The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1867-05-02

twelve years ago, he was neither O
Southern nor Northern man, in the
popular acceptation of the term. at
the beginning of the war, he had
delivered war speeches, and subse-
quently raised negro soldiers, gone
into the army himself, and received
the first negro commission given by
President Lincoln. There he had
remained until his race was free. He
did not do this because he did not
love the Southern whites, for it was
from Gen. MCGOWAN, of Abbeville,
lawyer Wilson and others, that he
had learned to read aud write, and
received q respectable English educa-
tion. For these and other favors, he
had always loved the Southern peo-
pie; and when he heard men say at
the North that shareholders would
never see Gods face in Heaven, he
had defended them, because he knew
thousands, and had seen many q
Shareholder die, whom he expected to
meet in the better land. The South
ern man was not to blamo in this
matter, so much as his education and
Gods providence had over-ruled it
all. He could not condemn the
South, therefore, any more than the
North. If the head of slavery was
here, its tail was certainly there. The
Constitution was slaveholding Con-
stitution. Wendell Phillips, Daniel
Webster and the Supreme Court had
so declared. The Democratic party
was q slaSyeholding party, and that
party for fifty years had shaped the
destinies of the country.
He regretted that his Excellency
the Governor had been compelled to
retire, for he did not desire to reply
to his remarks in his absence. Go
vernon Orr was o gentleman whom
the speaker, when he lived in Abbe-
vile, regarded as almost IN angel-a
supreme being; and he still enter
tanned the highest respect for his high
toned-moral sentiments. Because he
had advocated slavery, and had acted
with the Democratic party-the rot
ten copperheads of to-day-he did
not blame him so much as he did the
constitution under which he was
raised, and the education he had re-
ceived.
One word with reference to the
party that made the bondmen free.
He knew that the North did not COM
mence the war for any such purpose.
Indeed, the South had showed much
the truer gallantry in fighting to per-
petuate slavery, for the North had
ridden the fence with one leg on one
side, and one leg on the other. For
that reason, he had occasion to thank
no people for their freedom, to-day.
He thanked God, and God alone, that
the black man was permitted to stand
upon that platform and speak the
language of his heart.
He desired it to be emphatically
understood that he was a friend Of
the Southern people. He had fought
against them, but he had fought for
his race; and he cared not one cent
about any Government, except SO far
as it affected the rights of that race.
No! Give him a Government that
respected his manhood and secured
him its privileges, and in proportion
to the extent which it did that, he
would fight for that Government to
the death. The South itself had
rebelled because her people did not
care for n Government which did not
respect their rights. 1t was the same
with the black man. Let him be free.
What was the black man doing to-
be worthy of the boon that had been
given? The eyes of the world were
fixed upon the race, and it became
them to act In IL manner which would
meet the expectations of mankind.
Were they educating themselves, ad-
vancing, progressing? Were they
alive to great responsibilities as
parents, and great duties ns men and
women, devolving upon them? He
did not recognize Caucasian blood
nor negro blood. God out of one
blood made all nations. There was
no such thing as species of blood.
There was a difference of color on
the skin, as there is difference of
temperature in the various zones;
but the same soul existed in both
races, and that soul bore the image
of God. Were they, therefore, max
ing efforts at self-improvement?
Were they wiping out the last vestige
about them of slavery? Were they
doing what they could to eradicate
proscriptive laws which prevented all
men from standing upon common
platform-all fellow-br brethren, with
God for common Superior?
The speaker counselled his hearers
to industry-to be respectful, polite
and intelligent, and to satisfv their