The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1868-06-24
SPEECH OF JAMES II. HARRIS,
OF NoRTH-CA

- ~''-'~N-
upon, or rather llonorcd with an invitation
to address an audience like this. 1t is with
a great degree of difiidence that make this
feeble attempt; because, to make political
speeches in the backwoods IN North Caro-
lima and to attempt to address highly cul-
tivated audience of Boston are two very dit
ferent things. (Applause) 1 must there
fore throw myself entirely upon your chart
ty and ask you to make that due allowance
for the many impertcctions that may ac-
company my few remarks, which l know
that your generous hearts will prompt you
to extend. applause and cries of good)
l shall speak but very few minutes. Bos-
ton is name that is dear to every colored
man, and every colored woman, and every
colored child in these United States. Gap.
plause.) And especially is it dear to those
that have recently been liberated in the
Southern States Boston the very name
is music to the ears of the freemen OF the
South. You may go into any of their
schools and the name of Massachusetts,, and
especially the name of Boston, brightens the
countenance of every child in that school,
because they know the good that they have
received at your hands. What shall say
o-night will be mostly of the state of af-
fairs in my native State of Carolina, and
commence by telling you that we have some
rebels down there yet daughter and APP
plause) The colored people have enjoyed
the privilege of participating in two cleo
lions. 1t has been said, and it is still claim
ed by the Democratic party in the North
and by party in the South calling them
selves Conservatives that are acting In con-
cert with the Copperhead, Democratic party
in the North-it has been SAID that the Re
publican party has inflicted a great wrong
upon the white people of this country by
granting to the colored people of the South
the right of the ballot. 1t was claimed by
our enemies in the North, re-echoed by our
enemies in the South, that the colored peo-
pie were too ignorant to vote. 1t may he
so, in their opinion, daughter and applause)
but it was also claimed that if they voted
at all they would vote in whatever direction
that their former masters gave them. The
reverse has been true (Applause) 1t was
claimed that We are too ignorant to compre
bend and to properly appreciate and enjoy
liberty in its broadcast sense. 1t may be so;
but one thing, Mr. President and ladies and
gentlemen, can assure you, and 1t Is this
| That in all of the ignorance in winch slave
ry has placed and in which the abolition of
| slavery has left them, in all this Ignorance
| YOU cannot find a black man iii the South
| that is ignorant enough to be rebel. loud
and prolonged applause) After the colored
people were enfranchised, when these lead
ing gentlemen in the South saw that the
thing was fixed, some of them came to rhe
conclusion after all that these "niggers"
Tbn ,,uactinp with
them now is how will they votes. Will they
vote for us9 The colored people said no,
and they acted it out The first election we
held in North-C Carolina for the purpose of
eectIng delegates to the State Convention
to frame Constitution for that State in ac
cordance with the requirements of Congress,
the colored people were threatened. Every
means were resorted to for the purpose of
intimidating them. They were told if they
| voted with the 6 carpet-baggers," rs they
| called the Northern gentlemen QaughterO
with those scalawags"-and every loyal
white man is white trasli-if you vote with
those people we will turn you off our FARMS
we will refuse to give you work and we will
starve you out. The colored people listened
to all they had to say but invariably voted
just the other way. daughter and applause.)
And they were told this in the last election
by this Conservative party in North Carroll
ma especially, and I presume it was the same
in all the Southern States for it is a broth
er to your Knights of the Golden Circle dur
| ing the war, or, in other words, it is nothing
more than dignified term for rebel when
a man says he is a Conservative. applause
and cries of that's soy Iwould not mis-
| state the case. I would not say here that ev
cry man that votes with the Conservative
| party in North Carolina, or that every man
| that acts with or belongs to that party is
rebel, would not say that; but l can say
this, and say it with the truth, that every
rebel in the South belongs to the so-called
Conservative party. loud applause)-
| Their only hopes of success are in the So
called Democratic party of the North for
they told the colored people, and the hard
working white people of North Carolina
for we have $4,000 loyal white people IN
that State just as loyal as you have been in
Massachusetts, (cheers) if you join your po-
litcal destiny with this short-lived, social
ed Radical carpet bagged" :" scalawag :"
"nigger" party, before twelve months the
great, National Democratic party in the
North, that is now growing so streng and
| vast VIII iioO w III no w SNGCp
them from the face of the earth and down
you will come with it. We knew they told
a story when they said they were going to
establish Southern Confcderacy, and we
thought they were telling one then. Their
only hope is the growth of this Democratic
party in the North. They hope by this party
getting into power that they will be able to
get back into the Union into full fellowship,
possessed of all the rights and all the priv
ileges of Union soldiers who fought the
battles of the country and preserved this
Union. That is what they hope to do
Well, now, who are these men that compose
this so-called Conservative party9 Why,
sir, they are the very men that created this
war. Their sympathies to-day are stronger
for any aristocratic government in Europe
than they are for the government of these
United States. (Cries OF that's so and
cheers.) These are the very men that
brought on this war. They are the very
men-I speak what l know-who carried
devastation and misery throughout the
State and bathed that State in some of the
best blood of her sons These are the very
+ men that have hung up mourning all over
the land, and made q vacant spot upon al
most every hearth stone, and have created
hundreds of widows and thousands of or
phan children in the State of North Carroll
ma. And now, having been foiled, defeated
and vanquished they hold out their hands,
yet crimson with the blood of the innocent
men that they have sacrificed on the altar of
slaughter, and this miserable, copperhead,
Democratic party in the North is reaching
out its hands to receive them. (Cheers.)-
These are the gentlemen who assume the
modest and beautiful appellation of con.
servatism daughter and cheers)