Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1865-02-17

lrhSTe' you nave the uSuFeS 'Lnab tNRJi
brought out 5000, 900 men, against 90
! 600 Confederates who lived at the beEt n
ming of the war to draw the sword in thelr
country's service. Our resources Of whike
population have greatly diminished bft
| you had $4,000 black men of the s4tle
ages; and could Divine prophecy ha3e
told us of the ferceness of the eneInfs
death grapple at our throats-could He>
have known what we now know, that " pa
coin has confessed that without the 29 -
900 negroes which he stole from us he
would be compelled to give up the couteft,
should we have entertained any doubt Up
on the subject2 "a voice-aWe Nill
make him give it up yet"
feel that the time is rapidly coming 1on
when the people will wonder that tl3ey
ever doubted. Let MS say to every negro
who wishes to go into the ranks on ccfidi-
ton of being made free" Go and fight;
you are free" If we press them, ley
will go against US. We know that eYkry
one who could fight for his freedom las
had no chance. The only side that las
had the advantage of this element is he
Yankee people that can beat Us a he
end of the year in making bargains Jet
us initiate them IN this---4 -7sFsssssssz ~ ~
them in nothing else. My own NED toes
have been to me and said: "Master, set
US free, and we will fight for you we had
rather fight for you than for the Yankees"
But suppose it should not be so-there is
no harm in trying With all my early at
tachments end prejudices, ] would give up,
all. 1t can only be done by the States
separately. What State will lead off in
this thing? "a voice" Virginia"l If
separate State counsels had been followed,
we would now have been bound handland
foot to the Yankees What State led off
in this Revolution? South Carolina One
State after another wheeled into line, IN
til at last, when there, far away in the
South, every eye was turned northwsrd-
when men were asking, day by day, what
of old Virginia ?-it was telegraphed that
she was going to desert the South, that a
majority was in favor of the Union. We
honored Virginia as the mother of States
and of statesmen-gloried in her as part
of our possessions. We had men from
Virginia all about US, and were bound to
her by indissoluble ties. Day after day
came the same tidings-Virginia will not
come. who said itP'] Everybody
said it, and it was true until Lincoln insult
ted you. Then the telegraph wires flashed
the news-Virginia has seeded! Such a
spectacle never before greeted my eyes.
Men whose faces looked like the parch-
ment upon which their bonds were writ
ten. rushed into the streets, danced, Rugged
and kissed each other. Cannon were
fired, and it was great day. South Car
DINA, know will follow Virginia, as we'll
as every other Southern State, if she but
give the lead. When shall it be done
["Now." Now. Let your Legislature
pass the necessary laws, and we will soon
have twenty thousand men down in those
trenches fighting for the conntry. You
must make up your minds to try that, or
see your army withdrawn from before
your town. came here to say disagreed
Bile things. tell you, you are in danger
unless some radical measure be TAKEN
| know not where the white men are.
1t is said there are quartermasters' clerks,
proofs,-but l tell you there are not
|. enough ablebodied white men in the
+ country. Do you suppose we have worked,
night after night, by this infamous gas
light you have. here, and not found out
this thing7 My honorable friend has told
you that deserters and skulkers would
come in. Possible. But where is Ten
nessee, and other States that were former
ly relied ont You have part of Virgin
la, part of North Carolina, part Of South
Carolina, and part of other States. What
else? A voice" Texas."] She is be-
I yond our reach. Would that she were not.
Mr.. Benjamin then spoke of Louisiana
and her shattered brigades of Starke and
Stafford, VINO have laid down their lives
in our service of Nichols, who, wounded
and disabled, resigned his commission,
which the President refused to receive,
and placed him in what some call '.bomb-
proof"-in the CONSUMPTION bureau of
/ + Louisiana; of Harry Hayes, who was re-
peatedly wounded in the service and of
Yorke, who is in North, Carolina, endea-
voring to raise recruits among the Irish
Catholics. Louisiana has done much, but
you cannot make step forward that she
, : will not follow You.
Mr.. Benjamin asked, what do our enc
mics propose to do and read from the
New York Tribune of the 9th instant a
review of Buffers speech, which argued
that it was the duty of the government to
render justice to the negro-to educate
ilim-to give him fair share ofEl lands
|; + his fathers wrought upon-to leaveNhim in
the State where he was reared, and to
furnish him with the means to begin life.
After that, he was to be let severely alone /;
that is, to take his place with other citi-
zens.
I Now, said Mr.. Benjamin, if there be a
hell upon earth, it would be an universal
emancipation of the negroes and the Yam
KEGS to rule over us. Can you imagine
yourselves in city where the municipal
officers were your former slaves, in mill
tary organization of which the officers were
negroes with the malice of the Yankees
firing their hearts to wreak vengeance on
us? That is to be our fate if we fail in
this contest. And yet men object to max