Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-10-09

! e
river, and, preceded by one Of the bras
- bands of the city, marched through th
/ principal streets to Capital squsre,on To
= east side, where the speeches and festiv
ties occurred. Some hundred and MT
colored people, residents and visitors
marched in the procession.
= I would like that you would give th
speech place in your columns, so ths
your readers may see what negro say
- In q speech at the capital Of Iowa.
B.N. RINYOE,
DIES M0ISEs, Iowa, September 80. 1857.
SPEECH:
J., The occasion which has brought U
together, my friends, may well justify
: few reflections on the past, some sug
p gestions as to the present. and the ex
preston Of some thoughts for the futurI
= az cur race.
This day, the anniversary Of the eman
cipation OF a portion Of our race in an
. other quarter Of the globe, tells their his
tory prior 10 that time as one Of slavery
and bondage to another race, Is the an
}. I niversary of the proclamation Of eman'
eipatiOn by the beloved and martyred
Lincoln does Of that portion Of our race
in this Countryside sO-called LAND OF
the free, and home of the brave" A
few places yet remain on the globe
where a portion Of our race is still in
slavery, and their bodies are bought and
sold like cattle in the market.
The past history Of that portion OF our
race In slavery has been little more with
few exceptions than the history Of hu-
ruan cattle, and they have been regarded
by another race in proportion as they
could serve and minister to its csprices,
pleasure and lusts, and the price they
would bring in the market. Their chill
dren were looked upon by that race as
Chey looked upon their colts, calves, pigs
and other stock, and were dealt with in
the ike manner so as to secure the
I greatest amount Of service or bring the
highest prices in the market, and the
human cattle, like the brute cattle, were
mixed much in the same way, and so as
to produce the greatest amount and most
profitable increase. And this was done
by a race Of mankind calling itself en-
Hghtened, civilized and christian. Now
they claim to have conferred upon us an
invaluable boon, and call upon US to re-
/ gard them as our greatest benefactOr,
/ second only to God, when, in truth,
] they have conferred nothing by emanci-
/ patton, but only thereby withdrawn
/ their tyranny and oppression, and left
i Us free 70 exercise our i7lbOTn and iadlieJ3-
faBls rights to limited degree. Shall
we feel grateful that some portion of
sheer justice is done US MOI There is
no call for gratitude. 1t is our right
our ipborn and inalienable right! No
thanks are due to any but God, the giver.
None are due to man, the destroyer.
Ifa man should rob from your purse
SO 900, and after using it for long years
return you some $500 Of the money, and
aH n,v,r fr4gra
gard him as your benefact0r and friend
would you thus regard and treat him
Under God, all men without distinc-
ti0u Of color, sex or race, stand upon the
God given right 70 supply their respec- /
tive necessities from the earth, its pro-
GUcti0ns, animal, vegetable and mineral, I
the air and the elements in the unfolding
universe, given for supply in common, I
and not in speciality to any. One re-
0uires more food, another more drink,
third more mental exercise, and a fourth |
more physical, and 30 we all differ But /
whence this difference? Did We choose |
our own mental and physical cOnstitu- /
ton? Did We chose the color Of our /
own skins2 Who chose to be born /
black and who TO be born white9 Who /
choose 70 be born in Europe, Asia, At (
rica or A AmeTicH, and ii was sO2 We find /
oursel YES at birth with constitutions, com
plexions, parents, circumstances, locality .
and country, without vOiition and choice,
and with necessities that must be sup
piled or we suffer. These areg gifts OF God,
to whom all should be grateful, and to best
serve and obey Him is to best supply the
necessities be has implanted in US, and
best harmOnize with His divine laws in
our mental and physical constitutions,
and the natural and moral worlds. Thus
the negro is negro, and the white man
a white man, because God has made
them so.
If the scales were turned and the ne
gro race had enslaved the white race
aud after 3 long period of years had re-
leased them from slavery, would they be
grateful 70 US? Would we feel as if we
had conferred q favor upon them, or
rather that we bad 10 some extent only
done them sheer Justice? They would
scarcely thank US much for the return Of
a part Of that Of which We had so long
robbed aud plundered them. A r0bber
is little to be thanked for a return OF
portion Of his III gotten booty.
But thev tell us that we are sn inferior
race, and the white race are our superb
2rs. So they forgot that happiness and
freedom was So essential to a negro as a
white man, and sunk and buried their
civilization and christianity, and fol-
lowed the god Of might, set up by them
ip opposition 10 the living God Of justice
and mercy. They refused to let our race
alone 70 work cut its own destiny.
Nv friends, I am deeply aud pro- |
grateful 10 God that the negro
-ace mas it, skirts clear Ofits tyranny over /,
and slavery of the white race as that
race has enslaved ours, and God grant J
hat il msy so continue for all time. The
question, which is the superior or iDfe-
-ior race, I leave revereD TALLY 20 God for :
solution, the Author and Maker Of the !
iifferent races, according TO His own 4
good will and pleasure.
What Of the present for the lately en- .
Ilaved negro The past yields It's les !
ons, but the present is the real and !
living history in which we all are parts,
md it may be, individually, letters, =.
words, sentences, chapters or pictures, =
Ipon its pages.
We are emancipated IN this country \
rom chattel slavery-Rre no longer sub
ect TO be sold IN the market by Others
md at their prices, as men sell their :
ken, and thanks to God for it. -Four I
Millions of US in this country have, by =
become the owners, nom- ?
naliv, at least, Of ourselves, but y
f what else? Do we own any y
hing wherswith 10 supply the =
yer pressing necessities implanted y
n Us, by God, OF food, raiment and shell -
er? How can we obtsin these for our - -
elves, our little and helpless and aged y
mes? Is there any way open but to go y
ltO the labor market and sell our labor
0 the highest bidders? II we must be e
rateful to our emaneipatOTs for our So u
III. Tv.1- Oh ke ]
lr access 70 the soil-the earth, from 7.
-bich springs the chief supplies for :,
lan's need. From this we are shut out, ~
s emancipation gave US nothing but ~
uTselves, and hence can only sell our %
,bOr 10 the market, or hire out to -
be best advantage, taking such prices or - -
ages as We can procure. From being -
I'D by our former masters we are lI
hanged 10 the imperative necessity Of ~
fling ourselves for the best prices or y, !,
gss we can get. -Four millions Of US u
into a condition Of home
ssuess, and pennilessness, imposes upon "
trial and struggle which, thanks 10 ~
cd, We have thus far been equal TO. l.
he day that completed emancipation 5TSS
so severed the means Of supply by the %
sual course and turned four millions y
landless, and penniless upon -
]
lie OF their labor or to live upon charity. a.
ot 8 foot Of land remained unmOnOpo- Ie
zed from them to which they could 20 g
r supply. The change was sudden and "
-eat and many have perished from ol
lnger, sickness and exposure, and not 3
" from service in the war, but it is a r.
-eat gain even though we have TO sell II ~
lrselves for shorter or longer periods Of ~ ~
rviee, for still at intervals we return to ~ ~
and can have our wives ~
I'd children and aged ones around us, W oi
r which the most profound gratitude Is ~ ~
ne to Almighty God for so great de- ~ ~
very. a.
Our race on this continent is on trial, ~ y,
ID If II survives this ordeal its extinc- ne
oD rs people in this country may be m ls
,nsidered rs out of question, Our man Pi
)od is on trial.
The future is gloomy In prospect, and In
e most implicit conf dence in the good tn
a .F n1I a. tel a =