The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-09-23

General j. B. Gordon, of Georgia,
in q recent speech at Charleston,
thus addressed the negro voters pre-
sent: ~ f7 R,s er MI
In the few words 1 shall say to
you, my friends, if you will listen to
me, [ hope to deal with you candidly
and honestly. The radicals have
told you that the Southern people
were your enemies; but, believe me,
this is not SO. 1 was opposed to
your freedom. ,[Laughter.] We
were all opposed to your freedom.
Now, that's honest, isn't it? eyes;
that's so," from the crowd. And
why was this so? I'll tell you. We
did not do this because we were
your enemies, but because we had
bought you and paid our money for
you. TGreat5 laughter.] You be-
longed to the Northern people once,
and some people think you belong to
them now, in the Loyal League. 1t
was the Northern States that sent to
the shores of Africa and captured
and brought your fathers to the
North and. when your labor be-
came Improbable, they sold you to
the Southern people. The carpet
baggers will tell you that the North
brought on the war to free you. Let
me ask why didn't they free you
when they owned you? You might
then have been born free, and might
now have owned the forty acres
which the lying rascals promised
you. 1 say that they did not wage
the war to free you, and no honest
soldier VINO participated in it will
say so. The idea never was enter
tained. General Grant himself at
one time Threatened to quit the SER
vice if you were freed. They set
you free because they wanted to use
you-not from any love they bore
you. And now they tell you that we
are your enemies. Have we not
been born on the same soil? Are
not our interests identical? Have
we not grown up together, and have
not our fathers been buried under
the same sod? Why then, are we
your enemies?
You have been told to arm your
selves against the whites. Cries of
''No, no. Well, I am glad to hear
it. What would be the result of ar-
raging the two races? A contest will
come which will be war of races;
then, which race must triumph?
You are in the majority, on the sea-
board, and could destroy many peo-
pie. But, my friends, let me tell you
the moment the war of races is inau-
gurated, that moment the death war
rant of the black man, on this CONT
nent, is signed. There are 5000, 900
of your race and O,00O, 600 Of white
men. Now, I ask you, in all reason,
what race must go down?
The speaker then alluded to the as.
sertion of Helper. who said that be-
fore the year 1872 no black man will
have habitation on this continent
In quoting this, the speaker said:
He says so because of speculation.
Lands are scarce in the North, they
have surplus of labor, and they de-
sire to blot out your race, in order
that they might come here, take pos
session of the place and cultivate the
land. The Indian once lived where
you now live, but where is he now?
He couldn't live in peace with the
white men, and he went to war. The
few scattering mounds that are left
in the State speak the result. Now,
this is what Helper says must be
your fate, and, most singular to re-
late, q large majority of the radical
members Of Congress are subscribers
to his book and are giving it circula-
ton.
Now, I speak plainly. If you are
disposed to live in peace with the
white people, they extend to you the
hand of friendship. But if you at
tempt to inaugurato war Of races,
you will be exterminated. The Saxon
race was never created by Almighty
God to be ruled by the African.
These are truths. We want peace
with you. We cannot live as enc
mics. One or the other must 90
down. If you turn deaf ear to the
Southern men, these green leaves that
now clothe the forest will not grow
red with another autumn before they
will be drenched with your blood and
mine.
When you hear radical talking
obout the paop1e of the Sonth xuanfino n,