Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-07-21

from noble stock, the very best that peopled
the soil Of Carolisa. When make this as
sertion am not Influenced by any partisan
prejudice. do no. speak from hearsay or
mere conjecture. am sustained in what l
say by the Democratic papers of South Caro-
lima. l have in my hands the Nelrs and
Courier. the leading Democratic paper of
the STATE, which contains an article from the
August, Chronicle and Constitutionalist stat
ing the very fact that General Butler went
from Hamburg across the bridge into Angus
ia, saw young men over there and said to
them : Things over in Hamburg look
squally. Young men, We may want you
over there, this evening. Get yourselves in
readiness" The editor of this Democratic
paper. published in the city Of Augusta,
says that General Butler made use of that
expression. and that those young men, fully
armed, and to the number of two or three
hundred, went over there and, sir, what
are we to say of brave white men who fought
in the Confederate army, coming out in
armed brce to capture and subjugate 10 de-
fenceles negroes, collected in building
where they could not defend themselves ?
These men said that they were will
ing to surrender the few arms they had,
but not until General Butler, or some
one else high in authority, should give them
assurance that they themselves, their lives,
their property, should be secure. Did they
expect rom Gen. Butler any more than Is
accorded to them by the constitution |
bear AIMS as Gen. Butler or anybody else.
Had tsey menaced or threatened any one
while engaged in that parade on the Fourth
of July? No, sir. The whole trouble arose
| because few men. inaamed with whiskey,
and With q determination 10 subdue the ne
gro in the South, told them with threats
that tlev must stand from across the road &,
50 tina; these men might be enabled to drive
By unnolested. Why, sir, Just think of it.
What would be thought Of it here in WASH
irgtn city. when a military company was
paradng on the Fourth of July, if two men
sboull come up in buggy and demand OF
the ofcers that the company should get out
of the way, and. if they did not, should at
once et to work and murder the men of that
military company? | ask you, citizens of
the United States, would you stand it? |
ask 7u, brave men, who fought for your
countE's liberties long before you took part
in thes war Of the rebellion would you
stand il? ask you, proud Southern men,
who boast of your gallantry. your intelli-
gence, and your superiority to my race ;
would you stand it? ask you men Of the
North; who sacrificed your blood and
treasure: who sacrificed the lives Of your
sons and relatives, would you stand il? Do
you, then, expect negroes TO stand all this
/ Do you expect my race to submit meekly N
continual persecution and massacre by these
people in the South? Are you not going to
allow Us any right of self-defence In the
name Of my race and my people, in the
name Of humanity, IN the name Of God,
ask you whether We are to be American
citizens, with all the rights and immunitieS
of citizens, or whether we are to be yasSals
and slaves again? | ask you to tell Us
whether these things are to % on,so that we
may understand now and he1ceiorth what
we are to expect.
At the expiration fhis time, Mr.. Rliney
produced editorials from the Charleston
Ners and Courier. cOndemning the killing
Of the prisoners, with other extracts upon
the same subject. Mr. Rainey's speech
was delivered win great earnestness and
feryor, and was listened to with marked
attention.