The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-03-23
SPEECH OF
GENERAL JOHN A. LOGAN,
OF ILLINOIS

GENERAL JOHN A. LOGAN,
OF ILIIBbIs,
On the Million DolIur appropriation to the
South, delioered in the House Of Represen-
tatiues on Wednesday, March 15, 1867.
Mr.. CHAIRMAN: I do not intend to
detain the committee any great length
of time in discussing the proposition
before us. have entire confidence,
sir, in the integrity, as we'll as the good
intentions in all things, of the noble
officer in charge of the Freedmen's
Bureau. His generosity and philan-
trophy is coextensive with all suffering
humanity. Any appeal addressed to
him on behalf of any class of people
who may be represented as suffering is
sure to find in his bosom a sympathetic
response, and, owing to the generosity
of his nature, may sometimes surpass
that which would by others not seem
just and proper under the circumstances.
Now, sir, ask who is this that demands
this unprecedented charity at the hands
of Congress ? What class of people is
it? Is it the poor downtrodden freed
men? Is it the poor white people? or
is it the families of the leaders of the
rebellion that have caused SO much
weeping and wailing in our land?
We have no information further than
that there are some sixty thousand peo-
pie who are suffering, or who soon will
be in a suffering condition, in the rebel
States. [ would be as willing as any
one to put my hand In my pocket, and
so far as am able relieve the sufferings
of any unfortunate class of people. But
looking at this resolution as I do, I
cannot put my hand in the pockets of
the taxpayers, many of whom are as
poor as those who pretend to ask this
Government to be made an almshouse,
and assist in appropriating 100000
as pension to one-armed and one-leo-
ged rebel soldiers or their families of
that class. This resolution, sir, is moth
ing more than dodge to make pen
sioners ofrebels that cannot be provi-
ded for in the usual way. You do dot
put them on the United States pension
rolls, by the side of the wounded SOL
diers and widows and orphans of those
who died in defense of their country;
but by another mode you put them on
the bounty of the Government.
This House but yesterday refused to
pass bill equalizing the bounties of
soldiers that fought on the side of their
country in the great struggle for the
existence of the Union. Yet without
accomplishing that, without amply
providing for our own widows and cry
ing orphans that prattle about the re-
turn of those they will see no more, we
are asked to give 81 100000 for the pur.
pose OF supplying the wants of some
body, without knowing who.
When you talk about dealing out
81 ,000,0 900 of conmissary storaeto these
poor people of the South, we but have
to refeas for one moment to see that
labor is at high price in the New Eng
land factories and when we look at
the vast domain of the Northwest, we
lind in many instances the plow has
been permitted to stand in the furrow
because labor has been so high, and if
any portion of the poor people any
where or laboring classes toward whom |
gentlemen desire to be SO Generous are
suffering, the road is broad and open to
the Northwest, where the poor and Ia
boring classes of all CHIMES and all COM
plexions are invited by our smiling
prairies. We need their labor and are
ready to pay them for it, we will help
them to live until harvest season, we
will alleviate their wants and allay their
but they m1st apply in the
proper manner. They must show a
to work and earn their live
lihood by the sweat of their face as our
own people have always done. Sir,
this is not the first time we have been
asked to show our generosity to this
same people. During the war against
traitors and rebels, and while we were
lighting the men who sought the life of
this nation and the lives of defenders,
we were feeding and supporting their
wives and children left behind who
were by the fortunes of war cast within
BUR lines. | have seen many times long
lines Of them at the doors of the COM
nissary department at different posts