The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-11-04

! tnelr nanus tnerc was I,osslnllltN oil
I progress +; that, protected by bayoncts,
| there was no possible hone of advance
ment. | urged and maintained that the
| interests of all of us required that the
black man should have thr ballot that lie
might defend himself.
II was also Il question what we should
do with respect TO the southern people
themselves--the southern White people |
| mean. No man can deny that they had
contested Il bad cause WITH courage. No
one can doubt the Drawer, of the rebels.
They gave the highest possible evidence
OF their sincerity. They risked their
lives for their cause. The question was.
what shall be done with ,hemf' | in
sisted that they. as we, were but the vic
tins of an inevitable causc, that no one
of us could control, and that enough
blood had been shed and the armies
should be dlshanded. insisted. too,
that bygones should be bygones; that no
slave should BE paid tor; that no debts OF
the rebel states should tc assumed or
paid that the condition OF the people, ;s
the war lett il, was Gcplorable enough.
The Republican party snd "A portion of
the Democratic party, anxious to settle
these questions forever, amended the con-
stitulion SO Is TO declare that the black
men who were free should be Tree tor
ever and we made it fundamental law
OF the republic that slavery should meyer
exist on this continent. And. thank
God the flag OF our country will never
again float over the head OF bondman.
II is now the flag of the free In its broad
est and best sense.
1t is with to-day that We have to do.
You must discharge the duties Of to-day.
And when we reach that other world we
shall have TO answer there for the deeds
done in the body. 1t will be no response
10 say sinned to-day. but | was right
eous yesterday. These practical duties
rest upon us every day. they have told
me that Mr.. Tilden had been opposed to
the Republican party during all this
time. | said knew one thing: That
Tilden was wrong all The time he was OPP
posing us. But at the same time what
has that to do with the requirements OF
to-day: | said to them-and | made
some Of my friends mad By that remark
i said, have forgiven great many
men for mistakes just as serious as that
of being member of the Chicago con-
veution OF 1864. They wanted to know
what mistakes. l SAID some years ago l
voted for my friend John Logan Tor con-
gress. Laughter. | reco!lect the time
when he and were both in the legisla-
ture. In 1853 he prepared q bill, and. be-
cause some OF my friends NAY think | am
giving n chance TO ace for themselves, |
will refer them to page 81 OF the session
laws of 1888. There YOU will find the
law that am about to speak of. | say
remember when We were both members
of the legislature. | of the senate and he
of the house. lie prepared a bill that
passed. that provided for the
PUNISHMENT OF ANY BLACK
Man or woman that came into this state
to reside. Tie tine, believe, was fifty
dollars for the first otfense: and the
bill further provided that when the fine
was imposed upon the coiored man or
woman or child. they should be sold TO
pay the fine tc the man who would pay
the fine for the shortest service. Ii a
negro staid in the state ten days after he
had served his first term. he was 10 be
fined again. and he was to be fined and
sold until Providence. kinder than some
politicians. furnished him relief from this
oppressive Illinois law. | had forgiven
John Logan for that an voted for him
[Laughter.1 That same law contained
another provision. | want YOU To look
u
provision that il any person should
bring any slave into this state TO set him
free. that person that brought the slave
should be fined and imprisoned. Now.
a colOred man came to me.
who had escaped from the rebel works.
was taken sick in jane, 1852, nearly
unto death. This cO!orcd man came
home with me, nurSed me. aud took care
OF me, and in the tall of 1852, the
GRAND JURY INDICTED NE
under John Logan's law. ! was tried
like a horse thief under that Internal law
i cheers in Macoupin county. y Jury
was called, ana the case OF the State OF
Illinois against John NJ. Palmer came
on. GOT up TO address the Jury of
twelve men. had brought the colored
man into court and there lie sat. But
there was Just one thing necessary one
fact to be proyell--and that they could
not make out. and that was that the man
was slave. 1 said 10 them gentle
men OF the jury, know half OF you want
to convict me, | know you cant do it,
because you cannot prove that this man
was slave. There he sits, an honest
man, that knows the fact you want to
prove, but you have an Internal law that
won't allow him TO testify because he is
black. You have got 10 find me not
guilty although you believe am. Now"
said |, there is petition 10 the iegisla-
ture. When you bring in your verdict
that am not guilty you ought to ask
your legi. lature to repeal that internal
law" and they signed that petition.
gave him Tor that. Laughter. Why:
| n = al
Now | iorgaye Tilden, and am going to
vote tor him. Why: Because | have a
use for Iilden. That is all. Laughter.
lie will be elected president upon the
ground that he l. 10 be- my servant, and
not my master. | am voting for presi-
dental candidate upon the same princi-
pie that you hire man TO cut corn. You
hire HIM because he will do your work.
don't propose to ask him any questions
about what he did while ago. just now
we want, as the opponent OF tins man
Gov. Hayes, just such a man as you are,
10 perform this service that the country
needs 10 be performed. All. but they
say "li yOn elect rilden, you have got
10
PAY THE REBEL DEBT"
Well, that would be terrible calamity.
The payment OF the rebel debt? OF
course, that don't mean the payment tor
emancipated slaves, tor ! have shown
that the constitution prohibits that. 1t
don mean the payment or the assum-
ton OF debts contracted by the states in
support of the rebellion, or the consti-
tuition prohibits that. II means the pay
melt Tor property destroyed by the
army. know that if You were TO COM
mence that you might work for 20 years
and you could not pay the amount de-
stroYed by our armies In the southern