Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-10-08
LErriER: Err; ;FtRsoH ( cOLoRED Han.

which way we will vote. ~ have tined to lind out
the truth of this matter, and after careful examna
ton, have made up my mind that it's the inter
est Of alfcolored men to vote with the Denocrats,
and I want to give you briefly theressons Why /
think 80. ..niE.raA!tg 4
., have found out thatit is not true that the Rad
icas fought to set us FREE, but that they offered to
they would cease the war, they might hold as in
slavery for ever The rebels refused to do It and
fought On. The Radicals found they couldn't whip
the rebels without declaring Us free and taking us
into their armies When they did this, they
whipped the rebels. So you zee, my colored breth-
rem, the Radicals did NOT fight to set us free, but
they set us free to get our help IN whipping the
rebels. Instead of our being indebted TO the Rsdi-
eas for setting us free they are indebted tous for
helping them to whip the rebels; which they found
they couldn't do without our help, We are in
debted to the rebels for not laying down their arms
when Mr. Lincoln offered, that i they wopid, they
might keep us in slavery If they. bad done Ss
Mr.. Lincoln and the Radicals wished, we, my eol-
oredo brethren, vould be slaves today 4 know
the rebels didn't refuse LAY down their arms be-
Radicals fight because they wanted "a 10 BE free!
After they got Into The VII they couldht help fom
letting us get our freedom. So yod see the Radi.
Gals are entitled to- no credit for setting % free
they had TO Get US free otherwise the rebeb would
have whipped them all the time, as they had been
doing until we were set free, The truth is, my
coored brethren, that the Radicals are indebted to
us for setting them free for if the rebels hadcon
tinued to whip them as they did'at Ball Run, aud
had they gone mp North with their armies, they
would have made slaves of the whole Radical Yan-
kee nation. But we prevented the rebels from con-
tiuuing to whip them, and, therefore, we were
richly entitled to our freedom for saving them from
final defeat '.. .;7', - H.". ' =. 90.
But the Radicals say they gave Us the right to
vote, and, therefore, We ought to vote with them.
Now, my colored brethren, want to show you
that there is no more truth in this statement than
there is in the statement that they fought to set
us free. NJ 80 '. '." -
At the same time that we were set free, on the
22d of February, 1865, . Legislature was elected
by the white Radicals and power was given 10 that
Legislature to decide who should vote, and who
should not They met together at Nashville to
decide, and they did decide, that none hut ioyal
white men should vote So you see, my colored
brethren, these Radicals, at that tme didn't think
colored men ought to vote. They found out, in :
short time, that maiority Of the loyal white vo-
ters were opposed to the Radicals, and would turn
Brownlow and all the other Radicals out Of office:
So they called the Lagislatutet osetber agsin, and
tOOK away Tue IISut " SoNuA 4tom SiSoo n'o"y
loyal white men, who had got certificates to vote,
but they still confined the rsaht of voting 70 white
men although it was proposed to let the colored
men vote, yet the Radicals In the Legislature ne
fused and said that colored men ought not to vote
After while they discovered that still majority
of the white loyal voters were opposed to the Kad
GALS; and thereupon the Legislature got together
for the third time, and, them itwas that they con-
sented to let colored men vote, but because they
found that they would all be turned out Of oAiee
unless they could get help from the colored men.
Now you see, my colored brethren, that the Radil
Gals at last gave us the right to vote to save them
selves from being turned out of office just ss they
gave us our freedom during the war, to save them
selves from being whipped BY the rebessia1 :dI
Now, my colored brethren, I, don't know, how
YOU may feel, but, as to myself don't feel that
am under obligations to the Radicals for giving me-
the right to vote, when know that they gave it,
to ME, not because they thought Fought 70 hats1
it. bot because they believed IF they didn't do 1t,
they would be- turned, out of Office; and because
they believed that you and we're 30 ignorant that
they could make us believe they were our friends,
and would do great things for us when, in truth,
they only wanted our votes, to enable them to hold
on to the Offices and thus Eli their pockets with
public money. ii - 1..- - ~. Sa5 jTa>
If you have any doubt whether ! have STATED tbe|
truth to you, just go to any white man, that you
wants to hold on to, and ask how these things are
know you will find that have stated facts; and
if YOU are sensible, you will feed under no obligs-
ton to Radicalst either for setting you free, or for
giving, YOU the right to vote, oy.a ,l.,,ig .;gsrI
P. S.-Win the white men read this letter to the
c0i0reo "en ILL 'nei e'p''Hi WILLIAM PARK