The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1867-04-30
REMARKS OF e. W. PoU, Esq,
OF JOHNSTON COUNTY,
Delivered in Smit1yseZd, April 10Th, 1867

anu strange anu WONDERFUL TO us all. but
few years ago, a portion of you were what
the law called slaves, and some of us were
owners. Now we all stand with equal rights
under the law, so far as the color Of our
skins or previous condition of freedom or
servitude is concerned. And these newly
acquired privileges of yours, my colored
friends, are guaranteed to you by all the
poweriof the strongest government In the
world.
How did this happen9 1 will try to tell
you. About three generations ago,-When
your grandfathers and mine were Infants
almost the whole civilized and Christian
world seemed to think that the African was
the proper subject of prey for the white race.
From time immemorial your savage ances-
tors. CAPTURED by each other in brutal con-
tests had been sold as slaves for whatever
market demanded slaves. And it is re-
markable that one of the best and purest
men that ever lived, Las Casas, early in the
sixteenth century did more than any one else
to plant African slavery in the West Indies.
His motives were good. His object was to
relieve the Indian slave by the more robust
and heat enduring African, and at the same
time, to bring the African in reach of the
Christian missionary. He lived to see his
designs perverted and to regret his agency
in the enslavement of your race.
The first cargo of slaves ever brought into
this country, were landed at jamestown in
Virginia in 1920 From that period until
about eighty years ago, the trade in slaves
was carried on by the shipping of the civ
ilized and Christian world with scarcely
protest from any quarter The earliest
protest that l know of, is that made by
Thomas Jefferson, in his original draft of the
Declaration of Independence. About this
time England was feeling the effects of a
great religious revival, due largely to the
preaching of John Wesley, Geo. Whitfield
and the Quaker fraternity. These all set
their faces against the slave trade, which was
then very profitable to English merchants
Their influence reached parliament. Will
liam Wilberforce, about the year 1885, made
his first effort in the British Legislature to
have the slave trade, under the English flag,
abolished. He did not succeed until the
year 1907 But although the trade with the
coast of Africa, by the English, then termin
ated, slavery continued to exist in some OF
the British colonies until LIST January, 1884,
when Parliament abolished it, and appropri-
ated $100,000,000 to remunerate the owners.
/ mention this to show how recent it is
only that the Christian and civilized people
of Great Britain have left off pro-slavery
practices. France abolished slavery in her |
colonies still later in 1S4e, and the Dutch |
yet later in 1860.
In the Northern United States, owing to |
climate and productions, slavery was never !
slaves rever became numerous in |
those ATTITUDES. General emancipation acts |
passed by the Legislatures of various North
ern States between 1880 and 1904, liberated ,
eventually, the comparatively small number !
of slaves in that region. But as late as 1928,
it is said, negro woman was sold, at Sher-
ifs sale, in Fayette County. Pennsylvania, |
to satisfy claim for debt against her owner.
There were avowed friends of emancipa-
ton in the South as well as in the North
until about the year 1885. The North Caro-
lima Mdnumassion Society protested against
the Imprisonment of William Lloyd Carl
son, in Baltimore, about the year 1880. l
would like to know who were members of
that Society, and so would you. You ought
to tell your children to lay bunch of North
Carolina flowers on the graves of any mem
bers of that society that may be near you. The
immortal CASTOR, | am told was an emanci-
pationist. So, too, was that glorious chief
tain whose portrait hangs in many North
Carolinian's house, and who, in life, was by
thousands considered the embodiment of
patriotism-I mean Henry Clay. Until
1885, there were many openly avowed eman-
,ipationists in the South. The question
with our fathers then, was not how can we
forever protect and indefinitely extend
good institution, but with many, it was how
IAN we most easily and safely get rid of IL
great evil? While at that same time. the
Jity of Boston was so far in the rear of her
present advanced position, on human rights,
hat in the year 1885, an anti-slavery meet
ng, in that City, was overawed and broken
Up by "gentlemen of property and stand
ng."
The human family is a grand army of pro-
yress marching steadily forward to higher
excellence. Sometimes there are small par
les that lose sight of the pillars of cloud By
lay and the pillars of fire by night, anil
traggle to the rear. Those who thus fail
% keep with the main body, always pay the
penalty for the breach of discipline From
What have said, you see that the South was
lot struggling from the grand army III 1885.
The world was then fast learning that your
ace, my colored friends, was entitled to free
lom. Orr people aceTe learning it too How
happened it, that while the rest of the world
vent forward, our people went backward
other people learned the lesson of freedom
q discussing sl0oery. Opposition was made
ometimes violently, as in Boston, but the
interests OF slavery were SO small, compare
lively in the North and in England and
france, that its friends could not stop the
discussion. In the South it was different
Slaves and lands We're principal items of
property In the South the cotton business
vas very profitable. The agitation of the
lavery question outside the South stirred
p sectional passion and prejudice, until
lavery became the most cherished institu-
ion in the South. No man in the South ever
daring to attack it, the present generation
Il Southerners grew up accustomed only to
ear its praises as a sacred inst tuition, and
ducated in the idea that they must defend
as their dearest right The North going
onward and the South going backward al
er 1885, by the year 1850 had gotten a
ong way apart.
In that year Mr.. Calhoun made his last
peech in the United States Senate. He was
great MANIFOLD, truthful, honest-dis
iaining duplicity and indirection. In nv
tumble judgment there was not single
In his character, sace his 6eZiefin tie
aght of SLAVERY. That conviction of his is
he key of his political life Ills every act
you'd have been the act of wise patriot, if
had only been true that slavery was just
nd good thing and one that ought to be
erpetuated. In that same speech Mr.. Cal
oun gave correct account of the slavery
citation and of the effect it would produce.
lie said the North had agitated the subject