Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-03-01
TEE FREEDMEN AND THE
PRESIDENT.


from different States OF the country, no" IN
Washington. to urge the interests OF the COL
ored people before the Government, hau an
interview with the President this AFTERNOON
The delegation was as follows: freq. Doug
lass, of New York; Geo. T. downing repre-
sentinr the New England states; Lewis IL.
Douglass. son Of Fred. Douglass; Wlillam
ID. Matthews, Of Maryland : John Jones, of
Illinois: John T. Cook, OF District Colum-
bia: A. J. Raynor, Of South Carolina; Jos.
p. Oats. Of Florida; A, W. Ross, Of Missis-
gippi: WIN. Nippon, Of Pennsylvania Jno.
Nj. Grown, Alex Dunlop and Calvin White,
of Virginia The President shook hands
kindly with each member of the delegation,
Fred. Douglass first advancing for that pur-
pose.
Geo. F. Downing then addressed the Pres
ident as follows: We present ourselves to
your Excellency to make known with pleas
ure the respect which we cherish for you,
respect which is your due as Chief Magis-
trate. It is our desire for you to know that
we come feeling that we are friends meeting
a friend. We should, however, have mani
Tested our friendship by not coming to further
tax your already much burdened and valua-
Bile time, but we have another object in call
ing. We are in a passage to equality before
the law. God hath made it by opening Red
Sea; we would have your assistance through
the same We come to- you in the name Of
the United States, and are delegated to come
by some who have unjustly worn the man
acles on their bodies; by some whose minds
have been manacled by class legislation in
States called free. The colored people Of
the States of Illinois, Wisconsin, Alabama,
Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, North
Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania,
New York, New England States, and the
District Of Columbia, have specially delegat-
ed us to come. Our coming is marked
circumstance, noting determined hope, and
that we are not satisfied with an amendment
prohibiting slavery, but that we wish it en-
forced with appropriate legislation This
is our desire. We ask for it intelligently,
with the knowledge and conviction that the
fathers of the Revolution intended freedom
for, every American citizen, and that they
all should be protected in their rights as
citizens equal before the law. We are
Americans, native born. We are glad to
have it known to the world as bearing no
doubtful record on this point. On this fact,
and with confidence in the triumph of JUS
tice, we base our hopes. We see no recog-
of the land. It knows no privileged class,
and therefore all cherish the hope that we
may be fully franchised not only in this
District, but throughout the land. We re-
specially submit that rendering anything
else than this would be rendering to US less
than our just due, that granting anything
less than our full rights will be disregard
Of our just rights and Of due respect for our
Il; hat Id AZ
viii be used as q license, as it were, or an
apologyfor any community or for individu
ais thus'disposed, to outrage our rights and
feelingss IT has been shown in the present
war that the Government may justly reach
the strong arm into the States and demand
from those who owe allegiance their assist
ance and support. May it not reach out
like arm to secure and protect its subjects
upon whom it has claim
Frederick Douglass advanced and ad-
dressed the President, saying:
- Mr.. President, we are not here to en-
tighten you, Sir, as to your duties as Chief
Magistrate Of this Republic, but to show our
respect and to present in brief the claims of
our race to your favorable consideration.
In,the order of Divine Providence, you are
placed in q position where you have power
to cave or destroy us, to bless or blast u.s.
mean our whole race. Your noble and hui
name predecessor placed in our hands the
sword TO assist in saving the nation, and we
do hope that you, his able successor, viii
1avorably regard placing in our hands the
ballot with which to save ourselves. We
shallsubmit no argument on that point. The
fact that we are the subjects Of the Govern
nIent and subject to taxation, to volunteer in
the service of the country, subject to being
drafted, and subject to bear the burdens of
the State, makes it not improper that we
should ask to share in the privileges of the
condition. | have no speech to make Oh
this occasion. / simply submit these OBJ
servations as limited expression of the
views and feelings of the delegation with
which | have come"
THE, PRESIDENTS RnPLY.
The following is substantially the response
of the President
/" In reply to some Of your inquiries, not
to make speech about this matter-for it
is always best to talk plainly and distinctly
about such questions-I will say that if i
have not given evidence in my former course
that / am a friend to humanity, and to that
portion of it which constitutes the colored
population, can give no evidence hereafter
Everything that | have had, both as regards
life and property, has been periled in thi;
cause, and | fl | and think that | under
stand, not to be -otistic, what should bt
the true direction of this question, and wha
course of policy would result in the amelio
ration and ultimate elevation not only Of tht
colored but of the great mass of the people
of the United States. | say that if | have
not given evidence that am friend of hu
manity, and especially friend of the coloret
man, in my past conduct, there is nothing
that can do that would / repeat, all tina
/ possessed-life, liberty, and property
have been put in connection with that ques
tion, when [ had every inducement held on
to take the other course, by adopting whicl
l would have accomplished all that the mos
ambitious could have desired.
If | know myself and the feeling Of m,
own heart, they have been for the dolores
man. have owned slaves and bough
slaves, but | never, never sold one. | Nigh
say, however, that practically, so far as m
connection with slaves has gone, l hav
been their slave instead of their being mine
Some have even followed me here, Will
others are occupying and enjoying my prop
erty with my consent. For the colore
raw my AAStus, my tiIie, my III, nave De0
perilled, and now, at this late day, afte
giving evidence that is tangible, and that
practical, am free to say that do not lik
to be arraigned by some who can get u
handsomely rounded periods, and deal i
rhetoric, and talk about abstract ideas
liberty, who never periled life. liberty, 0
property This kind of theoretical, hollo'
friendship amounts to but very little. Will
l say that am a friend TO the colored race
do not want TO adopt policy that beley
will end in a. contest between the races
which, if persisted in, will result in the e,