Year: 1864

happiness of the free citizens Indeed In Virginia and Sou'i
Carolina have been nfor "ed plans and conpiracies
have already been concerted by them more than once "a
rise in aud subiugae their ma ters Every thug which
tends their knowledge OF natural rights OF
and things that them opportunity OF ang
acquiring and communicating sentiments and OF
chain or line OF IN egence must your naz d DO
cause it Increases their Of efiscnR their object


"The active and intelligent employed as post
riders These the most ready to learn and he most able
TO BY travelling fro day 70 day and hourly mix
ing with people they mu.t they will aequre information
They will that mans rights do not depend on his color
They will m time become to achers 10 their brethren They
become acqua ntsd with each other on the line Whenever
the body portion of them, wish to act they
ganized corps circulating intelligence openly their own
privately Their travelling creates suspc excite no
alarm One able among them, psrcevipg the value OF
this machine might lay plan which would be communicated
by post riders from town to town. and oduce gene
aud ed operate against you IL is easier to prevent
the evil than it, The hazard may be small and the
prospect but does not follow that at day the
| with respect and esteem, GrDEos GRASGER
| "Hon JAMES JACKSON, Senator from Georgia


Mr. SUMNER said that this the origin of the often
sve legislation which he sought to remove 1t was
proposition to sustain slavery The legislation
part of that system which Congress has so long imposed
upon the country under the domneerng influence of sav
cry and expressly on the ground that
if coored persons allowed to carry the mails they
would learn that mans rights do not depend his
or" II subvert that principle that the offensive
legislation enacted. But since the resurrection
of day 1T seemed to him tnat they could do nothing
less than 90 back to the original policy OF the Republic
when such Legislation existed


| Mr. SALISBURY. Mr. President, the letter just read
/
of the United States and Northern man. n my Judgment
is one o the sensible letters that has been read
ia the Senate of the United Stater written by any man
in the United States 1t carries back the mind the
early days of the Republic when kindly feelings existed
between the people of the North and the people Of the
South when there disposition on the part OF the
people of the North to excite serve nsurrecton IN the
Southern States; when there was no feeling cherished
that the slave might in against his MASTER when
the of San Domingo had impressed upon the minds
of people both North and South the necessity of
/ the nuh
mar the hai mony of the Republic. Sir, Mr. Granger by
writing that letter. showed to the country that he had
heart and soul n his bosom, that he took delight in
scenes of blood in servle nsurrecton He knew the
atioDs existing and happily existing in his day, between
the white and the negro and gentleman and


Christian he wished to his country not only North
but South every section of that country from any such
scenes those which had occurred in San Domingo 1t
not then supposed to be Christian duty to nce the
slave to nsurrecton That feeling which rejoice in
the eusion of innocent blood by members although in
subordinate relation of the household was not then
| supposed to be Christian sympathy.


Sir if the spirit of the times were changed when the
historian shall write up the truthful record OF the past
and of the present and shall do justice to the prt which
animated the of the past and of the present he will


have no difficulty in saying that the who lived 10 the
days of Mr. Granger who shared his feelings, the
men if whose counsels had been faithfully followed the
present unhappy state of the country would not now be
presented glad that that letter has been read to the
Senate am glad of the speech so appropriately made by
the Senator from Indiana because think while the speech
will be baed by conservative men and rejecting men
throuQhOu the with PLEASURE
call great extent the minds of the thoughtful men OF


this country to the early days of the Republic and that
they will contrast in the silent quetude of home the spirit
which animated the of that day with the spr which
is anmang the of the present hour Sir, am glad


repeat, that that letter has been written and will fol-
low the lights of the past the sunlight of the past rather
than the ignis tatuus of the present.


| Mr. POWELL. The amendment proposed by the
Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, in my judg
ment should not be adopted That amendment proposes
to allow all persons, without regard to color to be wit
nesses 10 the courts of the United States In many


the States negroes not permitted to testify wit
against white persons That the law of my
State and the law of Indiana stated by the honor
able Senator that 1t the law 10 all the Slave
States and in many Of the Free States and
reason why should, by legislation here, change the
rule think it is better to leave it, it has heretofore
been left to the States prescribe who shall be witnesses
The Federal courts by their rules allow such persons
become witnesses in their courts allowed in State
courts think this is emnently wise and proper. You


frequently have an appeal from the declaration of the
State courts of the United States If you have rule
testimony the State court and another rule In the
court of the United States you at the confusion
that will exist You certain class of the State
courts BY the laws Of the States certain persons


cuded from beng witnesses n certain causes where
the rights of certain persons excluded from being t
gated You try the by that rule of testimony in the
State court You take that to the Federal courts


If you have have there different rule of testimony you
see at the endless confusion that must follow. In
order to keep up harmony aud good fe ling between the
States and the National Government it is eminenty
proper that the States themselves should regulate all
those matters. The practice it has existed hereto
ore of allowing the rules of the State courts to govern
in the Federal courts of that locality certsiny the
rect therefore hope that the amendment will not
be adopted AZ to the general character Of the bill,
know that nothing that say here will prevent this
fanatca radical kind of legislation If you pass this
bill it can do good it will not promote the public
teres it will not advance the public service it will be
dstsstefu TO the people of of the States That will
be the result Of it, without doing any good No good can
possibly result to the country from IT, The only result
will be that Senators who entertain the views of the Sem
ator from Massachusetts, who moment ago addressed
the Senate will be abls in their eeconeerng documents
say that such and such laws have been passed favor
Of the negro and add this t. tho ist 1t will be graft
fcaton that ultraradcal sentiment that in my iudg-
ment has done than every thing else to bring all the
| woes and ills by which surrounded upon the
| country.


| Mr.. HENDRICKS spoks against both the amendment
and the bill. He did not think such would be
acceptable to his State 10 whose courts neither Iu-
dsns negroes allowed to testify except in
| in litigation between Indians and negroes cannot
(he aid) why the Senator who proposes this
stops where he does II is right to bring the negro into
the court that be shall testify in between white
of white witness cannot why the Senator should
stop there and not also make him competent s juror in
the United states court IL bis intelligence and Integrity
such that may trust bim Witness not only to
the testimony of the white man. but also to be
called witness to impeach the credbiity OF white
in court of the United States why not place him in
the nrybox and let him decide what shall be the verdict
/ in the between two white men7 / cannot how
gentlemen discriminate 1t is question OF integrity
and intelligence they say and that the integrity and intel


gence of the negro may be trusted in opposition to the
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