The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-07-21

were u HoIdut anu degraded Dy Ine1r long
condition of servitude. But, sir, we de-
termined this question in statesmanlike
way. We said that every free man sub
ject to the law ought to have a vote that
the freedman was free and subject to the
law, therefore he ought to vote The
difficulty bravely met, the problem solv-
ed upon principle, the emergency has
passed, and no man fears that our institu.
lions are endangered.
But now new question arises. Shall
Cinnamon be citizens, or permitted to
emigrate to this country; shall they con-
stitute class inferior to citizens? And
strange to say, the very men who settled
the former question upon principle now
hesitate to apply the principle, tested by
its success in the case, to the instance be
fore us, and now interpose the very OBJ
jections to the enfranchisement Of China
men that Democrats urged against the en-
reimbursement of the freedmen
Mr.. WILLIAMS ] do not know Wheth-
er | shall have an opportunity to reply
to the Senator or not
Mr.. CARPENTER. Certainly. I shall
speak but few moments
Mr.. WILLIAMS. I think the Senator is
altogether disappearing my views on
that question. / think | have been as
devoted a friend to the colored man in
this country as he has been, and done as
much to secure to him the right of suf-
frage; but the arguments employed on
this question are in no respect similar to
the objections to the right of suffrage
These are foreigners those were Ameri-
can citizens
Mr.. CARPENTER. The Senator from
Oregon totally misapprehends me- Ger
tainly he has done much more than |
have; certainly he has done as much as
any man to bring the slave from bondage
into the light of liberty and [ honor
him for the service he has performed, and,
instead of undertaking his services in
that particular, it is the fact of such pre-
eminent service which occasions my as
tonishment that the Senator from Oregon
should interpose his great influence and
talent to exclude Cinnamon from the ben.
efits he has extended to the freedman. 1t
is astonishing that any man whose views
are so broad, and whose heart is SO large,
and whose faith in Americanism ought to
be SO exalted after witnessing the thun-
behring's and hghtnings which have at
tested It's truth, should now hesitate to
follow the great principles which guided
his conduct on former occasions. I am
reminded of one Of Lambs's essays, the
one upon roast pig. He describes himself
as being generous man says he would
divide with his friends most OF the good
things of life, beef, mutton, oysters, CLAIMS,
&c. ; but that every mans generosity
must have some limit, and he says he
stops on roast pig that he would not
divide morsel of it with the best friend
he had on earth. The Senator from Ore
gon is liberal statesman, and good
mana man of great brain and of warm
heart. He would welcome the French
man the EnglishMan, the German, the
Norwegian, and the Swede; yes, the
slave Just freed from his bonds; and the
negro from the interior of Africa; but
the Senator's generosity must have some
limit, and so he stops on the Chinaman
the Gilman an is his roast pig. Laughter
Mr.. President, every candid man ad
mitted that it was subjecting our Ameri-
can theory to a severe trial when We adj
mltted the freedmen to citizenship but
there was no choice we had to apply
the principle that every free man bound
by the law was entitled to vote, or we
had to say to the monarchists of Europe
that their theory of government was
right and ours was wrong; that it would
not do to permit all men subject to the
law to participate in the Government
that there must be some limitations and
some exclusions and that the man who
could not be trusted was the man who
had black skin, The latter view was
80 manifestly absurd that we determined |
10 abide by our maxim and give the ne
gro the benefit of it. And no man did
more to cary the public mind to carry the
public mind to this commendable conclu-
'ion than the Senator from Oregon. AID
low, coming to the Chinese question, 1
would like to have that Senator show, if
ne can, how we are to escape the same
dilemma. If all free men subject to the
aw ought to have vote, then the China
nan is entitled to vote, And if he be
lot entitled to vote, it is because the
heory of free government " of the people,
or the people, by the people," is de-
uslon. Sir, for one, l propose to stand
0y cur American principle of free gov
and, applying it to the case be-
ore us,t say that the Chinaman who comes
o reside among US, who conforms to our
avs, shall be admitted to the rights of
,itizen.
But, sir, suppose we we're to make this
admission to the monarchists of Europe,
md confess that this dogma of self gov
is deluslon, and that the Chi
laman, although residing in our midst,
md intelligent, industrious, and virtuous,
ought not TO have voice in making the
avs by which he is to be governed, by
which their property is to be taxed, and
~ which his life is to be rendered happy