The union Democrat., 1868-10-03
speech OF a Southern Negro.

"Iuba, the regular New Orleans CORES
pondent of the San Francisco Eraminsr. re-
ports in his letter of Sept. 9th the following
able speech made BY negro named Hill at
y colored Democratic Club meeting in New
Orleans. The correspondent, by way Of in
PRODUCTION to the speech, says:
The leading Democratic Clubs form auxili-
ary eolored Clubs, pay their expenses and
guarantee them protection, and assistance,
when they require it. The truth is the DEM
ocratic Clubs. white and colored, are mutual
cooperative or benevolent associations They
have been driven to this by the necessities Of
the time. The motto is, 1--WE cannot assist
those who assist the carpet-bagger to ruin.
rob, or impoyerish Us" The Crescent Color
ed Club, is ore of these auxiliary Clubs, and
as their Hall is near. have occasionally at
tended their meetings. Enough of the men,
bers of the Crescent Club (white) are always
present to protect them in case of any emer-
gency. As it may be somewhat a curiosity.
will attempt to give you the ideas of the
colored men who intend to vote Democratic,
as heard them delivered by Hill. President
of that colored Club, few evenings ago. /
must say they are above the average of dar-
key speeches, and the points were good, and
applauded to the echo. His audience of
blacks were formerly slaves.
CoLoRED ORATOR.
Gentlemen: You ask me to speak: I'm
obliged to you, but l aint 40 speaker, like
the rest of you, but aint afraid to say what
believes in, and why I'm a goin' to 60 with
my people and vote for Seymour and Blair.
'vo l..
aud find a good many who are against me for
being Democrat met one man who said,
"any niger ought to be killed, who'd vote
for Democrats, ani he'd help to do it,"
Well, when | meet one Of that kind, l don't
get mad, but says to him, "Are you wilin'
to listen to reason % They say "They is,n
and my friends. always find the men who
are the strongest 'ganst US, nre the ones 20
talk to for they are the easiest converted
Well, l asks him if so and so aint the case,
and he says, "that's so p every time. When
man says "that's so' to everything YOU
tell him, you've got him sure. And now,
says to you. as say to them, if Pm killed,
went be the first man killed, and man is
very foolish to want to kill me, for doing
what believe is right. Let man do right,
and he needn't fear any body, nor the devil
neither.
My colored friends. want to know if you
don't know your friends by this time Is it
the men who have been raised with you, and
have grown up with you, and have lived with
you ever since you was born, or these men
that people call carpet-basgers, who have come
down here from the Lord knows where, for
don't? Here's these men who employ you,
who give you work. who is born here, same
10 how So
much but what they say, you can believe
for you, they goes and do it, and you know
they will do it. Well, are you williug-are
you going any longer, to help parcel of
and sutjugate these people-this Southern
people-who, every colored man. who is any
way decent, will say be likes better than any
other people? They know US, and we know
them. If there is some Southern people who
don't like us much,. the strangers hate us
more than they do. White people here may
sometimes say we smell pretty strong, but
the Northerners say we stink. Well, them
things aint much It's good deal as
man 5 raised, and the Southern people has
got used to US by this time. and they don't
turn up their noses when we come around, as
L
there with my folks.
What has these carpet-baggers done for
you? Is there any man mere has ever made
a cent by them? How can you? They don't
have any property; they don't have any
land they don't hire any work done. All
they do, is to get some Office or 20 to the
Mechanics Institute, by our votes-and what
good is that to you or me. We can't all 90
to the Mechanics Institute. Them that was
smart enough to get in, are smart enough to
stay there-too smart for any of US to get in.
if we wanted To. unless you do as | did, and
as good many other niggers are doing now,
go in aud look on, and the longer you look on
the worse you'll be off. No my friends, YOU
needn't depend on any thing them men pro-
mise you. Didn't the Gov. Yarmouth tell
US. if he was elected, every thing would be
all right. There would be plenty of wolk
on the streets, and building levees, and so
on, and how is it now? Worse-every day
worse-and God knows where it is coming 10.
But, it is just like they said about the mule
and forty acres we were to get if we voted
for tnem. Where is our mule? Where is
our forty acres? You all know we was to
get them. When we went home to our
wives, and the old women asked us, "What
""o '"N hS"c' VIC Sdlu, Olu woman. we Is
all right now. Gov. Yarmouth is elected.
and we are to have mule and forty acres.'
But dem old women don't believe every thing
they hear, and my old woman said, "IIili,
that amt so; fore God them fellows are
toolin. you" And, sure 'enuF, dey was
toolin' US. They havnt got mule and forty
acres for themselves, ana if they git any
money, they don't plant it here. If you
want to find where their money goes, 90 to
New York. or Chicago, or Boston, and you
see big house. marble front may be, going
up, and you ask, whose house is that p
20. that's Mr.. Carpet-Bagger." "Is he
here = 20. no, he's down in Orleans, or
Mobile, or Montgomery" That's where the
money goes which they get from Southern
people. | tell you it will never do us any
good. What good has any thing they have
doIe been to US. We have been free nigh on
TO SIX years, and the colored man finds it
harder to live, and he lives worse than when
he was slave. If it is to get worse than it
is now we might as we'll give itsup. Ny
friends, If We had our mule and forty acres
1t migh; be q little better but the only way
you VIII ever git 'em will be to work for the
morey and get 'er,. You'll never get land