Year: 1866

Il
| the slave and his master, for the coloret
man and his master combined kept hin
in slavery by depriving him of a fail
participation in his labor and the pro
| ductions of the rich lands of the country
Don't you know, that the colored man il
going to hunt q master, as they called
it, for the next year, preferred hiring
to a man who owned slaves rather than
to one who didn't l knew the fact at
all events.


Mr. Douglass-Because they treated
him better


The Presidsnt-They did not consider
it quite as respectable to hire to man
who did not own negroes as to hire to
one who did


Mr.. Douglass-Because he would not
be treated as we'll


The President-Then that is another
argument in favor of what am going to
say. 1t shows that the colored man an.
preciated he slave owner more highly
than he did the man who did not own
slaves. Hence the .enmity between the
colored man and the non.slaveholder.-
The white man was permitted to vote
before the Government was devised tor
him. He is part and parcel of the pollt-
ical machinery, now marred by rebellion
or revolution, and when you come back to
the objects of this war, you find that the
abolition of slavery was not one OF the
objects. Congress and the President de-
clared that it was, on our part, in order
to suppress the rebellion. The abolition
OF slavery has come as incidental to
the suppression of great rebellion; as
an incident, we should give to it the
proper direction. The colored man went
into this rebellion a slave; by the oper-
alton of rebellion he came out freed
man, equal to freedman in other por-
tions of the country. There is a great
deal done for bim on this point. The
non-slaveholder, who was forced into the
rebellion, and was as loyal as those who
lived beyond the limits of the State, was
carried into it, and his real
property, and in number OF
instances, the lives of such were sacriti'
ced, and he who has survived has come
out of it with nothing gained, but a
great deal lost. Now, upon principle
of justice, should they be placed in a
condition different from what they were
before2 On one hand, one has gained a
great deal; OH the other hand one has
lost great deal, and in political point
of view, scarcely stands where he did
before. Now we are talking about where
we are going to begin. We have got at the
hate that existed between the two races.
The query comes up, whether these two
races, situated as they were before, with
out preparation, without time for pas.
siou and excitement to be appeased, ana
without time for the slightest improve
ment, whether the one should be turned
loose upon che other, and be thrown to-
gether at the ballot box with this enmi-
ty and hate existing between them
The query comes up, will there not thus
commence war ofTacesl think lun-
derstand this thing, and especially is
this the case when you force 1T upon
people without their consent You have
spoken about government. Where is
the power derivedl We say it is de-
rived from the people. Let us take 1t so
and refer to the District Of Columbia, by
way of illustration. Suppose, for in
stance, here in this political community,
which, to certain extent, must have a
government and must have law, and
putting it now upon the broadest basis
you can put it, taking into Considera-
tion the relation which the white has
heretofore borne to the Colored race, is 1t
proper to force npon this community,
without their consent, the elective iran
chise, without regard to color, making it
universal ! Now, where do you begin





ing power, '---t have a lod gment. For
instance, suppose Congress shv~IL r->as
law authorizing an election to be held,
at which all over twenty-one years OF
age, without regard to color, should be
allowed to vote, and majority should
decide at such election that the elective
franchise should be universal-what
would do about it! Who would settle
it Do you deny that the first great
principle is the right of the people to
govern themselves Will you resort to
an arbitrary power, aud say majority
of the people shall receive state Of
things they are opposed to


Mr. ouglass-That was said before
the war


The President am now talking



body else said


Mr. Downing-Apply what you have
said, Mr. President 10 South Carolina
for instance


The President-SuPpose you go to
South Carolina OF to Ohio, that does not
change the principle at all The query
to which ] have referred still comes up
when the Government is undergoing
fundamental change The Government
commenced upon this principle, and
has existed upon it, and now yOu pro
pose to incorporate an element that did
not exist before in it, / say the query
comes up, in undertaking this thing,
whether we have a right to make a
change in regard to the elective fran.
chise in Ohio, for instance; whether we
shall not let the people in the State de
eide the matter themselves Each com
munity is better able to determine the
depository of political power than any
body else, and it is for the Legislature
OF the people of Ohio to say who shall
vote or not for the Congress of the
United States. might go down here to
the ballot box to morrow, and vote di-
reetly for universal suffrage, but if
great majority of this people said no, |
should considerlit would be tyrannical
and arbitrary in me To attemt to force il
upon them without their will


1t is fundamental text in my creed
that the will of the people must be obey
ad Uhen fairly eYDresspG Il there any