Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-01-15
Free Suffrage in the District Of Colum-
$500 bla

II NC DlSCIlCV VI SOluIu Dld VOu tfiilli
the Z. S. capitol and other depart
ments of the Federal Government
civil aud military. It's, or was be
fore Alexandria was detached anC
donated to Virginia, ten miles
square-hav .ng no state government
at al, but being under entire control
of the U. S. Government-Congress
end President, same as Territory
SHADES negro slave pens were in this
Overwhelmingly the Internal hell
be Black men and women, where to
shoot and murder such people were
not crimes. The sales Of negroes at
SHADES pens were often 1000 per
day-usually so to 100. Every law
that was possible for Congress to en-
act was made for the benefit of Slade
Bko'Had only to go up to the FEEDER
al Capitol any day, whip in hand, and
command CoGgress to enact any law
however damnable and it was put
through in a hurry-there being none
to vote "no but such hated Old rad
icals as J. Q. Adams, Giddings, and
one or two others. The great men,
all, Benton, Clay, Webster, Jackson,
Calhoun, &c, under fear of being
reported as abolition sympathisers,
were the first to advocate and sup
port SHADES measures such as the
right tc Buy, sell, chastise by whip
ping or shooting, any egros, mulat
aos or quadroons offered in the mar
ket o. bought or held by Slade and
other wGite' gentlemen. The shrieks
of the slave, whilst undergoing the
whip penalty for any otfense how
ever trifling, were very often heard
in and about the Federal Capitol.
Once slave in chains, hands and
feet, for no crime but for his color
held in bonds, escaped from SHADES
prison, ran to the Federal Capitol, and
Entering the lobby Of the U. S. Sen
ave, wi,erB for time he paced back
and forth, rafting his chains as a de-
mon and singing with mock derision
Hail Columbia, land of the free,
Home of the brave, &c,
1t was said some of the Senators
were almost paralyzed by the shock
ING occurrence. Mr.. Giddings offer
I'D bill for the slaves purchase and
freedom, but it went the way of all
such-on re table. lie was soon
purchased by some abolitionists and
Got free, and was subseq uently ex-
hibited in England where he appear
cd in the identical chains worn at
his appearance in the Federal capitol
and singing with mock derision,
Hail Columbia, &c" This was
American slavery, our Constitution,
Government, Religions, Policies, Par
ties and Politics all dramatized from
the slaves stand point, and receiving
as it were a most serious blow from
from o least expected quarter.
; Reader, tLb time we Inow speak OF
was in 1928, when we first became
m abolitionist.-a event which soon
after necessarily l. to our cmigra-
tion TO the west, and to this part
where it was reported an abolitionist
might live with tolerable safety and
pet employment. And u couple OF
years thereafter we found tOlerably
liberal people in Grant County, With
a Willingness to give employment
even to e known abolitionist. Still
such men at that period as Joe. r.
Mills, Stewart Mckee, Tom East
man, and few other avowed aboli-
tionists, were as unpopular as would
be savages our day. These personal
illusions are introduced in view Of
illustrating the remarkable changes
that have taken place in less than a
quarter of century, in our very
midst as we'll as east and south every
wLeIo.
Very well, speaking Of the District
of Columbia, the capitol of slavery
and villainy as well as of a pretend
cd but unreal free government:
The blacks Of Columbia are many
of them, wealthy. For some years
their assessed valuation has been sew
trsflailEions. The tax revenue col
lGClCu ilOlll lBCtil oililudtil 10 ttOOul
$4,000, Of which about half is for
the public schools in which they
have no interest. They supported
schools amoug themselves Of late
years by voluntary enterprise, at the
same time being taxed to support the
white schools. And it is singular
Joke nthe blacks that they lave al
along supported more and better
schools among themselves than have
been supported by the whites, anc
that upon an average, the black chill
drcn ale the better scholars.
As 50 ptrsdnal conduct tie 2rimi
mel. calendar OF the District show.
shat the blacks behave better than
The whites as eight to one that Is
she proportion OF criminals, popula
tion OF both colors considered, is II;
eight to one against the whiteB, which
Is regretted rs we white people prefer
that our own race shall excel in NOR
Atty as well as in brag. The fact is
the blacks and the Federal treasury
have so long fed, clothed and richly
sal: ricd the people Of the District OF
Columbia that they have got to b.
about the most demoralized people in
the country.
For sucn considerations il became
actually necessary at last that the
power and rule of tue District be Ia
ken away from the whites in q
measure and given to some better
people, such as the negros. Pre-