The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1874-02-28

other Representatives of our race who
occupy seats in the National Legislature.
You know with what discretion aud
ready zeal the. Honorable j II. Rainey.
has entered the debates which ha We
arisen from time to time upon the sub
ject of our civil rights. His just, thoug Oh
causic, rebuke of Mr.. Cox is fresh In
your memory. The Honorable A. j.
Ransicr has proved himself to be your
Jealous aud able champiou in Congress, as
you have long known him to be in othor
places. The effort oflIonorable Il. II
Cain, in reply to Mr. Robbins, of North
Carolina, has commanded the att tention
OF Congress aud Of the country, and hhs
added 10 the well earned laurels Of this
distinguished cha npion of our rights
Long may you be represented by men Of
equal ability, zeal, prudcn &C and fidelity.
With such Representatives to sustain
our cause, victory cannot be long
delayed.
But, fellow. izens, not only have we
national interests and national duties,
but we have home interests and home
duties The guarantee of The fullest
measure of civil rights by the national
Congress is not all that we need. That
will give US the opportunity only to
prove our iitucss to possess aud use those
rights.
should fall short Of my duty on this
occasion if did not draw your attention
to the immediate and commanding
necessity of a change in the character Of
our administration Of the public affairs
Of this State
Fellowcitizcns, approach this sub
ject from the stand point Of a street
Republican. If there be any nun here.
or in this State, who eau impcach or
gainsay my Republican record, let him
come forward. II there be any one who
can show longer more untiriny or
consistent service of the Republican
party, | challenge him to appear What
ray to night, say aS Republican,
standing on the identical platform which
the Republican party so!emnly put forth
to the world as the expression Of til
political faith ofthc Republican purity
of South Carolina, on the 2}l day Of
August, 1872. Upon that pl;trnrln
still stand. If others have wandered
from it, l have not. The pledges con
tained in that platform are still binding
on my conscience vnd honor. Those
pledges / must uud shall rcelccu.
Fellow-ctizcns, no man can cxagger
ate or overstate the critical ch ,racter Of
our present political situation upon the
fortunes of the colorcd race For cen
turies our history has been mark cd by
oppression in all its forms, at the hanls
Of the white race Of this country. We
were that stricken and pitiable people
whom the world seemed to believe was
brought into existence solely for the
service of the white races of he earth.
The pathetic miscries, the hopeless
subordinations of our race, have formed
one OF the most deeply tragic features Of
the worlds history. At last, the in
stincts ofhumanity, the divine sense of
human brotherhood, have re ognizcd us
rs men, entitled to the ri hts of men.
worthy to be clothed with the powers
and responsibilities Of self gov ycrniug
citizens
The vastncss and rapidity of this
change in our civil and political conli
tion has 10 parallel. Many have, at
every stage of our progress, predicted
our failure. With what confidence did
men foretcll that the colored man of the
South would not work except undor the
spur Of the task masters lash Yet the
crops OF the South, for the lust iour
years, are more than equal i'll amount to
the crops Of any fout years during the
days OF slavery. How confidently was
it said that tho colured man had no
sense Of prudence, no provision for to.
IN orrow-dly Dasking in the sunshine
of to-day, and laying up nothing for the
morrow. Yet one Of the most marked
results Of freedom has Dccn the uniycr
sal and uuconquerable desire of our race
in these Southern States to secure
homes aud lands of their own II has
been our rcproach with the white man