tablishing the quality and degree of their
offenses, was so obvious that representatives on both sides of the
House demanded an Act of general amnesty, excepting therefrom only the
few classes whose names would lead to discussion and possibly to the
defeat of the beneficent measure.

General Butler accordingly reported from the Judiciary Committee, on
the 13th of May, 1872, a bill removing the disabilities "from all
persons whomsoever, except senators and representatives of the
Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses, officers in the Judicial,
Military and Naval service of the United States, heads of Departments,
and foreign Ministers of the United States." This Act of amnesty,
which left so few under disabilities (not exceeding seven hundred and
fifty in all), would have been completed long before, but for the
unwillingness of the Democratic party to combine with it a measure,
originated and earnestly advocated by Mr. Sumner, to broaden the
civil rights of the colored man, to abolish discrimination against
him as enforced by hotels, railroad companies, places of public
amusement, and in short, in every capacity where he was rendered
unequal in privilege to the white man. But the Democratic leaders
were not willing to accept amnesty for their political friends in the
South, if at the same time they must take with it the liberation of
the colored man from odious personal discriminations.

The Democrats were now to witness an exhibition of magnanimity in the
colored representatives which had not been shown towards them. When
the Amnesty Bill came before the House for consideration, Mr. Rainey
of South Carolina, speaking for the colored race whom he represented,
said: "It is not the disposition of my constituents that these
disabilities should longer be retained. We are desirous of being
magnanimous: it may be that we are so to a fault. Nevertheless we
have open and frank hearts towards those who were our former oppressors
and taskmasters. We foster no enmity now, and we desire to foster
none, for their acts in the past to us or to the Government we love
so well. But while we are willing to accord them their enfranchisement
and here to-day give our votes that they may be amnestied, while we
declare our hearts open and free from any vindictive feelings towards
them, we would say to those gentlemen on the other side that there is
another class of citizens in the country, who have certain rights and
immunities whi