Their Business, Not Mine.

(From a speech at National Hotel, Washington, March 17, 1865. See March 17.)

There are but few views or aspects of this great war upon which I have not said or written something, whereby my own opinion might be known. But there is one-the recent attempt of our erring brethren, as they are sometimes called, to employ the negro to fight for them. I have neither written nor made a speech on that subject, because that was their business, not mine; and if I had a wish upon the subject, I had not the power to introduce it, or make it effective. The great question with them was whether the negro, being put into the army, will fight for them. I do not know, and therefore cannot decide. They ought to know better than we. I have in my lifetime heard many arguments why the negroes ought to be slaves; but if they fight for those who would keep them in slavery, it will be a better argument than I have yet heard. He who will fight for that ought to be a slave.

The negro, spoiled of all that nature gave,
The free-born man thus shrank into a slave,
His passive limbs to measur'd looks confined,
Obey'd the impulse of another mind;
A silent, secret, terrible control
That ruled his sinews and repress'd his soul.
Not for himself he waked at morning light,
Toiled the long day, and sought repose at night,
His rest, his labor, pastime, strength, and health
Were only portions of a master's wealth.

-Montgomery.

APRIL 27

Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation. Daniel 8:19.

The End Near at Hand.

(From speech delivered at Washington, March 17, 1865. Continued from preceding page.)

While I have often said that all men ought to be free, yet would I allow those colored persons to be slaves who want to be, and next to them those white people who argue in favor of making other people slaves. I will say one thing in regard to the negroes being employed to fight for them. I do know he cannot fight and stay at home and make bread too; and as one is about as important as the other to them, I don't care which they do. . . . But they cannot fight and work both. We must now see the bottom of the enemy's resources. They will stand out as long as they can, and if the negro will fight for them, they must allow him to fight. They have drawn upon their last branch of resources, and we can now see the bottom. I am glad to see the end so near at hand.

'Mid the din of arms, when the dust and smoke

In clouds are curling o'er thee,

Be firm till the enemy's ranks are broke,

And they fall or flee before thee!

But I would not have thee towering stand

O'er him who 's for mercy crying,

But bow to the earth, and with tender hand
Raise up the faint and dying.

-Miss Gould.

APRIL 28

They shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks. Joel 2:7.

Dur Men Pot Moles, or Birds.

(Reply to a Baltimore committee, April 28, 1861, requesting that soldiers be not allowed to march through Maryland.) You, gentlemen, come here to me and ask for peace on any terms, and yet have no word of condemnation for those who are making war on us. You express great horror of bloodshed, and yet would not lay a straw in the way of those who are organizing in Virginia and elsewhere to capture this city. The rebels attack Fort Sumter, and your citizens attack troops sent to the defense of the Government, and the lives and property in Washington, and yet you would have me break my cath and surrender the Government without a blow. There is no Washington in that-no Jackson in that-no manhood nor honor in that. I have no desire to invade the South; but I must have troops to defend this Capital. Geographically it lies surrounded by the soil of Maryland; and mathematically the necessity exists that they should come over her territory. Our men are not moles, and can't dig under the earth; they are not birds, and can't fly through the air. There is no way but to march across, and that they must do. But in doing this there is no need of collision. Keep your rowdies in Baltimore, and there will be no bloodshed. Go home and tell your people that if they will not attack us, we will not attack them; but if they do attack us, we will return it, and that severely.

The traitor's foot is on thy soil, Maryland, my Maryland!
Let not his touch thy honor spoil, Maryland, my Maryland!
Wipe out the unpatriotic gore that fleck'd the streets of Baltimore,
And be the loyal State of yore, Maryland, my Maryland.

-Anonymous.

APRIL 29

And one went out into the field to gather herbs. . . And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. II. Kings 4: 39, 40.

Greens Try Them on Jake.

(To a delegation of bankers, protesting to severity of Congress in taxing State Banks.)

Now that reminds me of a circumstance that took place in a neighborhood where I lived when I was a boy. In the spring of the year the farmers were very fond of the dish which they called "greens." One day after dinner, a large family were taken very ill. The doctor was called in, who attributed it to the greens, of which all had freely partaken. Living in the family was a halfwitted boy named Jake. On a subsequent occasion, when greens had been gathered for dinner, the head of the house said, "Now, boys, before running any further risk in this thing, we will first try them on Jake. If he stands it, we are all right." And just so, I suppose, Congress thought it would try this tax on the State Banks.

I have lived long enough to be rarely mistaken,
And had my full share of life's changeable scenes;
But my woes have been solaced by good greens and bacon,
And my joys have been doubled by bacon and greens.
What a thrill of remembrance e'en now they awaken
Of childhood's gay morning, and youth's sunny scenes;
When, one day we had greens and a plateful of bacon,
And the next we had bacon and a plateful of greens.

-Anonymous.