The weekly North-Carolina standard., 1867-05-08


your noss--forwsrd mapchrr Gsughter)
That class Of men proved false to you. Will
you believe them again 2 But / can tell you
there is one class Of men,. who have never
lied to you. Prayerfully and earnestly, they
told you the truth long ago; whatever they
said, they have done in the past; and what-
ever they say, they will do in tho future.
(Cheers.) They have the power in this
country (Hcar, hear) They are determin-
ed to press forward, and make this nation 2
an example to the cworld. They will succeed.
Yes, yes) They will do so because they
are strong in the right, armed with the wis
dom of the ages and blest by the smile OF
God. For thirty years they have fought
against slavery, and strange rs it may seem
to us all and not the less to them, the day is
not far distant when North-Carolina will
plant herself beside Massachusetts upon
| platform of eternal truth. We know and
believed this thirty years ago, but it has
come sooner than we expected Yet how
could it have been otherwise In this land
of Christianity, how could four or five mil
| lions of human beings be held in bondage
and degradationa A contest of ideas was
| inevitable There came contest of blows.
| knew that liberty win, and liberty
| has won. (Applause.) Il
| can go back for thirty-6 years to show
you that slavery has ever been aggressive.
1t was ever pressing upon freedom. Icall to
mind the fact that for seven years the right
| of petition was cloven down in Congress-
Henry Clay was beaten for President because
he opposed the annexation of Texas. Then
the army was pushed over the Rio Grande.
/ Texas was made slave territory-and Cal
| 80 kho of
in that region lured thousands of young men
| from the free States to California. That ter
ritory was made a free State by their pres
ence. Then came the enactment of that un-
constitutional, humiliating, degrading fugi-
! tive slave law. Then came the contest over
Kansas Slavery sent five thousand men
into that territory. They forced the Le-
! compton constitution into the halls of Con-
| gress, where it was defeated by the efforts of
Stephen A. Douglas, who fell martyr on
the altar of slavery at the Charleston Con-
vention. Then came the bred Scott decis-
ion, which promulgated the dogma that
black man had no rights which white man
was bound to respect. ai
In 1860. the champions of slavery came
into the halls of Congress and demanded the
right to transport their slaves into the free
States. Besides, the spirit of slavery melted
men to mob and murder the advocates of
freedom. In the Northern States there were
men, who melted and encouraged the ag-
gressions OF slavery. They promised you aid
and encouragement. How many of them
did-you find down here fighting in tile Con-
federate army9 Uaughter.) l advise you
not to put your confidence in them again.
When Lee surrendered, and the old flag
waved over the whole nation. there came to
us but once voice from these Southern States,
of unconditional submission. 1t only said,
"what are you going to do with usa We
are ready to do whatever you ask" So CON-
plete and sincere seemed this submission,
that Gen. Sherman said to his brother, the
Senator, that he would as soon have Gov.
Vance and his Legislature re-assembled, as to
elect new one. Let them remain, he said,
write on piece of paper whatever is re-
quired of them, and they will1o it. If that
is the case with North Carolina, he fur
ther said, it is more SO with South Carolina
And now let me ask you, is not this true
But what did the government do in that
hour of victory2 With one million men un-
der arms, we disbanded them and paid them
too--with sad memories for the loss of
325 900 OF our dead sons-with recolections
of Andersonville, Belle Island and Libby
Prison-with fresh grief over our MUIR
dered President-there was nothing but
magnanimity and generosity displayed to-
ward this people. There was no desire for
your land, money, liberty or blood. But we
were bound before man and God to secure
the colored man in his freedom. We did not
desire to humiliate any one in this State, but
to elevate all, and to make the poorest and
humblest black man the peer of the proudest
and richest citizen in the nation. Cheers
We had proclaimed that the sun in all his
course over our country should not shine on
the brow of single slave. (Applause.)
,, And we were determined to make them free
indeed-to educate them in the duties of
American citizens, to give them freedom of
speech, and the right to go where they
pleased and when they pleased. And we
further desired that our President should
humiliate and degrade no one. a
Well, when Mr. johnson came into power
be adopted line of policy, which put in
peril all that was in the hearts of our people
to do. The words of Mr.. Lincoln, I" with
charity towards all, with malice for none, !"
lived in our hearts and fingered in our men,
ories. But how boldly Mr.. John son talked,
how bravely he said that rebels were to take
back seats in the work OF reconstruction
We feared that he would be too severe upon
. them, for as have said, we desired to see
, him degrade no one, but rather to lift up all
together However, l will not reproach tho
President Congress was not in session, and
those leading men, who saved the country,
were not there. A class OF men gathered
around him, holding up the idea that this
j was a good time to re-organizc the old DEM
, ocratic party-to form a new party, which
would slough off the secessionists and radi-
. Gals. He started out On that line of policy
! in the South. and when Congress met in De-
. cember, we found those down here, who had
e been humbly asking what are you going to
] do with us" saying "we don't know so well
what we are going to do with you just now -
!. Naughter.) They thought the President
i could carry them through. Well, it has new
! er been our habit to care much about Presi
! dents-we 90 in for ideas and principles. not
!. men, But still they thought the President
! could carry them through. So when the
e Constitutional amendment was proposed
q they spurned it with scorn and contempt
q As the year passed by, loyal men were out
ragged and insulted, poor black men injured
+ and school houses burned. Then the Presi
! dent started on a stumping tour through the
, North and West" swinging around the
i CIRCLE as we call it. Oaughter.) Well, he
% returned to Washington shortly. the worst
!, whipped man in the country. The election
% which ensued swept away his policy for ever
% and inspired by the spirit Of liberty and love
y of Justice, the 39th Congress passed thu
= present military bill for the more efficient
| ,f %haoa C<atoo (AnDloueoN