Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1870-05-09
a Black Demosthenes.

q
in May, 1869, by Henry Dpyei, col1red, on
the subject OF the adoption or rejection pf
the Scalaway Constitution, disilanchisiag
twenty thousand Il the must Intelligent
white citizus nj the State, which C6lsti,u-
ton was voted down By tie cy!oTod vote in
June, 1869.
Ny CoLoRED FRIESDs:
Isppear today in yorr interest alone The
white man is able 10 take care of himself aud
as YOU can all see | have not one drop Of white
/ blood in my veins, talghter.l lam aregular,
od-ashoned, plain corn-fsd niger, and have
not the capacity @ instruct white pcople as 10
/ their duties, even ii had the wilt was a
slave from my BIRTH always eadeavored To
serve my master faithfully according TO that
letter of the Bible which reads: Servants, be
obelient unto your masters, for this is right"
And | can lay my hand upon my heart to-day
aud say before God, that entertain noili-will
toward any white man on earth and least Of
all toward my old master aud his sons, whom
| loved rs my own brothers, aud with whom
I played in boyhood. To al our neighborho0d
r0mps frolicS, and fights ifor boys will fight
they stood at my back aSI dd at theirs when
ever it came to tho pinch, and, thank God, |
will Go 50 yet. will stand by them SO long
as they stand by me, whether the oppression
Z comes from the Yankees. or from whatever else
it may. Whenever Il comes 20 my making
choice between white men, shah prefer those
Of my own section tn all the carpet-baggers in
the world. There amt very much difference
between white men and Yankees, aud when
ever you find it at all You'll find in the white
mans favor. White folks are all cut pretty
much oue Of the same cloth, aud both sections
have made their love for the niggers subseryo
their own interests. as all men are selfish by
nature and caLt help i, aal l can't blanc
them.
When the late war broke out, am free 20
acknowledge, was mighty glad oft. Isomo-
how felt that my freed IN Was going to como
ont Of it some way or Other aud, rs | am
perhaps rs selfish rs white man tell you
didn't do--well, didn't cry much at tho
prospect. Well, when tie FIRST company left
my county for 50 old Virinny" 10 tight the
Yankees, ! enlisted with tho balance Of them,
and went along as first cook and head waiter
for one Of my young masters. bad q pretty
good time, too, for while tAc white folks were
out fighting an1 marching, aud suffering aud
diving, ! was lying back with the meat and
bread wagons ! felt, for once ia my life. II
was pretty good thing 10 be a uiggor after
all-f0r the white nan wouldn't let ne fight
alongside Of him aud after | heard the first
shell 20 OF, G,d knows wasn't very anxious
70 DO 1t either. knew if / had bccn along
on the Yankee side wouldn't have bad snch
easy time for as selfish as the Yankee is, be
never objected TO getting somebody 10 do his
fighting for him whenever he could Not he
Some folks say he was willing enough to let
the South DO il all during TIE Mexican war.
I l.. 81 a.
the white folks talk. Ny young master came
IL one nj yht after battle, and says hc Hen
ry. we've lust had biz six hours fight We
whipped the ID Yankees Ike smoke and
drove EN- thiity-siX miles Thinks | 10 my
sell, " IInmph! pHtty good dyUng-all IA
sly hours, too" Bot ho&P ot people think
the niger is fol.
Well. | sorter thought. maybe, the Yankees
were really fighting % free the Nuggets. Rlg
they didn't keep the wool over my eyes long.
/ watched en- mighty close. Ono day tho
news came into camp that Mr.. Lincoln had
done issued bis proclamation, saying that il
Slr. Davi, would lay down his arms and come
back into the Union aud 90 to paying tarR
a.aiu tire Sualbcln people might have their
Higgcrs. Thinks ] humphl Mighty poor
chance to get any freedom from YOU. IIr Lin
loug time / had the blues 80 bad WAS a.
most black. think in two weeks 1 foil on
twenty pounds. was 50 'lr4d Mr Davis was
going to do il / conldnt sleep. But by-and-by
the good word came that Mr.. Davis said "bod
be d---d If he'd do any such thing ! aiu't
Fighting for ncgers-let the nigsers %; I'm
after my own freedom frst before anything else
in the wod.' | tell youmy heart jnmpcd night
I I'LL E.H
Davis He's my man. Al, nay friends, if
the Yankees bad been in Mr. Davis place you'd
been in a cotton patch to-day, with tho whip
after you, instead Of sitting up here in THO
courthouse hearing me speak But don't you
see the difference between the Southern man
and the Northern man The Northern man
never missed the chance Of taking care Of tho
dimes first.
And now the carpet-tagserg come here aat
tell us they are our friends, and tue Southern
people our enemies they tell NJ they ses us
free. Oh, yes, they've done it all, no doubt.
/ They set us free about Ike Ben Br.lcr .ct to
spoons free They done i; all 10 lelp tLe
/ Yankees and to injurc the Southern man they
can't fool this niger. know who brought
the negro 10 this county in The first place
the Northern man brought US here aud when
they began to lose money On the niger they
put the niger in their pocket-sold him down
South, and then. to keep tie South in the L.
Mon - make her pay taxes, they turn around
anl set the IisgeT aud tue mules and spoons
free; and they wouldn't have set anything
/ free excepting the spoons If they could have
7 got the South back into tie Union without IT,
They promised him the forty acres aud the
mule" know five niggerS that starved plum
to death waiting for that mule and that forty
acres. Id ike to know where the carpet-bsg-
ger got lis forty acres! You all rememb Der the
devil took the Lord up into high mountain,
and promised If he'd fall down aud serve him
he'd give him the whole world and the old
scoundrel knew all the time lie didn't ogn ,
foot Of land on the continent.
The carpet-baggcrs ask ne tocast my vote to
keep the white folks down. Now all ever
wanted was 70 get 90 a level with the white
man. Ineyer wanted 70 get above aim. They
say q niger is better than a white mau Ia
Cincinnati. Well that may be the tTnth---!n
Cincinnati. But il aint true here. II Is. my
interest TO stand BY the Southern men, AID It's
my wish, too. Whatever law is made TO affect
the white mans plantation aiso affects my 1T
tie cotton-patch in the same way. The three
cent tax on cotton hurts me worse than II does
the white man. But It puts money in the
Yankees pCckcts