The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-04-24
SPEECH OF HON. O.. p. MORTON,
OF INDIANA,

erty and in the enjoyment OF political rights.
The occasion upon which you have assem-
bed is one of great Importance to you, and
will be to your descendants, and to the whole
country. Five years ago yesterday President
Lincoln gave his approval to law which
forever abolished slavery in the District of
Columbia, and made of many of those who
are assembled before me free men and wo-
men. Two years and two days ago Mr.. Lin
coin persisted by the hands of an assassin.
His death. was the work of the rebellion, and
has passed away one of the best men the
world has ever known, one OF the greatest
bcnefactofs of the human race-a man who
will be known through all history as the
friend ofmankind. Great applause.
A war which was begun to establish and
perpetuatc slavery by the mysterious dis
pcnsation of Providence ended in the de-
struction of slavery and in the enfranchise-
ment of the enSIaved. God overrulcs all
things for his own purposes; and perhaps
there never was in history chain of events
more clearly Indicating the presence and tine
manifestation of Providence than the Chain
of events, which led to the war, its prosecu
ton, its termination, and the destruction of
slavery.
lnal war WulCu was oO luil VI HoiioiS,
which carried mourning to so many house
holds, which has piled up such mountain
of national debt, was, nevertheless, an I'M
mixed blessing to the colored people. APP
plause. 1t gave to them an opportunity of
establishing their manhood on many bloody
fields, and by their high courage, their de-
votion, and their moderationin victory even
to win the respect and admiration of their
enemies. [Applause.l 1t gave to them an
opportunity OF displaying intellectual and
moral qualities which had always been deni-
ed to them by their masters.
Your position, however, is one which is
now fullof embarrassment Many OF you
have suddenly passed from slavery to the en-
joyment of civil and political rights. You
have much to learn and |, in common with
the great mass of this nation, have been
gratifed to discover that you are trying to
learn in good earnest; that your newly-ac-
quired liberty has not been abused-has
not been used for the purpose of license, but
for the purpose of instruction; and | am
glad to say that you are proving to the
world that you intend to qualify yourselves
to make useful, patriotic and intelligent citi-
zens of this great Republic. [Applause.l
You are called upon now for your votes;
opposing parties will claim your suffrages,
and it will become an important question to
you andto the whole country how your votes
shall be cast was somewhat amused yes
terday morning, in opening the columns of
the National IntelJigencer, to discover an adj
dress published by the Democratic Conserva-
tive Convention to the voters of Washington,
and desire to call your attention briefly to
10 l., r tlic A flor n n
ing themselves to the white people, they
speak as follows:
ITO the colored portion Ct our population
we say in good faith that we are their real
friends We have lived together in the same
community, and understand each other better
than those who are unused to this association
of interests. That which is for our good is
for yours. That which benefits us benefits
you"
Now, in determining this question how you
are going 10 cast your votes in the future,
ask yourselves who have been your friends
in the past? Applause Who lit that
gave you your libertyl A voice. 1.-THE
Republican party" and applause Who
was it that gave you the right of sufrage9
['The Radicals"l On the other hand, who
was it that enslaved you for generations, that
bought you and sold you, that separated
husband and wife, parent and child? 1.-The
Democratic party" When you have an
swered these question you will know how to
vote [Cries of" Yes" Yes" and enthusi-
astic applause.
Again, further on i'll the course of this adj
dress they use the following language:
We hopctba you will not allow yourselves
to be deceived by their false philanthropy,
(meaning the Radicals)
We have 10 interests which are in opposition
to yours. We.favor your moral and intel
lectual culture, and stand ready to aid you,
according to our means and power, in the
attainment of those means necessary for the
well being of all men.
Whenwas it, and how was it, that they
aided you in moral and intellectual culture?
When wasn't that they used their means or
employed their property for the purpose of
giving you education2 Shouts of Never,
never" In the slave States they showed
their great desire for your intellectual and
moral culture by prohibiting you by law from
learning to read or write; by making it a
criminal offence, and in some States a peni-
Tertiary offence, to teach coiored man, wo-
man, or child to read or write That's
so."l You must live in peace, on terms of
kindness and justice with these people; but
when you come to bestow political power,
be sure to bestow it on your loyal friends.
[Cries of 1--WE will, we WILL" and great APP
plause. If those who have not been your
friends and have not been loyal ask you for
your votes, you wust tell them to show their
faith by. their works, and ynu must give them
time to. establish to your entire satisfaction
the sincerity of their repentance. Applause
Now / will tell you where your true inter-
ests lie, and you understand this perhaps Just
as well as1 do-first, in eGltivating love
and absolute devotion to the Union of these
States. 1t was the Union that gave you lib
erty, and the Union alone can preserve it.
You must encourage and protect immigration
from the North and from Europe. You must
encourage all men to come among YOU; and
when l speak to you am speaking to the
colored people of all the South. You must
encourage them to come among you, to take
up their residence with you. They must
have absolute and perfect protection for life
liberty, and property Above all YOU must
encourage education. If this generation. is
able to do nothing but to educate their chill
dren and prepare them for their duties in life.
it will have done we'll The intelligence,
the education of your children must stand to
them in the place of capital, in the place of
position, in the place of worldly advantages.
In the Southern States your late masters own
nearly all the property; but the colored
people by industry, by intelligence, and by
enterprise must win for themselves a large
portion Of that property hereafter.
remarked in the beginning that there
was mysterious providence in all the events
Of this war. Starting out to establish slave
ry and make it perpetual. and with the
declaration that slavery was to be the corner