The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-04-16

desire to live IN peace Win tuom, uon
Won, [Cries Of Yes, Yes.l In regard
10 voting; he said that he didn't know
much about it, but that he didn't want the
colored people to make mistake and take
the wrong side of the question. He SAID
that it was question which each one must
answer for himself. He would not advise
them who to vote for. White people pre-
ferred whites, and he preferred the blacks,
ana 1t was natural that it should be so. He
again referred to the ballot-box, saying
that IL was serious point for considera-
tion they must look at it hard before they
decided it. He said that last winter was
mighty hard winter, and kind friends had
helped them on, and that circumstance
should help them in their decision. He
claimed to be the freest man on the ground,
but he wanted to be still freer. He wanted
little piece of ground which he could
cultivate and call his own then his high
est ambition would be gratifed. y,
This speech was delivered very earnestly
and in the style peculiar to the race, and
evidently made deep impression on bis
hearers.
Mr.. Thomas W. Conway, Of New York
city, formerly assistant superintendent OF
the Freedmen's Bureau in Louisiana, was
then introduced. The speakers who had
preceded him had made remarks suitable
to the occasion, scarcely touching, " wha
be seen, upon politics, but Mr.. Conway,
after few Introductory remarks, struck
into that subject, treating 1t in the style of
most approved radicslism. He ridiculed
the Conservative meetings recently held In
Tennessee, and compared the action of the
white people on all such occasions to the
temptation on the mountain, when Satan
offered Christ allthe Kingdoms of the world
if he would only fall down and worship
him. He said that Lincoln's work was not
finished when he died, but the struggle was
still going on. Liberty and equality was the
great struggle of the day. Freedom is the
watchword Of the nineteenth century
that freedom which puts every man on an
equality before the law, not only in the
Jury box, at the ballot t-box, in the legisla-
tive halls, freedom to the schools, &c, Con-
gress decreed that you should vote, and that
gives you all the others. You must have
land tax to support free schools, and II you
wisely use the ballot-box you can get it.
You must vote for those who gave you
this freedom, and not with your enemies,
who, if they get into power again, will hitch
on the car of slavery, and once more fas-
ten the fetters upon you. The great Re-
publican party of the North is composed
of white men. Here in the South you are
the Republican party.
The speaker ignored Hunnicutt. and his
party-who, by the way, were not on the
ground-saying that the few white men
who were with the colored in the South
were simply few in the hands of the
MANY. He wanted to see the colored men
of the South owning lands; and never un-
til then would they be entitled to all the
privileges, rights, and honors of free citi-
zens of the country. To accomplish this
end, you must vote for your friends. If
you vote on the side of your enemies you
are gone. The speaker did not, however,
want social equality. You don't want to
marry white people, do your [Cries Of
No, No.l And / don't want to marry any
of you. What he meant by equality was
the right OF the ballot-box, free schools,
jurybox, etc., etc.
He spoke of the meeting which was to
take place at the Theatre, and insinuated
! that many of his hearers would not 60. lie,
however, would 60; but it would be for
the same reason that the preacher went to
the theatre-to see what the devil was
doing. He cxhorted them to act harmo-
niously, to work together, all go one way
and that is the way to God, free schools,
free government, etc.
After the benediction, by the Rev. Mr..
Stockwell, of the First African church,
the vast throng peaceably dispersed. A
portion of the crowd who were present
the Union Christian League-headed a
procession, which marched to the Grove, and
afterwards passed through several OF the
principal streets on their return.