Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-05-08


and child? {" The Democratic party.pl When
you have answered these questions you viii know
how to vote. LCries of "Yes, Yes, and enthu-
siastic applauseI
:, Again, further on in the course of this address
tney use the following language:
" We hope that YOU will not ello,., vo,,vunl,es To
bedeceived by the false philsnthronv meaning the
Radicals r--1ss'uioPy u sanins sAe
" We have no Interests which are in opnos;tior TO
yors. We favor your moral and intel ectnsi cnl
turs, and stand ready to aid you aecorrIie -
means and power in the attainment 81 ths -.
necessary for the we'll being of all men,
WHO EDUCATED YoU?
When was Il, and how was it that they aided
you in moral and intellectual culture When was
it that they used their means OF employed their
property for the purpose of giving you education
Shouts Of "Never, never In the slave States
they showed their great desire for your intellectual
and moral culture by prohibiting you by law from
learning to read or write by making it criminal
ofense, and in some States pententary offense TO
teach eolored mar woman or child TO read or
write. That's SOL You must live in peace, on
terms of kindness and justice with these peoples
but when you come to bestow political power, be
sure to bestow it on your loyal friends. TCries of
''We viii, we will, and great applause. If those
who have no. been your friends, and who have rot
been loyal ask you for your votes, you must tell
them TO show their faith by their works, and you
must give them time tc establish to your entire sat-
isfaction the sincerity Of their repentance. APP
plause
Now will tell you where your true interests
lie and you understand this perhaps Just well
do-frst, ia cultivating love and absolute deyo-
ton to the Union Of these States. 1t the Union
that gave you liberty, and the Union alone pre-
serve it. You must encourage and protect immi-
grafton from the North and from Europe. You
must encourage ali men to come among you; and
when / speak to you am speaking to the colored
people of all the South. You must encourage them
to come among you; TO take up their residence
with you They must have absolute and perfect
protection for life, liberty and property Abov
all, you must encourage education. If this genera
ton is able to do nothing but to educate their chill
dren, and prepare them for their duties of life it
will have done well The intelligence, the educa-
ton of your children must stand to them in place
of capital in the place Of position in the place Of
worldly advantages In the Southern States your
late masters own nearly all the property but the
colored people, by industry by intelligence and by
enterprise, must win for themselves large portion
of that property hereafter.
remarked in the beginning that there was
mysterious providence in all the events OF this war
Starting out to establish slavery and make it per-
petual and with the declaration that slavery was
to be the cornerstone of the new confederation, it
has resulted II universal liberty and the acknowl
edgment OF those great truths of the Declaration of
IndePendence-that all men are created equal and
endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable
I
the pursuit of happiness A war for slavery led to
war against slavery. The attempt to make slave
| ry immortal gave it its mortal wound. The con-
tlnued disloyalty of the late rebels after the war
was over, led to the necessity for raising up new
| loyal population that should sustain the Govern
ment. The rejection of the constitutional amend
ment offered in 1866 basis of settlement to he
rebel States led to universal suffrage in 1857
[Great appause.]
And now the great example which has been set
Nv thn -
versal suffrage in the late rebel States must prevail
with all the Northern States were universal suf-
frage does not yet exist. When the Congress of
the nation has given suffrage to the coloreG men Of
the plantations it cannot be refused to the far bet
ter educated and more intelligent colored men of
the Northern States When the representatives of
the Northern States have by their votes conferred
suffrage upon the colored men of the Southern
States and of this District, they cannot deny it to
| the small number of colored men IN their own
midst The question of universal Suffrage in the
Northern States, therefore, scarcely be consid-
cred an open one 1t will be settled in favor of
equal rights and of equal suffrage in very short
time, have no doubt, in all the States of the
North. Applause.
Let me say to the eolored men Of the District of
! Columbia that they occupy a favored position
They occupy responsible position to their breth-
rem on the plantations. Bear in mind that you are
far better educated here as mass, and that your
opportunities of learning far superior to those
OF your brethren on the plantations You must la
! Dor for their education and enlightenment. You
must send your agents among them to instruct them
IN their duties, and to prevent them from falling
| prey to the men who but recently owned and op-
| pressed them. Applause I have no doubt that
| you intend to do your duty by them, / am glad
to see the enthusiasm that prevails among the col
ored men of this District and other portions of the
country 1t is an augury of good results in the
/ future.
do not desire to continue the bitterness of feel
ing that now prevails between the loyal people and
! those who have been disoyal would that all the
wounds of the Republic we're healed up; but bear
| in mind that you not called upon, either here
anywhere in the South, to show your willingness
to forgive the injuries of the past by eevating your
I oppressors to office. Applause,l You can show
! your willingness to forgive the wrongs that you
have suffered for generations in other ways and by
other MEANS than again eevating them to rule over
/ you. T"We won't do it'll
! have already spoken longer than l expected to.
! l wish that l had an address prepared that was
worthy of the occasion. The great event that you
celebrate, your emancipation, must ever be the
greatest event in your lives and dearest to you and
| your children.
! You must learn to love liberty, not as selfish
possession not simply for yourselves but to love it
as a principle to love it the great inheritance Of
mankind, without distinction of race or color
! Applause
thank you for the kind invitation to address
you to-day.
Gov Morton then retired from the stand amid
the enthusiastic applause and cheering of the as
semblage