The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1876-09-08
A Notable Speech.

Kew. Thomas Brown, colored, delivered
a notable speech in New Orleans, August
10th, in which he said:
FriendS-It has been over thirteen years
since the famous emancipation proclama-
ton was issued by Abraham Lincoln, Presi-
dent of the United States 1t has been
over eleven years since the termination of
the war which sealed the certainty of that
proclamation and established our freedom
beyond all question. 1t is now time for
us to pause and reflect upon past events,
and then contemplate the prospects of the
future. The history Of the past frequently
affords guide for the future.
AT the close of the war we were surround
ed by pretended PATRIOTS who said they
were our friends, that they had left their
families, their homes, and periled their
lives in our behalf, when in truth and fact
the most Of them were only political bum
mers following the army for speculation
and spoils. Under the specious but false
pretence of being our real friends, they
have proven themselves to be our worst
enemies. AS our special friends and
guardians and for fear that our former
owners might take advantage of us and de-
prive us of our earnings and the bounty
given us by the government, they establish
ed that tremendous fraud called the Freed
mems Savings Bank and Trust Company,
chartered by Congress, with its headquar-
tiers atWashington and branches in all the
Southern States. In this institution our
pretended friends advised us to deposit
our money as fast rs we could earn it,
The coored people had two hundred and
Thirty thousand dollars deposited iii the
branch at New Orleans when the concern
bursted.
Our friends had been so anxious to keep
us from squandering our money that they
had taken it out of the bank to some place
of safety, perhaps to embellish their North
ern homes, leaving in the bank building
nothing but the bank furniture which was
sold for thirty thousand dollars.
When the time for reconstruction had
arrived these patriots had such t II Ter
regard for our welfare that they were willing
to hold all the important offices in the II ,tr,
Just to see that we got our forty acres OF
land and mule each. We spurned and
set aside our real friends WHOM ere inter
ested in the prosperity of the State, and
voted for strangers who cared nothing tor
race or color or country, SO that they would
enrich themselves.
Now what have we gained by this un-
wise course. 1t is true that few colored
persons have been permitted to hold unim-
portant offices, just to delude the balance
| But what advantage is that to the thous-
ands out of employment? All enterprise
has been stopped; all the resorces of the
| State have been absorbed, our State and
people impoverished. The expenses of this
city from 1st January, 1865, to the LIST Jan,
| 1875, was over $G5,000, 900, and its share
of the expenses of the State $4,000, 900
making over one hundred and eight mil
lions of dollars ($lO9,00O,000)
1t is high time for us to have a change
in the State Government. Some say if we
elect Democrats they may prove to be dis
honest That might be the case, but il
would be impossible to get a worse Get OF
officers than we have had for the past eight
years. If we elect men identified with the
country, and who have property here, they
could not vote away the public money
without feeling the effect Oft themselves
and the money would be expended in the
State, which would give employment to
hundreds now out of work, and whose
families are suffering for the necessaries Of
life
The colored people in Alabama have
taken wise course and voted by thous
ands for Democrats. That State, under q
fair election, has given over forty thousand
majority to the Democrats. believe that
if the colored people were left to vote as
they pleased in this State, the Conserva
ve-Democratic ticket for State officer.
would be carried by nearly that MAORI
ty.
The is another delusiou which our self
styled carpet-bag friends are trying t.
practice ON the people of the North
They talk about intimidation, and know
by experience that the coored people her,
have been threatened and intimidated, bu
the intimidation used has been to keep III
from voting the Conservative ticket.
| have been told in a threatening name
that colored people had no right to vot
the Democratic ticket, and have called
on white friend, who always votes TIN
the Republican ticket, but who is can
did man, and asked him if it was right o
if coorcd persons had right to vote tina
ticket, and he told me that we had til
! right to do so, and if we thought that i
was for our interest to vote for Democrats
, we ought to have the manliness to do sc
}, Myself with great many Others col
S ored persons, voted the Conservative tickle
0 at the last election, and we intend to do s
e again. am satisfied that with fair cleo
+ tion we will carry the State by over 20, 90
C majority; but | will not be satislie
: with that, for / want my race to come t
o the rescue, and redeem themselves from til
v thraldom of misrue under which the
- - have been held for the past eight year
! and swell the majority to such an extel
n as to make Louisiana the banner State ov
Is Alabama, or any other State, Then "
v. would see New Orleans improve and Il
te State prosperous, and laborers find VOL
y. with liberal wages and sure pay.