New-York tribune., 1867-05-17

on the nights OF fredericksburg and IN the valley OF
the ChlckamauCa. IL looked TO us at the North as II
men who had been beaten in fair Stand-up tight
chose TO revive the contest in such manner that
they could annoy and irritate us without exposing
themselves 10 the pcrils of battle or the penalties OF
treason. say that this legislation, which prevailed
more or less throughout the States OF tho SCUM,
of the chief obstacles, and IS one OF the SUI
remaining impediments, to an early and genuine re-
construction of the Union.
need not more than allude TO the deporable ont,
RACES at Memphis and NeW-OIleans which seemed
10 indicate the 0HinaS to this course Of
oppressive class legislation. You may not prOoaOly
know 10 how great an extent the public feeling ana
the elections Of the North IN the year 1866 we're
affected by what call the New-Orleans Massacre.
do MT care 10 argue or assume that those who were
the victims of those outTages were entirely right nor
that their adV dVersaTics or slaugtcTeTS were wholly
wrong. Ii was n fact that the colOTed people OF
Louisiana were trying TO get the Right OF Suffrage,
and by means which, their friends thought egii mate
The other party however, thought Otherwise and,
instead of referring the matter to the HencIal Ill
command 10 some peaceful tribunal, Lle It.
assembling of the old Constitutional Convention was
made the pTeteXt Tor an attack when esulco III ne
slaughter of some OF American citizens aGd IN
a VeTv stern, sad rcvusiOn of public sentiment To the
prejudice of those of you who had nech III aIlnS arms
against the Union. These OutTages, tins unWSe ana
nVdiOus legislation. fixed IN HE mnds Wiz not say
of majority OF the people OF the North, DuJ ~ lho
minds of a very large proportion OI tlle WISE lhlo-
gent. and conscientious people OF the North cohVc
ton which think viii not easily be shakenthat thSre
can be real peace in the Union that theT9 can DC
no true reconstruction without the heaesy admission
OH the part OF the Southern States, and the securing
on the part Of the nation, OF the night Oh an men
10 be governed by equal laws, ana To nave an e9ndi
voice in making and administering those laws. iAp-
plausel / will not say that we who 50 hOld con
stitute great majority of the Northern people; Dut
] Will say that are very many more than we were
prior 10 the ant-negrO enactments OF Mr: JohhsonS
legislatures in the Southern States, and before the
Outrages of 1866 at Memphis and ut Ncw-Orleans
think that before these collisions were reported To
the North the conviction was fixed IN great many
minds, il now il in great many more, that no re,
construction would be real and enduring winch ana
rst.l hos Ia
people OF the South; and when say llghtS, mean
their equal rights with any and all other persons
Appause by the negrOes.J Ii IS a very common re-
mark and very true one that the North j. IN h0nor
bound to guarantee the liberties of the Black people
of this country, because OF their conduct during onr
great war have no dOubt that this Is tfnc; Yet
deem il but half the truth hold the SOuth equally
bound 10 secure the same result hecauSc ol ihe con
duct of the Blacks toward the Whites OF the SCUM
fully admit the obligations of the North or the
NatiOn) TO the Blacks Some may eSaggeratc taclr
services Others unduly depIcclate them but thtlo
was the general fact, that whereas IN the beginning
of the war when nothing was said about Emanclpa
tiOn, the Blacks of the South shouted with their
masters without knowing much about the cause of
the war; vet, rs the struggle proceeded and became
more deadly, and the North found itself Obliged 10
proclaim Emancipation rs a means OF putting down
the resistance at the South. the sympathies OF tho
colored people of the SOuth, however silently eN-
pressed became from that hour more and more de-
Cded and unanimous on the sideOf me mon. lhcy
did not at first comprehend the contest; and yct
thousands from mere instinct from what they heard
at Southern barbecueS and IN their masters houses.
learned that the war on the part oi the South was
war for Slavery and they naturally argued that tho
war on he part Of the North either was or must be
come q war for Freedom. lApplauScJ Now then.
say that. while the North is under Obligations 10
those people for thousands OF acts OF Kindness toward
our soldiers, who sometimes scattered aS IuSl-
tives in hostile Territory, and for acts Ol posi-
tive aid 0n the battlefield and in the camp
the South also owes debt Of gratitude to these pcO
pie for their general fidelity and goodwill as well
as good sense displayed in resisting every tempia-
tion to take advantage of their MASTER, cNlrmtyto
achieve at any cost their own hbertes. believe
Southern men viii do the Blacks OI the South the
jusdce 10 say, that very often whole nelshboh0ods
were almost stripped OF W bite men 0I any conSiJeia-
blc force and lay wholly at the mercy of those
White mems slaves. These knew what thS contest
meant they knew that they might, II they chose 10
do So commit massacre, and, having desolatcd Their
masters households, they might uy 10 The lauhtcS
10y whom they reasonably hoped to he protected.
But do not know ont OF ,hc ten Thousand Instances
where these temptations were presented that lneie
were even five in all where they were not re-
sisted. You heard il SAID that Mr. lAncons brocia
nation intended TO put the knife To the thTqatS
OF all the Southern NhitcS-that II was general
proclamation of liberty 10 Kill. and bum, and ray,
age. throughout the South. In that hight II Wac he!h
up TO general rcpTobaOn. ask you all tO bear Wlt-
that this prediction was nowhere ustlhed 10y ne
event The cOlOTed people Of the south whowcrc sui
held as slaves. uniformly felt that Their affection Tor
their masters and their families NaS Snch that try
would be fcl0ns and outlaws, muIdeIers ana CHm-
inals Of the deepest dye If they should take adva-
tage of their masters absence IN The war TO abuse
their families. The Southern Whites ought 20 iccl,
and trust that many OF them do feel. gratitude to-
ward the coloTod people for their general department
throuehout the war. The Blacks often ran away 10
the Union armies and enlisted there but thcy took
40 undue advantage of the opportunities offered By
their masters distress or their masters absence
Applause.
Fellow-citzens there have been many instances
wherein men held in Slavery have been instantly on
gradually, by one means or another, cnanclwtcd,
but don't remember any instance where q ietiered
race was liberated from slavery and yet hch ior
generations in seryile, abec degraded cCnulll9n'
There is the great Slayehodlng Empire oi BlaAl-
always slavehOldng since IL had any consequence at
al-Wherein men who are slaves to-day may be
free tomorrow, and thenceforth eligible 10
any trust any Office, being voters ana
citizens. precisely rs though born free and White
Such was the course pursued 10y Great ButIn III
respect 20 the slaves einanGpateq III hei Coi0mes'
Slavery is one thing, Freedom another But there Is
an intermediate condition. which Is neither slavery
or Liberty that inctes all the energy and dsplfa-
tiOn of Ieemen, and yet involves more than 1ui the
disabilities OF the Slave. such CONDITION 81 lhai
believe, was never long maintained or endured IN any
civilized country And yet, that seems 10 he the
condition which the dominant race IN thc south deS-
tined the Blacks to occupy by the legislation oi lS-
G6a condition which is neither Slavery nor Freedom
and one which men partly educated and who felt
themselves to IA certain extent emanclpated would
lind utterly unbearable.
Let NE here meet An objection which is some
times offered. Some men say The Black people
of the South are, to great extent, ignorant and
degraded: how then can yOu insist that they are
qualified to enjoy all the privileges of citizens 7!
L say if yOu make ignorance uniform ground of
exclusion from political power i can comprehend
the iustse of yonr rule your objection But, long
as ignorance or degradation is no bar 70 citizenship
as to White men, protest against making II bar
10 sAfTage on the part Of Black men, who have eX-
cuses for ignorance which White men have not lap
plauSeJ ~
But then there are peculiar reasons why tins
race among us should have its liberties secured
Ivy the most stringent, fmest guarantees. 1hey arc
and must remain, to extent, separate ana pc
cular people in the land They will be exposed ut
every step TO pers and antipathes which other men
are not not only because OF their color bnt because
OF their weakness as we'll For they are hQi Ohly Il
minority of our people but their numerical impOr-
tance is steadily declining. when Onr hI>t feucIal