In getting clear Of a monopoly We were
getting clear OF slavery at the same time
So you see these were the two ends accom-
plshed Ia the accom- plishment of the one.
Mr. Douglass" MIR. President. do you
wish
The Presidens-'l ana not quite through
yet Slavery has been abolished 4 great
national guarantee has been given, one that
cannot be revoked. | was getting at the re-
latiOn that existed between the white man
and the colored man. very small proper
ton OF white persons compared with the
whole mum Der of such-owned the colored
people OF the south. | might cite the state OF
Tennessee as IN Illustration -
There were majority of
observation-disclosures, and yet the slave power
controlled that state. Let US talk about this
matter SIS it is. Although the colored man
was in slavery there, and owned as property
III the sense and in the language Of that To-
cailty and oFthat community, yet IN mpar
ing his condition and his position with the
non Shareholder, he usually estimated his i'm
portance just IN proportion TO the number OF
Slaves that his master owned compared with
the non.slaveholder. Have you e. er lived on
q plantation ?'
Mr.. D0ugiass-I have, your excelienoy
The President-W hen you would look over
and see man who had large iamIlv strug.
CLING hard upon u poor piece of land you
thought great deal less of him than YOU
did of your master.
Mr.. Douglass-Not /.
The President-Well, ! know such was
the case with a large majority of you in those
sections. Where such is the case, We know
there is enmity, we know there is c hate
The poor white man, on the other hand, was
opposed to the slave and his master for the
colored man and his master combined kept
him In slavery, by depriving him Of fair
participation in the labor and the prod NC
tlGns of the rich lands of the country.
DON you know that the coiOred man, in
going to hunt master, as they call it, FOL
the next year. preferred hiring to a man whc
owned slaves rather than to one who did
not? | know the fact, at all events.
Mr.. Douglsss-Because they treated him
better.
The President-They did not consider il
quite as respectable to hire to a man who
did not own negroes as to hire to one who
did
Mr.. Dougless-Beceuse he wouldn't be
treated as well
The President-Then that ls another argu
ment in favor of what Am going to say
1t showed that colored men appreciated the
slave owner more highly than they did the
man who did not own slaves. Hence the en-
nifty between the colored man and the non
Shareholders The white man was permitted
to vote efore government was derived from
him. He is part and parcel of the polite