Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-09-12

mr. BcONts the ENSb IeuueBhee OOis
Ored Conservative, on ghe stand
A Telling speech to His Race.
soMERv1LLE. TENN, Sept. Q. 1876.
To the Editor of the Ledger:
For some time past the Conserva-
tive party of Fayette county has
been making a special effort to give
the colored voters in our mid t.
some light on the political situa-
ton, and to free them from the
state of slavery into which they had
passed from the very day on which
they were fist given the right of
suffrage. 1t was, therefore, with
no small degree of pleasure that we
learned this morning our efforts
were to receive the efficient aid of
Mr.. Scott, editor Of the Maryyille
Republican, who had kindly con-
sented. to come out to our town
and address the colored people on
behalf of conservatism. And our
whole community return their
thanks to the editor of the LEDGER,
through whose influence and timely
suggestion Mr.. Scott was induced
make us this visit.
1t soon became generally known,
and at 3 o'clock pm. stand was
erected on the west side of the
Square, and large crowd of white
and colored citizens gathered
around to hear the " colored
speaker" from East Tennessee.
Mr.. Scott gave his audience first a
brief history Of who he was and
where from, and then his political
record in our State since the war.
He said his object in coming out
here was more particularly to ad-
dress his colored brethren upon
some political questions in which
he felt their interests were greatly
involved. He then showed them
| how they had been voting blindly,
as a race, for the last eight years,
and without ever once stopping tC
think and reason. for themselves,
but following the leadership Of men
whom they supposed were theil
friends; how those men had useC
them for their own advancement
and utterly disregarded the interest
of the eolored men, and Of the
many deceptionS they had practlcet
on them, and the many false prom
ises they had made them.
He told them how these leaderI
had made them band themselve
together as race against the nativ,
white people and stirred up fear
and iealousies between the tw'
I, races, and all in order that the.
! might gather in the loaves ant
fishes while the poor colored mai
: was lett to take care of himself th
; best way he could. He gave then
a a brief history of the inside work
I ings Of the Radical party in thi
2 State while he was a member Of il
= and how much they hated to see tn
colored men given the right to yot
!, and how they foughtagainst it unit
}. they were finally forced into it. Ii
asked if they had ever known
colored man to hold any office {
profit or honor, and if their leader
is did not always get all of them, j
le then advised them to cease doin
as they had been for the last eigl
wears, to think for themselves, AZ
70 for themselves and vote as the
pleased, and not allow any man {
=. drive them up to the polls in droy,
" like sheep and vote them solidly
: he pleased. That as long as the
permitted this they were in wor.
= bondage than when in slavery b
J advised them to let each one yo
as he pleased, and not denoun
him or tell him he was sold out,
). any of them wanted to vote Il
Conservative ticket. He then ga
them q sketch Of Mr.. Tilden's p
y litical record and the record Of d
ir- Radical administration, adyisn
=, them that their interests called