The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1867-03-27
The Columbia Coiored Meeting
Full Report of the speech Of
Beverly Mash. (Colored)

rbLboWICifhhNs: 4 nave Deen taken some
what by surprise and am not prepared to say
all that want 10 on this occasion; but we
know what we have come here for. We
have come TO celebrate the right Of suffrage
the one thing needful to place us on
common platform OF citizens. The question
has been asked, whether we are prepared for
this condition Of things or noti do not
blame our people for their doubts on this
subject, because our former condition was
calculated to make them doubt; but whether
we are prepared or not we are entitled to
vote, under the recent law. must confess
that do not like the law in all respects, be-
cause IL DISTINGUISHES gentlemen in whom we
have more confidence than anybody else, and
forbids them TO represent our country as IL
should be represented in the councils Of the
people. My doctrine is, that every man,
whether ignorant or not, who is compelled
to pay taxes, is entitled to vote. II is q
matter Of public policy that we should be,
because there is disconnected element in
our midst, composed Of the ignorant people
Of both classes, which would be greatly dis
turbed IL they were prevented by conven-
ton Of the State from exercising the right to
vote, and we should have q revolution in o
teakettle. For the purpose Of peace and
quiet therefore, in our State, l want to see
everybody vote, except the women. / be-
lieve, my friends and fellow-citizens, we are
not prepared for this suffrage. But we can
learn. Give man tools, and let him com.
mence to use them, and in time he will learn
trade. So IL Is with voting We may not
understand II at the start, but in time we
shall learn to do our duty.
II has been said that Calhoun was master
Of South Carolina; Clay the dictator Of Ken
lucky, and Webster the emperor Of Massa-
chusetts. But hereafter we are To vote for
principles, not men. And we have good
men in our midst; men we can trust; men
who IRE our friends, and have proved by
their acts that they are friends Of the State
In these gentlemen we must have confidence,
until they have proved that they do not de-
serve it. / do not believe that there is O man
in this district who, II you will reason with
him about these things, will not agree with
what l say We recognize the Southern
white man as the true friend Of the black
man. You see upon that banner the words
"United we stand, divided we fall" and, il
you could see the seal Of the society which
that banner represents, you would find the
white man and the black man standing with
their arms locked together, as q typo Of the
friendship and the union which we desire.
We feel that the white man has not under
stood the black man as the black man has
understood the white man; and If the citi-
zens Of South Carolina had oil acted after
the close Of the war as these gentlemen have
done to-day, and spoken their kind senti-
ments as freely, our State would not regret
the loss Of twenty thousand colored citizens
who had gone abroad because they had not
sufficient confidence to stay. After the re-
marks we have heard to-day, we believe there
is better time coming. Twelve months
ago Mr.. Gibbes said: Fellow-citizens, we
are willing to meet you half way" and we
are glad to say that the representatives and
public men Of Richland district have done so
on the present occasion. We feel that we
are understood here, and we believe that
colored men will hereafter enjoy the rights
and privileges which now belong to their
race. There is less prejudice here, less preju-
dice everywhere south Of the Potomac against
the colored man than there is north Of it,
Applause.
saw in Washington, few days ago men
more violently opposed to our advancement
than any gentleman here; and we know that
the States Of New Hampshire, Ohio, and
perhaps some others, have refused that polit-
ical equality which exists and has been &C.
therefore, to identify ourselves with this SOIL
Here we have grown from childhood to man.
hood. Many Of us, white and black, have
been brought up together; we love the peo-
pie, we respect their honor, we know their
worth; and ask whether, under these cir
cumstances, having the power to do so, we
ought not to petition Congress to remove
the disability which shuts out that portion
Of our people from the elective franchise in
whom we have such long-tried confidence.
II we are to have O convention in the State
for the purpose Of changing its constitution,
let'it be convention full Of intellect and
power. II the black man is to cast vote,
let him rest that vote upon q standard of
ability, and not be contented to see a body
OF men who are not competent to discharge
the high duties that will be required of
them. We know the old saying, that "fools
rush in where angels fear to tread" II,
therefore, you elect ignorant men you will
have bad constitution. Give us, then, the
good men Of the State. would rather trust
him who took up arms and went to the bat
tle-feld, and has come home with his honora.
Bile scars, believing in the Justice of his
cause, than he who skulked from duty and
now claims to be Union man. [Cheers.
Such one is unworthy the contempt OF
even negro. l would rather trust Gen.
Hampton riding at the head of his column
and shouting TO his men to follow, than any
man who has stayed at home and when his
country was in danger, hunted for an iron
clad or a rat-hole. [Cheers.l And SO would
you. ["That's SOL
We don't believe in those people who
since the war, have lodged around the cor
ners, declaring they were Union men"
["No, no."l When hear Southern man
say he was Union man" know he was
traitor. When hear a Northern man soy
he was Southern man during the war /
know he is traitor. But when l hear col
ored man say he was Union man, believe
him from my heart. Whenever the telegraph
announced Southern victory, the black
man trembled; but whenever the tidngs
came Of Northern victory we rejoiced, be-
cause we felt that we were that much nearer
freedom. To-day, thank God, we enjoy the
results of that freedom. We stand before
the world invested with political equality
with the white man. We can vote.
Hon. Edward Arthur-(sotto Uoce)-You
are more than our equals Nash, in one sense,
because we are DISTINGUISHED.
The Speaker-Yes, sir; and we are not
going to let the halls Of Congress remain