The union Democrat. [volume] (Sonora, Calif.) 1854-1946, 1871-07-29
Stump speech OF Former slave Of Gencral
Gaines. I'm Texas.


speech of Matt. Gaines, the eolored State Sem
ator from Washington, TO his constituents,
from which we make tins entertaining ex-
tract:
The carpet-baggers seem to be in great
trouble. I'll Just give them what they want
aud let them go home. leave the Southern
Pacific and the Emigration bills, and take
nv text on the carpet-hagger.
Whet is called the Republican party IS not
the Republican party at all. The black men
of Texas are the real Republican party. You
pussthe black men on one side and the Demo-
Gratis on the other. and the scattering white
men who call themselves Republican in the
middle, and they would not be strong enough
to lift flea into Office. | refer to the stats
ties of my own county. The white vote is
,55S, aud only twenty-five of them vote the
Republican ticket. The colored voteis ,, AS,
and they are all Republicans. It is time to
look at the great power we possess. 1t is a
sin to have power and not TO use it. We
could put a bull into Office if we wanted to-
John Hancock said that when negroes voted,
jacks aud mules ought to vote. We have the
strength in this district to send o iackass to
Congress. Yes, jack or jimmy, if you Ike.
1t is time for colored people to wake up.
Little fellows like Clark came down here
from Connecticut when everything was in a
state Of distraction. We were nnorganized,
and did not know what to do, and we took
them up, bebsailed coat, tight pants, little
sold-headed cane, and all, and we have fed
them long enough on our own chicken-pie.
They are unthritty stock. There is no come
out in them. am better fitted for Congress
than Clark, and there woald be more pro-
priety IN my being there by the side of Gree
ley and Sumner. These grand Republicans
like Ruby from Maine, come down here ard
| would make you believe that they fought the
whole war through by themselves, and that
they tore Vcksburg down with their own
hands for your freedom, and they will sleep
in your beds with you, no matter how lousy.
No more pulling wool over our eyes. There
are some old black men here Who havedanced
to the music of the dinner-horn. and not
much dinner at that, and who deserved chick
en-pie, and are better worthy of position than
the imported little worms that have crawled
into SO MANY Offices. Those little fellows are
too weak to plow and to small to breed.
Give your proyender to better stock. They
will wear out our malorties. They never
had a decent suit of clothes till they came
down here from Connections, or thereabouts,
and got office. They used to lounge round
my desk at Austin, and use my stationery,
ard call me Senator Gaines. When they got
| Office, it was Mr.. Gaines, and after o while
| il was Matt. am tired of such fellows living
at our expense. There is no use in having
strength unless you use it. IF a white man
comes along with little sugar on stick ana
! promises you everything. remember it was
white uen who, in 1856, passed law to
brand you on the cheek with the letter G.,
and to have you punished with the bull-whip.
He cannot prove to me that he is all at once
the best friend to the black man. After FIVE
years war, the result is that the black man,
| if monkey with a tail FIVE feet long, is a
freeman and a voter. Frank P. Blair, the
great Missouri leader, said that the Four
tenth and Fifteenth Amendments were lille
gal and Seymour, the great champion, said
if they were. he would put them down with
the army and navy. If the Democrats get
into power up 60 the Fourteenth and Fif-
tenth Amendments, and all negroes will
have to take back seats. These old black
fellows that have strange sights, and ought
to be in Congress, and would be, if the wool
had not been pulled over their eyes, are made
to stand back Gen. Clark has got proud in
Congress, and | tell you he has worn his
tight pants and switched his gold-headed
cane long enough at our expense. Where
are the school houses he promised us? Not
here. The United States has paid him for
all he has done, and we owe him nothing.
| Stephenson, like the rest; came down here
to speculate on the black man, and be has
been paid too. There are plenty of them in
the district. They hardly speak to you now,
and won't shake hands. But iast before the
election, they will knock at your door before
daylight to let you know they are candidates.
and will eat With you out of the dirty skillets.
1t almost makes me a Democrat to think of
such fellows. But was not raised Demo-
craft graduated in the cotton-feld college,
Under the penal code, if G. T. Ruby had
come to Galveston. he would have been on
the footing of j slave. He went against the
most important measure OF the session, my
amendment to the immigration bill. il 100
white men come, we have that much less ma
jority. If 600 whites and no blacks come,
we will soon be in minority, and then
Clark and his sort win hunt feather in the
| Democratic CAP to hide under. Yes, all these
| fellows will that have been making us big
promises, and that we have been carrying on
our backs.
Much is said about taxes, and the Demo-
Gratis say they are groaning under them.
Glad of it. Let them groan. / have got
| s., 600 worth of property, and | like to-pay
taxes on it. It's my privilege. You can't
buy any land. They won's sell it to you.
Your old masters didn't give you any land
or horses. The United States failed to con-
| fiscase them. and the constitution failed to.
There is no war left but to tax and SELL, so
as to get cheap homes. If there is any vir-
tue in taxation, we will tax and until we tax
them ont OF their lands. When they had the
right to brand me on the jaw [ paid no tax.
and had no privilege. If the Democrats had
obeyed the law they would have no tax to
pay. 1t is brought about by their disobedi-
ence. / was smarter than ever. IL they
had asked me | would have told them that
the war would end just as it did, and every
thing they had be subject to confiscation.
We have dealt very lightly with the white
men. been exceedingly kind in not confscat-
/ ing their land and horses.
But you have to pay 81 school tax. The
constitution provides that the legislature
shall establish system of free schools. |
ask YOU as one of that inferior race. If YOU
wouldn't rather live under this government
and par taxes and have your colored police to