The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-02-10

wish -
The President.-I am not quite thrcuFl
vet. Slavery has been sbolished. A grea
! National guarantee has been given, on
that eaa not be revoked. ! wss getting q
the relation that existed between the whit
man and the cOlored man. very small
PROPORTION Of white persons, compared VIII
the whole number Of such, owned the col
cred people Of the South. ] might iusisuc
the State Of Tennessee in illustration
| There were twenty seven non-slaFeholder
10 one slave holder aud vet the slave
power controlled that State.
Although tho eOl0red man was in slaverl
there, ana owned as property in the sens
and in the language Of that locality a1d o
that community, yet in comparing bis con
dition and his position with the non slave
holder, he usually estimated has imporiauc,
lust in proportion TO the number Of slaves
that his ma,ter owned, with the n0u-slaye
holder Have You never lived upon 4
lplantation?
Mr.. Dou ,lass.-"I have your excelleney.'
The Presldent-"When YOU would looI
over and see man who had a large family
| struggling hard upon poor piece OF land
you thought great deal less Of him thaE
| YOU did of your own master"
| Mr.. Douglass-"N0t J."
The President-"Well, know such wa.
the case with large majority of you 10
| those sections where such is the case. We
know there is an enmity. We know there
is hate. The poor white man, on the 9TH
er hand, was opposed to the slave and his
master, for the colored man and his mas
| ter combined, kept him in slavery, by
| Idepriving him Of a fair participation in the
LABOR and productions Of the rich lands OF
the country. Don't you know that the coll
ored man, in going 70 hunt a master, as
they called IL, for the next wear, preferred
hiring to a man who owned slaves, rather
than to one who didn't? I know the fact,
at all events.
Mr.. Douglass-Because they treated him
better.
The President-They did not consider
! it quite as respectable to hire 10 a man who
did not own negroes as to hire to one who
did.
Mr.. Douglass-"Becaus he wouldn't be
treated as we'll"
The President-"Then that is another ar
gument in favor Of what am going to say.
Il shows that the colored man estimated
the slave owner more highly than he did
the man who did not own slaves"
Hence the enmity between the colored
man and the nOn-slaveholders. The white
man was permitted to vote before the Cow
ernment was devised. He is part and
parcel Of the political machinery now, by
rebellion or revolution, and when YOU come
back 10 the objects Of this war you find that
the abolition Of slavery was not one Of the
objects.
Congress and the President declared that
il was on our part, in order to suppress the
rebellion. The abolition of slavery has
come as an incident 10 the suppression OF
the great rebellion. As an incident we
should give to it the proper direction. The
colored man went into this rebellion ss q
slave.
BY the operation of tie rebellion he
came out freedman equal to freedman
in other portions of the country. There is
a great deal done for him on this point.
The non-slaveholder who was forced into
the rebellion, and was as loyal as those
that lived beyond the limits of the slave
States, were carried into it, and the proper
ty, and IN a number Of instances, the lives
Of such were sacrificed. And he who has
survived has come out Of it with nothing
gained, but great deal lost.
Now, upon principle Of justice, should
they be placed in condition different from
what they were before.
On one hand one has gained a great deal.
On the other hand one has lost n great deal,
and, in political point Of view, scarcely
stands where he did before.
Now we are talking about where we are
going to begin. We have got st the bate
that existed between the two races. The
query comes up whether these two races,
situated as they we're before, without pre-
paration, without time, for passion and ex-
citement to be appeased, and without time
| for the slightest improvement, and whether
the one should be turned loose upon the
other, and be thrown together at the ballot
box. with this enmity and hste existing
between them. The query, l say, comes
up, will we not then commence q war Of
races2 l think ! understand this thing,
and especially is this the case, when you
force il upon Q people without their con
sent You have spoken about the Govern
ment Where-is the power derived2 We
say it is derived from the people. Let US
take it so and refer it to the District Of Co
| lumbia by way Of illustration. Suppose, for
instance, here in this political community,
which, ton certain extent, must have gov
ernment, must have law, aud putting it
nov upon the broadest basis you can put it.
Take into consideration the relation which
the white has heretofore borne to the col
ored race, IS it proper TO force upon this
community, without their consent, the
elective franchise, without'regsrd 10 color,
| making il universal? Tho Government
must have controlling power--must have
a lodgment,
For instance, suppose Congress should
pass 3 law authorizing an election 20 be
held, ct which all over tWenty-one years Of
age, without regard 10 color, should be al
lowed 10 vote, aud majority should decide
at such election that the elective franchise
should be universal, what would you do
about it2 Who would settle it Do
you deny that the frst great prin-
eIple Of The right Of the people to gov
ern themseivesp Will you resort to an ar
bitrary power, and say that a majority Of
the people shall receive s. state Of things
they are opposed TO
Mr.. Douglass" That was said before the
war"
The Presfdent-"I am now talking about
q principle, not what somebody said
Mr.. Downing" apply what you have
said, Mr.. President, 70 South Carohna, ioI
| Instance" H-.f.E
The President--f Suppose you GO to South
Carolina or to Ohio thai does not change
the principle at all. The query TO which
have referred still comes up. When our
Government is undergoing fundamental
change Of government, commenced upon
this principle and has existed upon 1t, nov
YOU proI,,c,ss-- to ineornorste on element thai
did not exist before in it. / say the query
comes up, in undertaking this thing, wheih-
er We have q right 20 make a change IN re-
gard to the elective franchise in Ohio, to'
instance, and whether we shall not let the
people in that State decide the matter them
selves. Each community is better pre-
pared 10 determine the depository Of poiiti
cal power than any body else and u is 10
the Legislature, or the people, Of Ohio to say
who shall vote or not for the Congress o
the United States.
| l might 20 down here 10 the ballot-boz
tomorrow and vote directly FOR universe
suffrage. but if a grcst majority Of this peo
pie said no, I should consider il would be
tyrannical and arbitrary in me TO attempt Z
force il upon them without their viii lt 4
Ia fundamental text in my creed that the
viii Of the people must be obeyed, Whel
lfairiy expressed. Is there anything wrong
OF unfair in that2
| Mr.. Douglas, smiling-"A great dea
wrong, Nj. President, with all respect
The President-"The people must de
termiue that for themselves. do no
want 20 DO engaged in work thst WI
commence a war Of the races. In eaci
community, If mau shows that tins new
state Of Affairs VIII operate well, he viii b
( pr0te1ted in al his nights ana gwen ever
possible advantsge By that community
When they have become rec0nclet socially
and politically 20 certain things then WI
lthm new. order Of afsirs work haFmont
ously. But, forced upon the people betor
they are prepared for il, it Will be resisted
I feel conviction that forcing that mat
ter upon the people VIII result an the iuJurl
Z; GOA races, aisa .s F1,... F1 :: .: one or =.
other. God knows, have no desire but tn
good Of the whole hamez race. / would !
Eers 60 that AL you advocate could b douI
, in the tWinklingof sn eye. Gut Is is nc
IN the nature Of things, and DO not Hssum
, or pretend 10 be wiser than Providence, Q
stronger than The lsNz 81 natgre- Let "a
now sees y discover the laws goyerpiu.
this question. There is great Law con
I trolling d. Let Us endeaY0r 70 fre ou
Whist that law ts and conforsl our actloo .
it. All the details viii then properly 81
{ iust themselves snd work well IN the end
6od knows that suything I can DO in th
= mighty process By which the crest end j. Z
be reschea, anything 1 czn 90 81 elsvst
1 the faces, % ssiten and smaiioTsse their con
Z dltion, ! W1a do, and . be able % a. o.
! the sincere desire II ny hear. am gis
| ] have net ycu, aud I thaak Tcu ior %
+ lcomplimeHt y0u hsye psid ne,
I Ar nn1g zlats---t trrs. 70 ratr-u s-l-4 on