Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1867-05-30
A Sharp Rebuke to Senator WILSON,
A Southern Talk TO the Negroes.


Senator Wis., is nvt having it all his own
way in the Suylb At Montg mery, Ala. he
! invited reply. and got the following from
General Canton, who spoke from the same
sta..d aud e. the siiae auiieVce:
| Tie genrlen,aa- II III Massachusetts, says you
ought 70 idei,tify yourselves with The radical
party at the Nortn brcallse they nave waied
through bloody war OF four years to set you
(; tree TO give you the right to sit upon JurleS,
ride on railroads, testify witnesses IN courts,
and much else. deny every assertion he has
made Jn these puints. aid challenge him to the
pruuf He vino SAYS that this war was COM
Inenced by the North &, set y'u free aud confer
on you the rights winch you n''w enjoy, talsl-
6es the history of tle country n Intentionally,
! | hope. The government, daring tue late war,
again aud again declared tarst sllemuly That
| this war was not conIuienced or belHg waget
for conquest, or with view OF interfering with
our property in slaves IN the States.
Mr. Lincoln urged Us 10 return u the Union,
pledglg the government 10 receive Us most
cordially aud give slavery its protection in the
| Stses. We were threatened with eInancipa-
ton if we did not come back. In one hand the
government, offered us union and slavery" and
in the other was rebellion aud emancipation"
| Having gone 10 war Oh principle, the South
chose the latter. No man knows this better
THAI the honorable Senator. Nor will he or
Gen Swayne, who is on the stand, deny the
assertion lau now guing to make, that We could
have goue back 10 the Union aud held You as
our slaves friday. You are not indebted to the
North or the South Tor your freedom. but to
God. Instead Of abusing US, You ought to re-
member that this rebellion, which YOU are
Taught to despise, by your enemies aud ours,
who only collie amongst you Tor your votes,
was ali instrumentln the hands Of God for your
deli,erance, 50 far as mortal eye can devise tie
purpose of the Creator.
The Southern people do not envy you your
freedom. They wound not restore youtu bond
aye if they could they have your well-beiug
at heart. | did not fire gun for slavery
More than half the Southern army never owned
slave Hardee, Cleburuc aud many others,
signed petition long before tine war closed.
for your freedom, aud To afford you an oppoEtu-
nity to volunteer and assist your white iuends
OF the South III achieving Southern ,iudepen-
deuce.
President Davis recommended this course
and |, III the theatre, III TINS city, endorsed his
policy in the presence OF Il very large assembly,
aud stated that | would take pleasure IN COM
naudiug colored troops. You acted well your
part during that unfUrtunatestrugsle,l or which
you deserve, and have, tine gratitude of every
Southern man and WOMAN III our midst. Again
as to how you became free. Tne North aided
to free you with bayuhet and 10y military pro-
clamatlvns only as they believed 1t would III
lure Ills and raise up u HUSTLE element III our
midst, and seemingly making your welfare a
secondary consideration. To render this act
of theirs valid aud constitutional it was ueces-
sary that we should act We called together
our conventions. and without hesitation made
you constitutlonaliy free forever. We also
gave you the right to testify IN cases where you
are interested, and | advocated, III tniS State
House, your right'tO testify III all cases.
His party is IN power, aud he Is here aiding
~ keep them SO. lie Is here u form political
alliance with You aud what few whites can be
induced to join him. They want Office, they
want spells, and they want to retain power
1t is quite pleasant aud profitable to them. It
is not because they love You better than other
people. | warn you against him aud al. ike
him at home OF .rOra abroad.
There can hardly be doubt, (says the Bal
tmUre SIM thatSen. Ciautun takes the right
view Of this whole subject, POLITICALLY, and pro-
badly as 10 the mysterious providence III tue
ireedum OF the slaves also. lie spike further
atc0usiderabls1silg 9Th. rebuking also very point
edly iew white radicals Of the South wi0 were
present.. lie reprilcd also AL assertion Of Mr..
Wilson that tire Mexlcan war hal beeu broug {
Oh in the interest Of slavery, a,.d showed tA!t
Mr.. Calhoun aud Mr. Gay both opposed II, and
added:
That war gave to the North California, Utah
aud New Mexico. Though u,dy a boy fol-
, lowed the old tag through that war, with many
thousands gond AID true men from my section
who only regarded the la iJual honor VI our
! cUffluUn cuuIitry.