Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-06-24

stEtutI0n 8,Ess. d ne n isknE Twenty Thou.
sand al the n,"4t intelIIgent White Cit
Jzens OF tin state, which Constitution
was Voted Down by the CoiOred Vote in
June, 1868
M Colo, ed F,'teu6s--1 appear here to.
day in your interest alone. The white man
is able to take care of himself and, as
you can all see, ] have not one drop of
white blood in my veins laughter. [ am
a regular, ol,!- Fashioned, plain, corn field
nigger, and have moi the capacity to in
strdct white people as to their duties, even
if hal the will. ! was slave from my
birth-1 always endeavOred IL serve my
master faithfully according to that letter OF
the Bible which roads: ''Servants, be ODE
dent unto your III lsters, for this is right. "
And can lay my hand upon my heart to-
day and say, before God, that | entertain
no iii will toward any white man on the
earth, and least Of all toward my CID master
and his sons, whom [ loved as my broth
ers, and with whom L played in boyhood.
In ali our neighborhood romps and frolics
and fights (for boys will tight), they stood
at my back, as l did at theirs. whenever it
came to the pinch, laughter1 aHd, thank
God, [ will DC so yet. [ will stand by them
so long as they stand by me, whether the
oppression comes from the Yankees or from
wherever else it may. Whenever it comes
to my making choice betwet Il white men,
l shall prefer those OF my own section to
ali of the carpct-baggeEs IN iho world
Laughter and applause There ain't very
much difference between white men and
Yankees laugh and wherever you find
it at all, you'll tiEd it III the white mans ia
vOr White folks are all cut pretty much
out Of the same cloth. and both sections
have made their love for the uiggerS sub
serve their own interests, os all men are
selfish by nature and can't help it, and /
can't blame them.
When tho late war broke out [ am free
to acknowledge, l was mighty glad of it
[ somehow felt that my freedom was GO
ing to come out Of it some way or other.
and as | am perhaps as selfish as n white
man, l tell you [ didn't-well, didn't cry
much at the prospect. Well, when the
first company left my country for sc Old
Virginny" to fight the Yankees I enlisted
with the balance of them, and went
along as first cook and head waiter for
one Of my Young masters. [ had pretty
good time, too for while the white folks
were out fighting and marching, and
and dying, was laying back with
the meat and bread wagons. Laughter.
| felt for once in my life it was pretty
good thing to be u niger after all F.; for
the white man would not let me fight
of him, and after I heard the
first shell go off, God knows I wasn't very
anxious to DO it either. Renewed laugh
ter l knew if had been along on the
Yankee side wouldn't have had such an
easy time. fox as aolfsh as the Yankee is,
he never objected to getting somebody to
90 his fighting for him whenever he could.
Not he. Loud laughter. Some folks
say he willing enough to let the
South DO it all during the Mexican war.
| Applause.
l used to be right smartly amused hear-
ing the white folks talk. My young master
came in orc night after battle, and says
he, Henry, we've just had a big six
hours fight. We whipped the id Yam
KEGS like smoke, and drove 'em thirty-six
miles" Thinks / to myself, "Humph
pretty good driying-all in six hours too p
Bat heap of people thinks the niger is
4 fool.
We'll L sorter thought. may be, tho Yam
KEGS were really fighting to free the mig
gers. But they didn't keep the wool over
my eyes long. l watched 'em mighty
close One day the news came into camp
that Mr.. Lincoln had done issued his proc
lamation, saying that if Mr.. Davis would
lay down his arms and come back into the
Union and go to paying tariff again the
Southern people might have their niggers!
Thinks I, humph Mighty poor chance
to get freedom from you, Mr.. Lincoln. |
Laughter tell yOu what, / felt mighty
bad for n long time l had tho blnes SO
bad [ was nearly black. Laughter. I |
think in two weeks [ must have fell Oft
twenty pounds. I was so 'fraid Mr.. Davis |
was going to do it l couldn't sleep. But
by and by the word came that Mr.. Davis |
said He'd be id if he'd do any such |
thing. 7 amt fighting for the niggers-
Let the niggers go. I'm after my own |
freedom first before anything else in the |
world" I tell you my heart jumped right |
np liz my mouth. Thinks I, bully for |
Jeff. Davis He's my man! Ah, my |
friends, if the Yankee had been in Mr.. |
Davis place you'd been in the cotton |
3ted Of sitting up here in this court house |
hearing me speak. Laughter But |
lon't you see the difference between the |
Southern man and the Northern man p
The Northern man never missed the chance |
If taking care of the dimes first.
And now the carpet-baggers come here
md tell us they are our friends, and the
Southern people our enemies. They tell |
is they set US free Oh, yes, they'v done
t ali no doubt They set US free about
ike they set the mules free; about like
Ben. Butler set the spoons free. Immense
applause and laughter. They done it all |
~ hCip tiLC At<BACO uhNt tOO
nan. They can't fool this niger. 1 know
who brought the nigger to this country in
he first place. The Northern man brought
Is here, and when they began to lose mo-
ley on the nigger, they pat the niger in
heir pocket-sold him down South, and |
hen. to keep the South in the Union to
make her pay taxes, they turned around |
md set the niger and the mule and the |
spoons free; and they fwouldn't have set
lnything free (excepting the spocnsj if
hey could have the South back in the |
Union without it.
They promise him the forty acres und |
.he mule" / know five niggers that
starved plum to death whiting for that
mule and that forty acres. Laughter. |
"a like to know where the carpet -bagger
got his forty acres You all remember the
levil took the Lord up on high noun
ain, and promised him if he'd fall down
nd serve him he'd give him the whole
world; AMI the old scoundrel knew all the
ime he didn't own foot of land on the
Continent. Great Laughter.
=