The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1866-03-27
TERMS.--$ $3.50 PER ANNUM.
coUDERsPoRT POTTER COUNTY Pa MARCH IT, 1866

will just here mention an instance which
came under my own observation, that of
small colored boy less than twelve years Of
age, whom met in the City of Charleston.
1t is not a matter Of much consequence, but
may be taken as straw to elucidate fact.
In conversation with this boy, while he was
busily blacking my boots, l asked him: my
boy, how much can you make day at that
kind of work 2" Said he, "T can make from
Seventy-fve cents to dollar and half gen.
orally over dollar" "Well, do you work at
that all day q" "Oh, no, stop at half-past
eight and go TO school," "Do you go to
school every day 2" "Every day except Sat-
urday then there is no school," Now, gen.
tlemen, there is little black boy making
one dollar day by hard labor and improving
the hours of leisure by hard study. | ask
you, Mr.. Speaker, how many little boys in
Harrisburg, under twelve years of age, earn
their dollar day before half-past eight and
then 60 to school2 l simply refer to these
facts as showing the character of this slander
that is repeated day after day upon this sub
ject; and any man who goes down South
among them will see that it is a sander, for
he will not see any other people there at
manuel labor. And, sir, l assert, in spite of
LuS SlallSlICS Tedu IdSI HlSHk III Tue Ocudlc,
that a majority of these people about Rich
mond, Charleston and other places are mu-
lattoes. l do not care what the Census says
the eye at glance establishes the fact of
their paternity and proves beyond question
that hardly one-fourth Of them are entirely
black.
Now, with that state of facts existing at the
South with no evidence whatever to disprove
the allegation that the late rebels want to get
control of the government again for any other
purpose than to accomplish that which they
failed to accomplish by their bayonets-with
that purpose apparent, the question arises as
to how we are to treat them. That's theques-
ton that comes up tonight before this Leg
islature itcomes up beH6"e the people clothed
in ndifferentlanguage and moulded into 1! -erent
forms; but the one purpose and the one idea
is, what is to be done with unrepentant trail
tors? How are they to be treated2 are they
to be clothed with power Are they to come
into Congress and impose their DEGREES upon
loyal men? Why, sir, take it there cannot
be two opinions upon that matter On the part
Of loyal men and hence theories, sugges-
tions, resolutions, amendments and PROPOSE
tous are made with view to avoid this diff
Guilty. And from among them all, Mr.Chair-
man. a remedy will certainly be found for |
tell these gentlemen that unrepentant traitors
are not coming back into Congress. That
is fact settled by the decree of the loyal
American people. THEY are not coming back.
The gentleman says admit such as can take
this stringent oath | would answer we had
oaths years ago, but they were not of mur
avail. John G. Breckenridge, with an oath
upon his lips to sustain and defend the Con-
stitution of the United States, remained in the
Senate of the United States long after he be-
came q traitor and there like n traitor and
a coward as he was, wormed out of the Gov
ernment its secrets and carried them over to
the enemy. Now, what is the use of swearing
snch man as that2 Why, sir, we have al
ready sworn majority of these men. A
majority Of these leading traitors have already
been in the service of the Government Of the
United States, and they have sworn as SOL
emnly as men could swear to support, TO main
tain and to defend it; bnt they paid no more
regard tC these oaths than they did to the
merest straws that foateG upon the wind. Are
we to trust them again ? Why, if we do, we
shall be even more foolish than children who
never put their fingers in the fire and get
them burned more than once; ours have been
burned already. Now, let Us provide some
safeguards, and what better safeguard could
we HANG lUdl arc pIOpOoCu III tHIo lCSUIullOH
1t simply provides fer loyal governments in
the South, and proposes that when those gov
ernments in the south become loyal they shall
be admitted into full harmony and fellowship
with other States.
One Of these resolutions is somewhat more
specific than the Others ond l refer to it
simply because it touches little more closely
this question of the rights of the colored
people. We deem it to embody necessary
afeguard-'Esecurity for the future" 1t is
proposed by the bill! (No' 81 that we shall re-
quest our members of Congress to insist upon
the concurrence of Southern members in a
change in the Constitution so as to provide
that no person shall be excluded from giving
testimony in any court on account of color
that there shall be no distinction in any
State as to the right to acquire, hold or dis
pose of property, nor lin the making of con-
tracts, nor in the punishment of any kind of
offences on account Of race or color We
say this will be an efficacious remedy, that it
is one that has been tried and which, instead
of injuring the South, will exercise benef-
ciaI influence in that section. 1t will cause
South Carolina to compare in population, in
Improvements and in wealth with Massa-
chusetts; and it will make Virginia, once
the first State in the Union, again the equal
of Pennsylvania. 1t would clear the forests
of the South, set their machinery in motion
and apply to their utmost extent the
material powers of that section and thus
the South would be changed intoa prosperous
and happy country. AS to the effect which
this kind of treatment would have upon the
country would call the attention of gentle
men to an authority that presume they will
accept on that point; namely, that the proper
treatment of the colored people of the South
will have beneficial effect upon the condi-
ton of that section. That is the point that
make here, that so far from these resolutions
being offered in any spirit ofenmity or hatred
toward the SOUTH they are offered with the
honest purpose of beneftting the Southern
people. And they would benefit them. Lei
me call your attention to wha. has taken
place in other State: by the adoption of these