Year: 1867

ed andrespected. Slavery cursed every poor
white man more than it, did the negro-lt
wrote upon his brow /" Degradation upon
this soil, the earth ITSELF it wrote " ruin -
and the time is coming when this people
will see and confess it. / say the Republi-
can party wanted to keep the territories free.
We did not wish to see slaves go there and
school houses banished. Wehad right to
say that those territories should be free-our
fathers had settled that themselves. Ours
then was purely defensive position. But
because we said so much as that and were
determined to carry it out, certain gentle
men threatened to tear down the govern
ment,; and separate their States from the
Others. So


J th-Carolina had carried the flag of
slavery from the foundation OF the govern
ment up to that hour, She, too, was the
mother of notification and secession, and
she led in rebellion. In the first Congress
ever held, South Carolina came in debating
in regard to slavery. She came demanding
that the words in the declaration Of inde-
pendence arraigning King George for the
African slave trade be expunged. Jefferson
himself has told us that North Carolina and
Virginia were forced to agree with her, and
the words were expunged. Then she forced
the Congress to continue the slave trade for
twenty years longer. South Carolina led,
North Carolina and Virginia held back;
and so it was when the old flag went down
on Sumter, these States were dragged into
rebellion


When Abraham Lincoln escaped the knife
Sc A., ,,,o..:- pol%;r,oro n, dio hu fho
hand of Wilkes Booth, he addressed an ap


peal to his countrymen that will live in
their hearts forever. He told them that he
had an oath registered in Heaven to maintain
the Union. and that they had none registered
there binding them to destroy that Union
and he told the leading Union men in the
South, that the government would not
plunge the country into civil war. This
spirit of moderation had its effect. The reb-
eli leaders saw their danger Then Walker
ordered that the first gun should be fired at
Fort Sumter-he knew that blood must
commence to flow and the Southern heart be
maddened to frenzy. They knew if they
awaited the overt act, it would never come.
And they trembled before the moderate pol
icy of the good and great Lincoln.


But before that event, the Crittenden COM
promise had been offered to US as a plan Of
reconciliation. Before God and man we
dared not accept its propositions. We had
Just voted in favor of keeping the territories
forever open to free labor, and free labor only.
This compromise proposed by positive law
to make all the territory South of 36 deg,
80 min, slave territory. Had we consented
to that, we should have become personally
responsible for slavery But we had already
organized three territories west and north
| of Kansas, without admitting or excluding
slavery. We relied on the people to do that
for us. This compromise further proposed
that masters should be allowed to carry theiI
bondsmen into the free States, thus making
Massachusetts, slave State. Toombs could
thus have carried out his threat to call the roll
of his slaves at the foot of Bunker Hill monu.
ment. We could not agree to that, for his
tory would have written us down as dis
graced men. And it further demanded oi
US that we should never abolish slavery in
the District of Columbia without asking the
consent of old Virginia. 1t further demand
ed that we should deny citizens of colol
throughout the free States the right of suf
frage. 1t was an insult to ask this thing Of
us. For eighty years the negro had beer
vested with the right of suffrage in Massa
cbusetts. In the revolutionary war, he had
fought for his country with heroic valor.-
On land and on wave in 1912, his hearts
blood had mingled with the white mans in
defence of the National flag. Could We
consent to deny him right to which hi.
claims were so good and noble, without GOV
ering our names with infamy? And then
it further proposed that we should tax th'
people to send all the free people of colo
away to Africa. Oaughter.) This, then, il
that which was required of us to do, or-they
would plunge the country in civil war, ant
arraign US before the tribunal of God for in
fringing their constitutional rights. Befor,
Him and all mankind, say we are not re
sponsible for the war. That responsibility
rests on the system of slavery, which per
verted human reason and made millions o
men raise their hands against the govern
ment, and send their sons to the battle hel(
to shed fraternal blood. No, gentlemen, a
future ages roll on, the system of human
slavery will be held responsible for all thi
sorrow. 1t was the giant criminal, and tn,
traitor that sought the nations life. Ant
it has sunk into its grave of infamy and dis
honor, never to rise again. a


Now when the war commenced the gov
ernment called out $4,000 men to protec
the Capitol. You laughed that feeble fore
to scorn. I knew more about slavery my
self than to suppose that such an army wa
sufficient. was in favor of calling out 800,
900 men Immediately. was then for Wig
orous prosecution of the war. 1 am now 70
a vigorous prosecution of peace But tn
government stood on the defensive. It de
serves censure for its moderation. 1t di,
not act promptly or boldly enough in meet
ing this rebellion. Congress too is to blam
for another thing. When it met in 1851
within ten days it ought to have declare,
every slave free man. Then the rebellion


would have been crushed within two years
But see how careful it was in touching th
system. At Charleston Beauregard had use


slaves to throw up his fortifcations- through
out the whole Of the rebel armies they wer
used as teamsters, cooks, and to dig rifle
pits, This saved much labor to white mer
and also left them free to shoot down a grest
er number of our soldiers. There was a bi


pending to declare such slaves contraban


of war. The judiciary committee reporte


against it. But the next day after the ba


tie of Bull Run it was passed. John.


Breckenridge who was then in the Senate {


the United State, declared that it was th


beginning of the loosing of all bonds, and $


he ran away to the Confederate States


Qaughter.) Six months after this we struc


another blow. Slaves were continually rul


ming into oul lines. Theirrebel masters cam


and our officers gave them up. We passe


a law that any officer, who gave up slav'


that came within our lines for protection


should be dismissed form service That put


stop to the matter--no more colored men we


given up to their rebel masters. daughter


Thus you see we came slowly up to the gre