New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-02-05

people tremendously. That does not seen
to have been the case, if the argument @
the gentleman from North Carolina is cor
rect. Now. look at the fallacy of the gen
tleman's argument. This race of barbara
ans, in spite ofsali their disadvantages, hat
been educated to such an extent that thu
white community of the South were no
afraid of them after their emancipation. Is
not that singular.
: The gentleman further states that TIN
negro race is the worlds stage actor-th,
comic dancer all over the land; that h,
laughs and he dances. Sir, well he may
there are more reasons for his laughing ant
dancing now than ever before. Laughter.
There are more substantial reasons why hi
should be happy now than during all the two
hundred years prior to this time. Now III
dances as an African then he crouchcd AZ
slave. Laughter and applause.]
The gentleman further states that not more
than eighteen hundred negroes were killed
during the four years of the war. The gentle
man forgets some battles he forgets Vicks
burg; l presume he does not remember
Petersburg; he does not know anything o
Fort Pillow. He knows nothing about al
the great achievements of the black mcr
while Sherman,,s army was moving on tc
victory. He fOrsets who entered Charleston
first; he i0rgets who entered Richmond first;
he iorgcts all this in the blindness of his
prejudice against race of men who have
indicated themselves so nobly on the
battlefield. But l will grant the gentleman
the charity of dwelling no longer on that
point.
Mr.. Speaker, the gentleman states thai
during the struggle for freedom four millions
OF negroes lifted no hand to liberatc them
selves; that no stroke was made by them to
deliver themselves from their thralldom; YET
few moments aiterward he makes the state
ment that their kind-heartedness prevented
them from rising up and destroying the wives
and children Of the rebel soldiers who were
at the front. L accept the admission. Sir,
there dwells in the black mans heart too
much nObleness> and too much charity to
strike down helpless women and children
when he has chance to do so. No; though
the liberty OF our race was dear to us, we
would not purchase it at such desperate
price as the staying of helpless women and
children, while their husbands and fathers
were away. l would scorn the men of my
race foreverif they had lifted their hands at
such period as that against helpless women
and children, who were waiting in silent anX-
icty the return of their natural and lawful
protectors. Our strong black arms might
have destroyed every vestige of their homes;
our torches might have kindled a fire that
would have lighted up the whole South, SC
that every southern man fighting in the army
would have FASTENED back to find his home
in ashes. But our race had such nobleness
of heart as to fOrbcar in an hour of such cX.
tremitv, and leave those men their wives and
children.
Sir, mean no disrespect to the gentle.
man, but think the facts will bear me out
in the statement that on every occasion on
the battlefield where the black man met the
white man of the South there was no finch.
ing, no turning back, on the part Of the black
man. He bravely accepted his part in the
struggle for liberty or death.
The gentleman says he still looks upon the
whites as the superior race. That may be
the case in some respects; but, sir, if they
educated us they certainly should not fine
fault with us if we follow out what they have
taught, and show ourselves obedicnt ser
wants.
But, Mr.. Speaker, there is another point
The gentleman states that we would make
no movement to achieve our liberty. Why
sir, the education which those gentlemen
gave the southern slaves was Of peculiar
kind. What school-house in all the Soutl
was open to the colored race? Point t.
one. Name the academy where you edu
Gated black men and black women as law
yers or doctors, or in any other department.
of science or art. Point out the county
Give us the name of the district. Tell tn!
name of the school commissioner. Name
the teacher. will name one. Her name
was Miss:.Douglas. And for the attempt tt
educate those of our race she was incar
cerated in prison, and remained there fol
five years. That is the only instance, so ia
as remember, of the education of the col
ored people of the South.
Examine the laws of the South, and YOU
will tindthat 1t was penal Oflensc for an,
one to educate the colOredp people there. YET
these gentlemen come here and upbraid Il:
you robbed us for two hundred years. Dur
ing all that time we tOiled for you. We have
raised your cotton, your rice, your corn. W.
have attended your wives and your children
We have made wealth for your support ant
your education, while we were slaves, toll
ing without pay, without the means of edu
cation, and hardly of sustcnancc. And yet
YOU upbraid us for being ignorant call us a
horde of barbarians! Why, sir, it is ill
becoming in.the gentleman to tell us Of OH
barbarisn, after he and his have been edu
eating lis for two hundred years. If New
England charity snd benevolencc had no
accomplished more than your education ha
done we would still be in that condition.
thank the North for the charity and noble
ness with which it has come to our relief
The North has sent forth those leading ideas
which hrve spread like lightning over thu
land; and the negro was not so dumb ant
not so obtuse that he could not catch thu
light, and embrace its blessings and enjo.
them. Sir, 1 hurl back with contempt al
the aspersions of the gentleman on the othe
side against my race. There is but very littl
difference, even now, between the conditOl
of the whites of the South and the condition
of the blacks of the South. l have giycl
some attention to the statistics of education
in the Southern States. find this pregnan
fact, that there is about IL per cent. NOR
ignorance existing among the whites in tn
South than there is among the colOred peopl
in the South, notwithstanding the slavery G
the colored race. wish had the report
here, that might show the gentleman no,
the facts stand in reference to his own Stat
especially, because, If l remember correctly
his State shows there is prepOnderatins
aggregate of ignorance in the State Of Mort
Carolina, amounting to GO per cent. and up
ward, compared with the entire number {
inhabitants in that State.
Tell us of our ignorance-the ignorance
of the colsred race! Why, Mr.. Speaker, i
appears to me to be presumption ON the par
OF the gentleman to state that we've whor
they have wroDged, whom they have out
ragged, whom they have robbed, whose swea
and toll they have had the benefit of for tw
hundred years whose labor, whose wive:
whose children, have been at their beck an
CALI say it ill-becomes them to taunt u