Year: 1864

was n the m In 'it bi. master, aud that the rsas
ti0ns faithful slave, and even the re-
sptr Able IRE were friendly aud kind; but
lhr'es of this terrible revolution with the excit
appeals made Ia that class of p ople with efforts made
throughout the entire North by portion of the people to
STIR serve nsurrecn and Ia array the humber class
a. sns he ore nj II ut aud elevated class, you have
awakened feeling iuense feeling n the breasts and
in the mlds of many OF this class Of people against the
whe.r, stated 10 you sir nothing that fanciful
the other day, but stated to you the solemn truth when


said that la the town IN which live at this time or
only few days ago, they marching up and down
with hord oatbs aud in several instances snapped
| their pistols at white men The military were there,
your negroes protected and your white men at their
! mercy


These sir are some of the that Ia lOca-
ties with which you have personal acquaintance and


call upon the members of the Senate gentlemen of in
tellg gence aud refscng and call upon the people
of th9 vast North wake it is too late to the
sequences that may result TO the people Of large portion
of this country from such legislation ths Sir there
are madmen possessed Of devils just much they
In the days OF Christ and whom the devil nstru
ments to carry out his hesh purposes, who would
stir up nsurrecton in communities where tho races are
equal than they in yours. do believe that
there many if any in this Senate who entertain such


feeling and therefore if speak warmly upon this SUBJ
ect speak to gentleman whose hearts hope are not 90
teeed against all the kindrr feelings of their nature a.
carry This system Of legislation which may eventuae
in in the contemplation Of which the imagination 10
| appalled,.


Sir suppose you go to my State, the State
of Mary land, the State of Kentucky, the State of
Missouri to day, all of which in the Unon and re-
4 .
ia which hey have usdc ion of the most horrd
and capital offences to you from my knowledge
OF this class of beings that it would be ndcut matter
all TO get multitude OF witnesses 1T this class to
away his life and only afraid that there in this
counry who would be pleased at judicial murder
mtted by the perjury of the meanest free negro in the
| land am


| Mr.. POWELL moved to amend the amendment of the
committee by inserting after the word Ssates," in the
second lne the words in all for rObbiDg vO-
latng the mails Of the United States, to make it
read


Thai in the courts Of the United States in all or
shall be exclusion OF any witness account Of COLOR


If this amendment shall be adopted it will leave the
| amendment proposed by the Committee Post Offices
and Post Roads to meet the evil which they say will
exist in case the bill as-t was originally introduced sha
become law If their sole object is to allow black mail
to be witnesses against those who violate the
mail they will effect their object by adopting the section
/ as Props, to amend it.


| Mr. CONNESS. / wish to say to the Senator from
Kentucky that my object in voting for the bill is the
sole object of extending the right testify negroes in
cases involving violations of the post Office laws of the
United States Incidentally that brings the question up
here, and brought it up the committee Of which have
the honor to be member, but desre to say to that
Senator and the other Senators who have spoken that
side OF the chamber that purpose to give vote by
which the testimony of colored shal be received in
all the rts of the United States. desire to be plainly
understood that my purpose is to receive testimony and
| proof from any source that Is human.


| Mr. JOHNSON. rather regret that the bill itself
which referred 10 the committee, introduced.
The object of the bill simply to authorz, the Post
master General to employ colorei person carry the
mails if be thought proper and it did that by repeating
the prohibition in the original law Practically suppose
that coored person will be employed ut any rate for
| Mr.. SUMNER. If the Senator will allow me one mo-
nlent will men ion hardship under the cid legislation
OF Congress that has actually occurred 10 Boston The
postmaster has detred to employ very estmable free
coored person carrier of letters n the CITY, but he
has found that he could not do it without exposing him
self to severe penalty under the act of Congress which
/ 1t liz now piop0asd TO repeal.


| Mr., JOHNSON. WE'LL there can be very few such
| cases. If they get white and respectable
white man, and suppose respeoab white just
ea,y found in Boston as respectable coored men the
chances but in hundred that they will employ
respectable black man. There may be- of these


tractors who welded to that particular than
others, there certain politicians who apparently


more anxious TO protect them than to protect Others
but they are few.


Practically, the bill, if it passes with the amendment
suggested by the committee will be to change to repeal
all the laws of the States relation the testimony Of
persons of color partake of the spirit which has gov
erned bs courts not to the legislation of various
tries that all questions depending upon human testimony
should rather be questions Of eredbty than questions Of
competency The jury fully able speaking generally,
whether witness, be be black white, be he alien
czen be he OF one party where party spirit runs high,
or Of another to decide what credit to be attached TO
his testimony. should, therefore, be perfectly willing to
do away with all these restrictions originally more the
result OF prejudice Of shorss than any thing
else more The result Of not seeing what guard there
was, as general thing, against any mischief resulting
tnese 10 10 passed Dy the
in the fact that the jury would have the privilege of pass
ing upon them. But what object TO s-and submit it
| to the Ssuate with ali sinceiy-tbat il make this
change at this PERIOD make witnesses the States
where slavery exists it will bs dangerous Perhaps the
members OF the Senate who from States where there
Is political difference of opinion may appreciate this
geston; but think it would be exceedingly perl0us
to change the law, at least IN respect to my State


have doubt the consideration applies to other
Sates-Kentuoky and Missouri--but speak Of my own


LIZ useless to deny that there has been Maryland
and to certain extent there exists now, very strong
sympathy for the South. These people knownOr the
most part and great many perhaps suspected who
do not onlsrta the sympathy. They suspected bo-
eluse Of their association They excellent men,
ceent ladies' but they do e her entertain that feeling
they oed Of enteraing it and almost every day
the military are interfering upon almost every variety Of
testimony and the faith OF such testimony they
ordering out Of Maryland men and women. What I


far is that you do away with the prohibition which it
IN The oil jct OF this amendment to do with that
scene will bs very much increased 1t s carrying
more or iesJ Of ruin INTO many household They
afraid even now and they may well be afraid perhaps Of
talking except in whispers in their
when what they do cannot be testified to by the
wants who may h coored for the most part they
But do away with this restriction and the condition Of
things viii be Infinitely submit to the Senate
who'her it poitio whether, il they permit to say
so u Is humane to pass law which may great
deal more trouble these States where the general feel
ing Is that OF loyalty, when good looking to any
actual practical valuable result is to be the consequences.


Mr. HALE moved 10 postpone the further con dera-
tcn of this hill aud that the Senate proceed to the