The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1867-09-11

land, having arrived were duly voted in q!
delegates in this Convention and took thei,
seats as such. - fsatl 5sasa
Gov. w. w. HOLDEN ruse and addressed
the meeting at considerable length. Hi
said: 81 IS hsfisss
Mr.. PREsIDENT VITA your permission will
take leave to make few personal observations
The Convention will bear witness that have moi
z occupied much time hitherto upon questions
D of personal character; and will not now de-
! tain them longer than can help. / find, sir,
put in circulation an, anonymous pamphlet the
-Ifaain object of which Is to fnjure me in the es
timation of my colored friends here and through.
out North Carolina. / refer, SIR to a pamphlet
issued from press in this City, containing what
suppose were my sentiments in 1859, in regard
: to slaves and free persons Of color;-eight years
ago, SIR It is probable all the delegates here
have seen this pamphlet ;-if they have not,
they can find it, do doubt in the file of the Stand.
ard newspaper. The views Irefer to as contained
in the article which Is re-published in the
pamphlet, were my views then, in the then con
dition of the country. Most certainly, sir, in
this new era, with freedom secured, asa result of
the Union army, to the colored people of this
and all the other States, they are no longer my
views; and my colored friends know that as far
as am concerned heartily welcome them to
the freedom which the Union arms have Sc
cured for them. / pretend, sir, not to be
either consistent or infallible He who is consis-
tent during the entire portion of his public life,
and who prides himself on it, 10 consistent for
the most part in the mistake OF the past. j
know / am not consistent, but / know
this,-and ! believe my friends of both races
would concede it to mel am both bold and
honest. / have no objection to everybody in
the State reading the pamphlet in question,
and forming on Unlocking at the country
as it was at that time-their own opinion
80 nd han
:" With this view, us we have just said, we
would recur to primitive times, and would
have the sarvant and the master worship togeth-
err around the same family altar and at the same
Church. This is to considerable extent the
custom in this State, but of late, the slaves have
been allowed to assemble in separate churches,
under the care OF direction of two or three white
persons, and thus carry on their own worship"
af1tnen maintained that the black man and the
white man were alike responsible to the common
Father Of us ALL and that the slave .himself-not
merely the negro. not merely the freedman. but
the Stdye-waa entitled to sit eide by side with
his MASTER aud to approach the communion table
under the same circumstances on the same floor,
and beneath the same roof. Iassertedat that day
absolute equality in matters spiritual and in the
presence o, the one All Seeing and All.Judging
God, between the master and his slave. And,
now sir how is it in this new day, when these
enfrano Ised laves, these freedmen, are the
equals before the law and the equals at the ballot
box and the equals in the jury box. and the
equals in regard to office holding. of the very
gentlemen who assail me ?-how is it, sir, between
these enfranchised people and those persons who
put out these anonymous prints for the purpose
of injuring me? Sir, the Editors of the newspaper
at whose office this article was FIRST printed and
Published, would not merely hesitate a long
while. but they would scorn to sit on the same
floor and worship the same God with the enfran
chised coo-ed people whom see here to-day
And tell you further. sir. that one of the Editors
of that very journal. during the rebellion served
in this city colored congregation, aud depended
for his bread largely upon the contributions of
that cOlored congregation and as soon as the
Federal forces reached Raleigh, he like false
shepherd, fed and deserted then. and the cOored
mel Of This City know it to be So
Ny newly eniranchised friends will bear witness
that was the first pubic man in North Carolina
to declares did In the African Church of this
City on the firstday Of January 1867-for general
negro suffrage. (Applausej -
Some i've months ago, in this city, meeting of
colored people was held in Captol Square, and
was addressed by Governor Worth. The people
heard him patiently and respectfully and after
he had finished Republican speaker was cafed
upon also to address the assembly At the con.
cusion of his observations, being anxious to
know the effect of the Governors speech. he
called upon the audlence-compose for the most
part of coored people-to Indicate how they stood
upon the political questions of the day, and it
found by a show of hands, that they all belonged
to the Republican, party of North Carolina. Zap
plause.) iA-g l42i = tle 49,
Very soon after that the Capitol Square
was filled with placards, reading, sskeep off the
grass!'' laughter.) This same rebel Governor,
and these same rebel authorities, who hold their
places by sufferance, and as think by the mis-
placed liberation Of Congress- sir, this
same Governor, in one of his messages, gravely
proposed, as the best solution of this question
between the colored and white races in this State
IN rppn in fb-Ha limo h
dispersed abroad through the country-driYen
from their homes and sent all through the United
States. And, sir, that Executive in the patron
and friend of these gentleman who sneakingly
and anonymously assail me. / go further and
say this same Executive on recent occasion, in
a letter which he published to the people OF this
State, addressed to them probably under an admo-
milton from Gen. Sickles, that they should regis
ter their names and put themselves in condition
to take advantage of the reconstruction laws
in that very same letter, sir. he gravely and Sc
riously submitted to the people Of the State the
alternative of determination in this State either
of the white or black race! Now, sir, he admit
ted the possibility that if the white race was not
exterminated the black race would be- and If
the black race was not exterminated the white
would be, and very kindly concluded that if this
was not to be the result the two races should en-
deayor to live together in peace and harmony
say that any man who, at this time of day,
gravey suggests the probability or the possibility
of war OF races in this country is unworthy to
be even the temporary lead of a loyal people.
/ have gone far enough in reference to this
anonymous pamphlet. but win say sir that since
Gov. Worth and his followers, including Cows
Vance and Graham and others, who in my judy
ment are less entitled to confidence than some OF
the original secessiOnists,-I say as long as these
gentlemen supposed that there was even faint
hope Of their being able to control and use for
their own benefit the colored vote of this Stare
lOyva wall Ivrifh tho al
ored people; but finding that the colored people
knew who their friends were and stuck to the great
National Republican party-as soon as this was
ascertained, and it was known that these gentle.
men could not get or make anything of them pa-
cards appeared, in Capitol Square, Don't walk
on the grass !" Qaughter.) i...1
Now, sir, will read you a few extracts from
morning paper, published in this city, containing
areport Of yesterdays proceedings of this body,
made by gentleman who by the courtesy of this
Convention, occupies seat on that platform Sir,
under ordinary circumstances, regard for the
profession would prevent me referring to matters of
this kind, but the report is SO grossly ibeous that
Ifeel it my duty to read it to the NEE ting.
The blacks and albinos in council" The
tan colored gentlemen rather noisy" "The Rev.
Brodie, nolasses. complezioned indiyiduaIl open
ed the meeting with prayer" &C., &c. l make
no motion in regard to it. simply pronounce it an
insulting libel upon this Convention. Hear,
bear.) s-f ~
ADelegate i move that the Reporter be re-
quested to leave the house.
Mr.. Holden-I hope the gentleman will with
draw his motion. hope the freedom of the press
will be maintained BY this Convention to the very
uttermost. Let the gentleman report ebout MS
what he pleases, for We know that no matter what
he may say-nn matter what any libeler may say,
it cahnot DO other than exait and magnify the re-
esteem it as my best and highest credentials
to the favor of the loyal honest AID virtuous peo