Year: 1862

OF ILLINOIS,
In the u. .. House Of Representa-


tives, Dee. sth, 1862.


The House being in the committee Of
the whole on the State Of the Union


Mr. RICHARDSON said:


Mr.. CHAIRMAN-The annual message
recently sent to this House by the Pres
ident Of the United States is the most
remarkable of any that has ever been
delivered to Congress. 1t is renarka-
BILE for what it says, and it is still more
remarkable for what it omits to say.
One half of the twenty-one pages which
il covers is devoted to the negro, No
page, no sentence, no line, no word, is
given to laud, or even to mention, the
bravery, the gallantry,or even the good
conduct of our soldiers 10 the various
bloody battles which have been fought.
No sorrow is expressed for the lament
ed dead. No allusion is made to the
maimed and wounded. No sympathy
is rendered to the sorrowing widow and
to the helpless orphan made during the
progress Of this war, which could have
been avoided by the honorable compro-
mise, if the President and his friends
had chosen so to do.


Sir, it is a remarkable document. 1t
is an extraordinary message, when we
come to think of its sum and substance.
10 feed, clothe, buy, and colonize the
negro, we are to tax and mortgage the
white man and his children. The white
is to be burdened to the earth for the
benefit of tho black race.


Afriend ofmine from New England the
other day, made mathematical analysis
of the message He said, one from one
from one naught remains. Naught from
naught and the messages is the result
Laughter.1


So far as it relates to the white race
that mathematical calculation is right.
SO far as it relates 10 the negro, or IN
the Court language of the President,
the "frce American of African descent,
rivers of blood aid countless millions of
treasure are not enough for his benefit
and advantage.


Now sir, when our people have a1x.
lously looked 10 the message nom the
President of the United States to learn
what they have to hope Of restored
Union, and return Of the blessings Of
peace once more to their firesides, 10y
inference we learn, if not directly. that,
if we will carry out all the President s
plans, if we will carry out his schemes
thirty seven years from now, the people
may again behold the restoration of the
return of peace. True the message
states at the end of those thirty seven
years but few of us will then be living
to enjoy the blessings we once enjoyed
in this now distracted and divided coun-
try.


But, Mr.. Chairman, there are few
passages in the message so extraordln.
airy, so wonderful, that they require at
least passing notice. There has been,
and still is, great anxiety felt and ex-
pressed by our people that this negro
population sball not interfere with them;
that it shall not jostle them in the occu'
pations they have heretofore pursued in
the various industrial pursuits of life in
the great fertile regions of the Vest
The President on that head uses the
following language.


"And yet wish to say there is an
objection urged against free colored
person sremaining in the country, which
is largely imaginary, if not sometimes
malicious 1. is insisted that their pres.
ence would injure and displace white la
Dor aud dispace white laborers. If
there ever could be a proper time for
mere catch arguments, that time surely
is not now. In times alike the present,
men should utter nothing for which they
would not willingly be responsible
through time and in eternity. Is it true
then, that colored people can displace
any more white labor, by being free,
than by remaining slaves? If they stay
in their old places, they jostle no white
laborers; if the leave their old places,
they leave them open to white laborers.
Logically, there is neither moro nor less
of it."


Now, sir, I will not do logic the vic.
lence to say that is an argument. He
tells our people, those who supported
him because they believed he and his
party intended to keep the non.slave-
holding States and all Territorie of the
Union for tho solo occupation Of the
white race, if you do not like nay plan
of disposing of this black race; If you
fear from their introduction among you,
that their labor will be brought into
competion with that of your own, all
you have to 10 to AVOID this competition
is to quietly leave your present fields of
labor, homes to which, perhaps you may
be attached, and the graves OF your
kindred, and migrate southwark, and
occupy the places made vacant by the
exodus Of what bis Excellency terms
the "free Americans of African descent.
That is the sum and substance of it.


But, for the sake of argument, admit,
if you choose, that all the plans of the
President, touching emancipation and
colonization Of the negro were to-day
successfully carried out, what would it
accomplish in the great work Of restor-
ing the Union2 Nothing g-worse than
nothing.


The president recommends in his an.
nual message three propositions to
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