The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1867-09-26

feeds as dark as ntght. But We will
bot follow h,m further. Upon the whole.
We regard such sentiments as dangerous
10 the peace Of the cou",ry. and should
not Re permitted by either whits or black;
and we feel satisfied that the gen,lemsrly
of,his Military Post. II made
with all the fscts, will put
speadv check to such procs edine..
Mr. James II. Cousart. (white) being called
upon by members Of the League. responded
az follows:
Fellow Citizens-I am requested to aav that
there still seems TO be misundersianding in
regard to the sole object Of the Leaguers if
I rightly understand it though The impre ssion
that some people Is stuffed with ia tha, oil its
members will get fnrty acres of land have
heard not ore black or white say that they ex
pacted To get it. The scrutinizing rye OF inf
del phylns ply is upon them and these unhe
LEVERS would hail II N triumph to have c,ught
them IN the slightest deviation from their pro,
fession. But no greater proc! Of the soundness
of their faith the ardor OF their piety, could
he asked tApplause
A. The corclns on Of Mr.. CoUsart's .e
marks, the Chairman Of The meeting verv
kindIv and generously extended an in-i
:stion to tha white gentlemen pres-n, 10
~ddress the meeting Col. JoHN D Wy
LIE being loudly called for nv the white
citizens. advanced to the centre of ,he
aisle and hel,vrred in substance the FOL
lowing imprompI2 remarks:
SPEECH OF col JOHN d wYLIR.
Ny Friends-When came here TO night Il
was not my intention to cay one word, and
nothing but the peculiar, and must cav to me,
unexpected circumstances of the occasion,
could haze induced me to open my mouth. I
wish IL to be distinctly understood that am
no politician, never have been--never expec.
TO be; that am welded to no politics al party,
and that do not propose to make you polti-
cal speech.
The individual who has addressed you at
length tonight, is a stranger IN this communitv.
He proclaims hims ELF to be native of this
S'ata. hut for some time a resident among the
Yankees and TO s"me extent familiar scith
yankee tricks" I know nothing sbou. him
none Of us know him except from hi. own rep.
resentations ; but this much do kno~, that
he has unjustly misrepresented the character
OF the white people OF this town md district
that he has untruly accused them of endeavor
ing to procure his arrest ard OF having made
the effort 70 prevent him from using this hall
for the purpose Of addressing this concourse of
people !; and that he has Indirectly charg ed the
whites Of this District with hostility TO the
blacks, and with design to denv 10 the color
ed people the exercise Of those rights TO which
they are entitled.
The Chairman has kindly extended to the
whites "a number Of whom are p.cscnt) an in
vitat'on tn address the meeting, and the whites
have called me forth to represent them. Nv
purpose II not 10 speak about politics know
noihnY about the Union League" Of which
yos have heard so much % night; that in stitu.
tion may be cool or il may be bsd for all I
know IL NAV have bsen fourded by the cele.
brsted Abraham Lincoln, a. tho speak r has
told you to night; or 10 may hive been institu.
ted by The devil himself-Ikuow nothing about
L o. its secret members, and have no ardent
~ish to l. intrnhu ed 10 any more tam liar &C.
lnaintance with either the "i.eagu." or its
members. But my so!e object In addressing
Tou ia, simply TO correct the misre representation
n the foreign speaker, TO 'epel his ACCUSE, ions
md insinuati"ns against the whites Of this Dis
Lsict, and to viudicnte their character from the
unjust aspersions which he has cast upon
them.
1t has been stated IN nj :ht by the colored
speaker who addressed you, and stated with
bitterness OF feeling and expression, that the
white people of this place made an effort u
night to exclude him from the use. Of this hall,
TO prevent you from holding this meeting In
this house, and thus, 10 suppress free dom OF
speech {; and not ony this. but .he Accuses the
the whites OF having this very day q tempted
to procure his arrest 10y a United States officer
In order that his mouth might he cIos-d and he
prevented from addressing his colored friends
and further, IL has been insinuated that the
whites OF this District hostile to the blarks,
who have been indirectly advised that they
must not place any confidence In their white
neighhors asd acquaintsnces For myself. for
the respectable number Of white persons pres.
ent who have called me out on this occasion.
and for the respectable white people OF this
town and district who are not present, and
whom / take tn. responsibility OF representing,
/ now, unhesitatingly declare. thrse charges
aud al egniions untrue, and without the slight
est foundation IN truth.
/ was present with a number Of white gentle
men on the streets this afternoon when . col.
ored man applied TO the deputy Clerk Of the
Court for the uss OF this hall the key was Civ.
en- to him with the assent Of oil present and I
have vet TO hear Of single objection 10 the
assent then and there given. But evea IL any
objection had been made (which l deny), I
think could give plausible reason tor tho
same. You all remember that the coiored peo-
pie, tor the FIRST time in the history Of this Die.
triet. held public meeting In this hall q few
evenings since. and as l am informed held IL
with the assent Of the whites, who, | assure you
then and now, and At all times have manifested
. desire 70 avoid even the appearance of de.
prving the colored people VI any of their
rights and privileges. l was not present At
that meeting, ss was the colored speaker OF
TO night, but you sll know, and have been in
formed. OF the dsgraceful manmer in which
that meeting clesed. You know that at late
hour Of the night the peacesble white citizen.
Of this vicinity were aroused FROM their slurn.
bers and terrified by the novel and alarming
spectacle OF . disgraeefui riot progressing in
this house and around IT, In which all the &C
tors were coloced men. The Whit citix4ns and
odi cers hur.i led from their homes 70 suppress
the difficulty This, "a have said, was the
frst meeting ever held by the colored people