Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-03-09
LARGEST CITY CIRCULATION.
A Profane but Loyal "ouss., b

The prospective rulers Of the South,
under Radical reconstruction, can not be
expected to be statesmen Of refined and
elevated conceptions, but, rather, brutal,
heartless, narrow minded persons. The
following speech of one Of the new legis-
lators Of the South, delivered at Uoion-
town, Alabama, just previous TO the elec'
tiou on the new Constitution, Will con-
veg tolerbly fair idea Of the spirit pre-
vailing among the negroes. IL was
made by one Alfred Gray, mulatto.
He said
The Constitution, came here, boys,
to talk for it. and il get killed / will
talk for II. am not afraid to fight for 1t,
and / will eight for it until hill freezes
over. | afraid to fight the white man for
nv rights mol / may 20 to hill,
INV home is in hill, but the white man
shall 90 there with me. Do you hear
me? Cd d--n this race of people to
hill / feel the spirits Of damnation
in me, and we will fight for our rights
until every d-n rascal who chased mig
gers with hounds is in hell, Cd On
them Do you hear me2 Gentlemen,
YOU hear a good deal about social equal
ity, and black and white children going
10 school together. Well, amt that
right2 We pay our dollar and halt, and
make them pay tax on their land that
You cleared, and which you have the best
rightto. Then send all to school together;
Didn't you clear the white folks land
MANY voices, Eyes, and ives got right
to it'll Yes, you is, but let them keep
it until Congress gires ID 10 us. We have
got Congress at our backs, and General
Grant has turned Radical, and piiim
the army gire as our rights /; what can
the white man do, when General Grant
and General Meade and Congress is on
our side2 Well, / will tell you, they will
have to stop taking nigger's corn and
cotton. You work and make a crop,and
the white man takes it for what you owe
him, when you amt seen twenty dollars
for the year. But he says you took 1T
mp for your family way back in the sum-
mer."
Well, you go to the Freedmen's Blu
reau, and the Bureau man says he had
a mortgage on your crop; but l know
the law, and mortage cant take your
corn and cotton, for General Meade says
"po matter what a niger owes, you
can take MS CrOp ~ 10 ~. p" iiSt pSJSi
the Bureau never did anything tor you
but cheat you, and you are poorer now
than you were when you were set free.
Cd d-n the Bureau, and every other
white man. Boys, won't you light for your
rights Many voices: "Yes, we II die for |
our rights Cd d-n the white people and |
the Bureau. Boys, now want you to |
hear. Remember the 4th of February, |
and every one come in and bring your
guns, and stand up for your rights
Let. them talk about social equality, |
mixed schools, or war of races.
Well fight until we die, and all 60 to |
h-ll together, or we'll carry this con-
stitution. The speaker concluded amid |
much excitement, and was lifted up by |
the crowd, who swore they would fight
until they died.
Another black took the stand, and ad-
vised the negroes never to listen to any
other Southern man speak; that they
could not trust them, and that he would
not trust any white man but God. He
concluded by saying he was ready ITO
fight at the election any d-n white man
who got in his way"