St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1865-11-02

TELLING SPEECH BY 8AJoR GEN.
ERAL C. G. ANDREWS.
aE ADVOCATES NEGRO SUFFRAGE

faE ADVOCATES NEGRO suFFRAoz
Gen. Andrews, Who hi. just 'r,eturne
from the East, delivered stirring and car
nest speech at Ingersoll's Han, in St. Paul
on last Thursday evening. His remark
we're excellent. and We regret that We can
not give them Sntire. II. ...
Gen. Andrews stated; as fund.menta
proposition, that in order to secure perfcc
union and peace. the question of sla
very and the questions naturally spring
ing out of it. must be settled q,
principles Of Justice. Quoting the word.
Of Mr.. Burke, that in order to love ou,
country our country must FIRST be lovely.
Gen. 4. remarks that in order that q coun-
try may appear lovely to citizen, it musl
afford him some rights, some blessings ;
something better than material comforts
and the more liberty. the more security il
affords him, the more lovely it seems to
him, nnd the more will he fight for it..
Those republics have been the most pros
porous wherein political privileges were
most equally distributed wherein the peo.
ple-dn the people-were trusted. s,..-
Gen. Andrews thought the freedmen
possessed the necessary qualifications for
exercising the right Of suffrage, and that
fthe white class. claiming to be sppe-
rior race, did its duty the colored people
would become each year still better quail
fed to vote intelligently. Narrow-minded
people sneer about the 'nigger," and With
ignorant people stigmatized word upon
q man or party goes great way. We
quote from his speech: ....... H.. .
1 ask if the colored people have not by
their good behavior and character contra
dicted all the uufavorable predictions that
were made con ,erning them before and
eince the sman. ipation You know as
we'll IS that they have. And yet my Oh
servation has enabled me to we'll confirm
what you have learned in their favor. Al
though l was aware that the blacks Of the
South in general Intelligence derived from
association with, the whites, we're much In
advance Of the blacks Of the West india
Islands, 1 was nevertheless much surprised
ut their moderation, their discretion, their
industry and their general good behavior.
It had been predicted, you know-wroug-
fully predicted-that they would make bad
use Of liberty, that they would resort to
acts Of cruelty and vengeance. found
that they behaved quite the contrary.
speak from experience in Arkansas, Ala-
bama and Texas The eagerness Of the
freed people for knowledge the rapidly
and generosity with which they established
schools we're surprising, They also attend.
cd religious meetings more numerously
than they had ever done, aud it was
plain their hallelujahs we're louder than be-
fore they were set free. There WAS but
little crime among them very few had to
be arrested. I consider their enthusiasm
in the pursuit Of knowledge a most striking
aud promising fact. Then, AZ to loyalty,
we we'll know how universal, how constant
how discreet. how faithful it has BEEN
dow many Federal prisoners have bseu
fed and guided in their escape by black
men! Not one that ever heard Of ever
betrayed Union prisoner. At Mobile on
the last Fourth Of july the black people
were the only ones who celebrated the day,
and they did it we'll. Their soldiership
has surprised every one l never had but
one colored regiment in my command.
that was the 57th in Arkansas, and IN ex
cellent regiment-but I have seen enough
Of colored troopsto admire their gallantry
and efficiency. have seen them % faith
full Sc, tinels over valuable public property
II have seen them as careful picket<. In
the seige Of Blakely. Hawkins colorcd di.
vision was on my immediate right, l once
passed along their whole line, AMI the only
fault could find with them was that they
were too reckless of their lives. In the
victorious assault their talor was Of the
highest order, and the works were carried
so simultaneously in every part that each
division clsimed the honor Of mounting the
rebel parapeis first. In the battle Of Jen.
kins Ferry, where Gen. Steele defeated a
superior force under Kirby Smith, the un-
daunted courage Of the colo:ed troops VA.
specially commended. In all of our ar.
mics where they have fought, good ard vol:
liant soldiership has been their general
character. Aud these men, We. are told
cannot exist here as our political equals
How does that sound for a country that
clsims to be the asylum of tao oppressed
the country that receives with open arms
the Gown trodden and poor of every clim,
that has given the right of outrage t,
humble foreigners on their declarin: tkeii
blncks-natives Of our soil whose ances
tors shouldered the musket in our Revolu
tionary war, and were complimented 70,
heroism. by. Jackson in the war Of 1872
who have fought nobly in the recent war :
how will it sound in history, that free, re-
publican America-this asylum for the op
pressed--drove this race from her borders
Imagine Whist serene pleasure there will be
for these exclusive men-this oristocrcey o
color-who cannot live under the same gov.
erament with the biack-to remain and en-.
joy tho peace and liberties which thcs.
very blacks shed their blood to secure.
Louis XIV. by . revolving persecution, ex
PEELED the Protcstants from France. Spain
under baneful ard malignant star, lrove
from her borders different sects, and th,
remnant Of feeble race. But these wcr,
acts worthy only Of the days Of the Inqui,
sition. Lot us have no fear that wo xr,
falling on such miserable times.
Giving the blacks the right to vot,
would, Gen. Andrews argued, promote goot
morals, as it would raise them from the deg
radiation in which they were kept BY sla
very. There is always the greatest immor
ality where there is ony class kept mucf
inferior to another: Gen. A. again says
II extending to the colored man III,
rights Of manhood would tend TO create dis
turbance of i'll feeling IN the community,
hold that ths rights he now has, and for: ,
long time has enjoyed, would havs mani