Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-08-05

1
Gives the Democrats Their Due,
and Tells the Blacks Particularly
why They should BecOme Inde-
Pendent-Hc is Applauded a Liitle
aud Jeered Considerably = As TO
Impression, He is n Faiiure-An
| Itching Crowd who wanted TO Hut
Daren't-TOo Cool for n MOb-Still
'ROund like an Apples
Early Tuesday evening a knot of men
gathered in front of the City Hall in
anticipation of the sp, ech which was TO
bs delivered 10y John II. Harris. The
sable Democrat appeared early and moved
about the front until about o'clock, when
the Town Hall was lighted up and the
crowd began to assemble inside to the
number of about $50. Before the clock
struck 8 Harris mounted the familiar
rosirum and got ready for business. There
was no adornment or anything to relieve
the baroness of the place his liberal
SLOUGH hat and glass of water. There
were no preiminaries and the orator pro-
ceeded with his speech without loss of
time.
lie opened with tho declaration that he
was negro from whose eyes, HI well ~
from those of thousands Of others, the
light of the new sra He stated his posi-
iion in the ranks of the Democratic party,
aud claimed that the republican party
did not enfrsnchise the negro. The col
orrd people, he said, owed their emanci-
pntion to circumstances which grew out of
the civil war. He asked his hearers to
remember that the liberation of the slave
was effected by force of arms, but that it
never was the intention of the north to |
free the black man.
After u pause he asked, Who formed
the Democratic partyf Is it not as good
now AZ it WAS when formed by Washing |
ron2 Who sigued the Declaration of
Independence Were there any Republic
can names to that document? No; that
instrument was signed by Democrats.
| will tell you why l AN Democrat.
The party which claims to have freed my
race, in the past stole my ancestors from
the sunny shores OF Africa, They kept
| them M slaves until 1t was found that
they were no longer paying property,
| when they sold them to their
brethren in the South. Then slavery be-
came curse" They had The ho~ey and
the South had the property, and each
member q the Republican party wss see
ing what he could do to deprive the
Southerner of his property. Then came
the issue which brought on the war. The
| South wanted to extend slavery into some
OF the northwestern territories, to which
the North was opposed. At the election of
| Lincoln the South became afraid that their
rights would BIZ trampled upon, aud deter
mine d to draw out of the Uhion, and hence
| the war.
| Going to the question of man worship,
he asked his hearers, about oue-fourth Of
wht III were colored men, to know no man
in politics, but let every body know that
they are free men who think aud act
according to their own Judgment Don't
lot anyone direct your vote. You will
never be entitled to the Fourteenth and
Fifteenth amendments until you show On
independent judgment by dividing up as
the whites do. The white people are not
down on you, but you are down on your
selves You have certain white men in the
Republican element who, ever since the
emancipation, have used the colored
people to elect themselves TO Office, aud
when that is accomplished they say, now
Mr.. Niger, you can go till we want you at
the next election" ..=.
Here there was considerable applause
by the clapping of hands and the stamp
ing of feet, which was followed by loud
and jeerinR laughter on the part of the
coior.d auditors and number of white
backers.up, assisted by the small boy, who
enjoyed this somewhat unusual smnse-
ment. Harris, however, paid no attention
TO the jeers, except to wait until they sub
sided, whoreupon he resumed by saying:
"There amt q man ia the South today
who would ensave you quicker than the
| - ,a1i,, th.,xt ~ h.
was any money in it," They say that
you will be enslaved again. Show me-
man who fought harder or nobler than
General Hancock for the freedom of the
colored people. Tell me, you white
Republicans who are trying to mislead the
colored people, tell me of Republican
general who gained distinction in the late
civil war (Some ono cried ont Banks"
and others cried Ben Butler") No, said
Harris, Ben Butler is az good Democrat
to-day as he was when he voted 50 times
for Bell and Everett in the convention of
1860.
What offices have you had? They m ,de
great promises to you. but the Damocr tic
party has made you none. Where are all
those blind mules 40 acre lots they had
for you? The mules haven't been f0aled
l yet, and the lots have never been sur
yeyed There is the Freedmen's Bank,
with S52 600, O0O capital, which General
Howard. "the one.armed soldier" got up
for us-the Freedmen's Bureau. They
called that charitable institution, but
that charity was to make the rich richer
and the poor poorer. There wasn't a
Democrat connected with that wholesale
robbery. and there never was people
who were robbed as the colored people
were.
The applause, jaers and laughter were
here repeated, and the audience had
swelled to larger proportion, comprising
now some 800 people.
Harris then proceeded to relate some of
the petty populations and receptions
practised upon his people in the past, and
said 'ihst's the love they have for you.
He alluded to the fact that there are hardly
any colorcd men employed at the custom
house or post off - here, when Ned
Lesry remarked: We'll, its better than
working in the cotton field "
divide yourselves" cried Harris,
'taud tell the gentlemen who want to
drive you that you will think for your
selves and let the rest of the world do the
same" He then said that he had gone to
Chester that day, driving mp, aud in all
the distance he had not seen one colored
man who was farming a 50-acre or even
% acre tract In the South he would find
IS or 20 in the same distance, and
some of them handling larger
tracts In the S,uth white land owners
! furnish colortd men with the land, farm
ing ut,,t sill and stock To comnencn bust
mess with Nnd give HIN plenty of time 10
pay ;hvu back when his profits begin
enmnE in. Politics, be said, was not
everything after all. Il the eolored peo-
Pile acted as good citizens they would find
those Southern men the best friends they
have. Ha then related an incident to
show TINT the Repuhlicans were not
,, doing Tor the colored people what they
, claim 10 be doing Further on, he sand
the Southern people don't want slavery
they wouldn't accept you rs precious
, gift" that is only preached for political
capital The white people in the South
are doing all they can for the elevation of
the colorcd people. You see the differ.
ence the moment you cross Mason and
Dixon's line. He then pointed out the
, difference in the grade of positions held
by the blocks North and South. In the
, latter section nearly all the brekemen and
, fremen on the railroads are black, and
there are more of the latter in the round
houses than there are white. Don't that
, show that the Civil Rights bill is carried
North 7"
4 l