COXGRESS, U. S. 



245 





cise point in issue. I think the Senate will 

 then be the sooner prepared to vote. 



" But the Senator from Maryland will allow 

 me to remind him that he seemed to exhibit in 

 what he said a rare inconsistency : first, so far 

 as he declared the absolute right under the 

 statute of colored people to a seat in the cars, 

 and then went on to argue that on every con- 

 sideration of social life and of principle they 

 ought not to be admitted to any such privilege. 

 The two parts of his argument did not go to- 

 gether. If colored people have the legal right 

 to enter these cars, why does the Senator argue 

 that they ought not to have that right \ I 

 agree with the Senator in the first argument 

 They have the legal right to enter these cars, 

 and the proprietors are trespassers when they 

 undertake to exclude them. On that point I 

 agreed with the Senator the other day. To 

 my mind it is clear, because any other conclu- 

 sion authorizes a corporation to establish a 

 caste, offensive to religion and humanity, inju- 

 rious to a whole race now dwelling among us, 

 and bringing shame upon our country. 



Xow, the Senator asks why. as I agreed 

 the other day to this conclusion, do I bring for- 

 ward the present proposition ? To this there 

 are two answers, either of which is sufficient. 

 The first is that in the last railroad statute 

 which we have passed this provision has been 

 introduced, and I have never heard of any com- 

 plaint or trouble from it. Let us in the one 

 now before us introduce it also, and make the 

 two uniform. That is one reason. But the 

 better reason is that while, beyond all ques- 

 tion, colored persons have the legal right under 

 the statute, even without this amendment, yet 

 that legal right has been called in question. In 

 point of fact they are excluded from the cars, 

 The Senator from Maryland refers to one case 

 because it had become well known. I have 

 known of a great many other cases. Indeed, 

 they are brought to my attention almost daily. 

 There is then an abuse at this moment by the 

 exclusion of colored persons from these cars. 

 They are kept out of their rights. And permit 

 me to say we cannot afford at this crisis of our 

 history to sanction injustice. Every such act 

 rises in judgment against us and hangs on the 

 movement of our armies, checking even the 

 currents of victory. 



"The Senator admits their rights; but he 

 says let them go to the courts. Shy what is 

 that for a poor, humble person, without means 

 and without consideration? The Senator 

 knows something of the law's delay and the 

 law's expense ; and I ask him whether it is 

 right to subject this oppressed people to this ad- 

 ditional oppression, when by a few words Con- 

 gress now in session can remove the difficulty ? " 



The amendment was agreed to by the fol- 

 lowing vote : 



YEAS Messrs. Anthony, Brown, Clark, Conness, 

 Fessenden, Foot, Foster, Grimes, Harlan, Howe, 

 Lane of Kansas, Morgan, Merrill, Pomeroy, Ramsey, 

 Snmner, Wade, Wilkinson, and Wilson 19. 



XATS Messrs. Buckalew, Carlile, Davis, Doolii- 

 tle, Harding, Harris, Hendricks, Johnson, Lane of 

 Indiana, Powell, Riddle, Saulsburv, Sherman, Ten 

 Eyck, Trumbull, Van Winkle, and Willey 17. 



The bill was then passed by the Senate. 



In the House, on June 18th, a motion was 

 made to amend the bill by striking out this 

 proviso, which was rejected by the following 

 vote : 



YEAS Messrs. James C. Allen, William J. Allen, 

 Ancona, Bailey, Augustus C. Baldwin, Blair, Bliss, 

 Brooks, James" S. Brown, William G. Brown, Chan- 

 ler, Coffroth, Cravens, Dawson, Dennison, Eden, Ed- 

 gerton, Eldridge, Finek, Ganson, Grider, Griswold, 

 Harding, Charles M. Harris, Holman, Hutchins, 

 Philip Johnson, William Johnson, Kernan, Knapp, 

 Law, Lazear, Le Blond, Long, Marcy, McDowell, Mc- 

 Kinney, Middleton, William H. Miller, James R. Mor- 

 ris Morrison, Nelson, Noble, Pendleton, Perry, 

 Pruvn, Radford, Samuel J. Randall, Ross, Scott, 

 John B. Steele, Stiles, Stuart, Thomas, Wadsworth, 

 Ward, Whaley, Wheeler, Joseph W. White, and 

 Winfield 60. " 



XATS Messrs. Alley, Ames, Anderson, Arnold, 

 Ashley, John D. Baldwin, Baxter, Beaman, Blaine, 

 Boutwell, Boyd, Brandegee, Broomall, Ambrose W. 

 Clark, Freeman Clarke, Cobb, Cole, Dawes, Deming, 

 Dixon, Drisss, Ecklev, Eliot, Farnsworth, Fentpn, 

 Frank, Garfield, Gooch, Higbv, Hooper, Hotchkiss, 

 Asahel W. Hubbard, John fl. Hubbard, Hulburd, In- 

 gersoll, Julian, Kelley, Orlando Kellogg, Knox, Loan, 

 Longyear, Marvin, McClurg, Mclndoe, Samuel F. 

 Miller, Moorhead, Morrill, Daniel Morris, Amos 

 Myers, Leonard Myers, Norton, Charles O'Neill, 

 Ofth, Patterson, Pefham, Pike, Pomeroy. Price, Al- 

 exander H. Rice, John H. Rice, Edward H. Rollins, 

 Schenck, Scofield, Shannon. Sloan, Smithers, Ste- 

 vens, Thayer, Upson, Elihn B. Washburne, William 

 B. Washburn, 'Williams, Wilder, Wilson, Windom, 

 and Woodbridge 76. 



In the Senate, on June 21st, a supplement to 

 the charter of the Washington and Georgetown 

 Railroad Co. being considered, Mr. Snmner of- 

 fered the following amendment to the first 

 section : 



And protidtd furtlur. That there shall be no ex- 

 clusion of any person from any car on account of 

 color. 



The amendment was rejected, but subse- 

 quently agreed to by the following vote : 



YEAS Messrs. Brown, Clark, Conness, Dixon, 

 Foot, Hale, Harlan, Howe, Lane of Kansas, Morgan, 

 Morrill. Pomeroy, Ramsey, Sprague, Sumner, Wade, 

 and Wilson 17. 



XATS Messrs. Buekalew, Carlile, Cowan, Doolit- 

 tle, Foster, Grimes, Johnson, Lane of Indiana, Pow- 

 ell, Riddle, Saulsburv, Sherman, Ten Evck, Trum- 

 bull, Van Winkle, and Willey 16. 



The bill passed the Senate, but failed in the 

 House, in consequence of the rejecting of a 

 House amendmer*, and the insertion of the 

 above proviso by tl -. Senate. 



On June 24th, the civil appropriation bill 

 being before the Senate. Mr. Sumner moved to 

 amend by adding the following section : 



And be ?. further enacted, That sections eight and 

 nine of the act entitled " An act to prohibit'the im- 

 portation of slaves into any port or place within the 

 jurisdiction of the United States from and after the 

 1st day of January, in the year of our Lord 1808," 

 which "sections undertake to regulate the coastwise 

 slave trade, are hereby repealed, and the coastwise 

 slave trade prohibited forever. 



