New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-09-28

iranchised would rather it should be sal
tnSs II was done by white men and not b
coiore1 men, or by tLeir assistance. at
npIe eiaoorate IN my remarks here than
9.hefMlse should be, because know shsl
] DC mlsrepresented upon this question b
men Of my own party. / have been alread
/ taken TO task and censured by some. be
cause have been in the habit of exuress
| ing a Willingness to allow all men IN,
right to vote; my motives have been seye
rally criticised and impugned. 1t was sale
by my friends that If the rebels were allow
ed to vote they would hold ali the offices
and that seemed to favor this. Itold then
no., say no now. / do not believe the,
Will get all the power, and / certainly dc
| not desire they should. believe that the
rights OF men are inevitably to be estab-
| llshed, though their progress NAV be re
tarded for time. Ihave no fear in regard
to the question of the final settlement o.
this, great question, no fear whatever. 1t /:
a question only Of time. We have but Lo
look back over Europe and we find that
slavery has been wiped out in manv Of
those countries where it once flourished in
all its hideous injustice. 1t has recently
been wiped out in Russia, and in many
other portions of the old country; and the
rights of man will in my opinion ultimate.
~ prevail all over the world. 1t may not
be IN many days, but it will come after a
=" ANOW L AdNC luis SuDlHCt,
and l believe that the honest advocates OF
distranchisement are mislead Some men
VINO differ with me upon this question are
CONSCIENTIOUS in their views, | have no
doubt; while am as confident that others
arc actuated by motives of lfinterest: and
believe the strongest advocates OF this
measure are men who look simply to
what they conceive to be their own
personal interest-men who are disposed to
vote for them and their party. hope, sir,
shall never be actuated by any such
motives. To me 1t Is of little consequence
whether ! shall ever be put in Office, and it
is not for the perpetuation of my party in
power that am laboring. because may
see ut to join the Democratic party at some
time. am free to say that will belong to
no party which, is not in favor OF equal and
exact justice, whether Democratic, Repub
lican, Union, Radical, or whatever name it
may be known by. / wish to know first the
principles Of the party, and If they give me
the rights which belong to me and my race
that is the party shall be found acting and
voting with. But, sir, if the Democratic
party or any other party says that have nc
rights entitled to respect and no rights that
they are going to respect, why, sir, as q
matter of course | can not support it; and
II a man wants simply to disfrauchise a
class of men in order that he may have q
better chance to get office, | can not sup
porG him, because he is wrong Just as the
other party is wrong in refusing me the
rights to which am entitled. l recognize
as the greatest principle of our party the
principle which is laid down as its founda-
tion-unlversal suffrage. l have been taught
universal suffrage and know no other doe
trine OF suffrage but universal suffrage.
eau not, therefore, support any measure
looking 10 the disfranchisement of any class
of men, except for crime, because ! think il
is sword that has two edges and
may cut both ways. If /, as a
representative of the Republican party in
this State put myself on record as being 10
favor OF DISTINGUISHING the white men, / by
that act recognize the right of these same
men, when they have the power, to dlsfran-
chise me.
In conclusion, sir, would say that have
an abiding faith in the ultimate triumph o
| justice. ! am not afraid to enfranchis,
| those who are claimed to be my enemies.
| trust that rs time marches on these meI
will learn to look upon me aud those be
| longing to the same race as do, as men, q;
| freemen, and not as slaves and deScendentl
| of race of slaves. / am satisfied, sir, a;
| Victor Hugo says, that the human mind
viii settle this question. 1t Is the, human
mind which has made the nations what they
are. 1t is the human mind which
though continually prosecuted, opposed
driven back and headed off, it has disap-
peared only to appear again, and passing
| from one labor to another, it has taken
| successfully, from age to age, the figure Of
all the agiations.n And, sir, it was by agi
tation that the great privileges that enjoy
| to-day were conferred upon me, for if it had
dot been for that little nucleus of sgitators
| Of the anti'slaveryq question we never should
have witnessed such a spectacle as we be-
hold here to-day. And, sir, it is my opinion
that the human mind will at no distant day
settle the question that the great and funda
mental truths stated in the Declaration o
Independence are living realities wherevel
the sun shines.
Believing that this question ought to b,
settled in this way, shall support the reso-
luton now before the Senate.
Mr. Ogden: Mr.. President, / rise simply
to made a personal explanation, in hOpt
that it may accomplish some good; and IL
so doing, think that shall speak the senti
ments of the people whom represent. ques
| tion, sir, whether there is any man within
! the hearing of my voice who would more
| willingly plead the cause OF the colored peo
| pie ofthe country and accord to them all The
rights to which they are entitled than
| would. / believe, sir, that can truly SAL
that there is no man within the hearing o.
my voice who has had occasion to witness
with gratitude and qualification the fidelity
| eXemplifea by them in the recent terrible
I
| sir, as many other citizens of this State, was
nurtured upon the breast of a colored wo
man. ] learned to Call her by the tender
| appellation of mamma, = and when she died
no one felt it more keenly than l, as
marked her failing breath with the futter
ings of my young heart, as | saw the impos
| sibility of her recovery. Together with
many of my boyish companions, as grew
| up on the same plantation upon which
was born, were restrained by her Christian
teaching and example; and the grave OF this
| very nurse was Watered by my own hand
| and flowers strown upon It by myself and
family for the devotion she had shown.
But, sir, wish it understood that, although
do love the coltred race, would be re-
creant to my own race if were to say that
| love the colored race better than love my
own race. And | believe, sir, that the
gentleman who has Just advocated the
cause of the colored race SO eloquently
would accord me little respect if he be-
lieved that in the scale of races I did not
put my own as high as any, and believe
that It's virtues are equal to those OF any
other.
Now, sir, the answer to the statement in
regard to the cruel punishments inflicted
upon slaves is this. Slavery is dead. Its
ghost, sir, no longer haunts our presence;
and although slavery may have been 3
crime-althOugh we know 1t was an error
yet consider that at this moment it Is i'm
polite and unwise to awaken in the bosoms
OF Others passions which ought not to agi.
tate the public mind. l believe, sir, If We
would take the trouble to look around
MIR. Pinchback: was not making any
allusion to the sufferings of the slaves for
the purpose of arousing passions, but only
as an Offset against your statement that your
people had suffered more than any other
people,
Mr.. Ogden: In speaking Of the sufferings
OF our people spoke of their political sui-