The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1890-04-03
A TRIBUTE TO THE SOUTH.
ELOQUENT SPEECH OF EX-MAYOR
RUSSELL OF BOSTON.
He Repudiates the Recent Bitter Ut
teranees of Rev. Mr.. HallOwell-His
Tribue to Grady and the Wonderful
Progress Of the South.

teranees of Rev. Mr.. HallOwell-His
Tribue to Grady and the Wonderful
Progress of the South.
[Boston Herald.I
The Hon. w. E. Russell, formerly |
Mayor of Boston, and recently the
Democrat candidate for Governor of
Massachusetts,, delivered a very eloquent
speech in Boston few nights ago to
the members of the Boston Paper Trade,
in which he gave them his observations
and impressions of the South, and re-
piled to the recent bitter attacks Of
Rev. Mr.. Hallowell on the lamented
Grady.
Mr.. Russell in rising to speak said
that what he should have to say would
be entirely informal. In opening he
alluded to the late Henry w. Grady
and of his trip to the North, saying
that he had one controlling desire,
and that wes to knit the country to-
gether Ito have one country for white
and black Of his trip he said: 81
never felt more free to speak in my
life than when spoke in Atlanta, and
scarcely man left the table until the
dinner was finished, although it was
O'Clock in the morning. A man
may 60 anywhere in the South, and
say what he pleases as freely as in Bos-
ton. | went South with strong con-
victions of the justice Of the past posi-
ton of the North | am a Democrat
in politics, and l am as ardent
Unionist as any man. | met many
Southern leaders and | believe | got
their honest sentiments. | listened
with pleasure to General Gordon, who
often expressed his satisfaction with
the results of the war, and when hear
Northern men talking of the disloyalty
of the people of the South, l love to
think of the conversations l had with
this battle scared veteran, breathing
patriotism in every word and speaking
not for himself alone, but for thousands
of his countrymen as WE'LL" (Applause.)
Individual liberty and free labor
! underlie all the present prosperity of
the South. The Southerners lost their
property, but they all recognize that,
had not the war wiped out slavery, the
prosperity which now is manifested
there would never have come. When
| hear men say that there is spirit of
disloyalty in the South, love to think
of the sentiments I heard in Atlanta
f.om brave men who fought with con-
spicuous valor for their ideas, all breath
ing the most ardent loyaly, and only
praying for an opportunity to demon
T strate 1t. Speaking of negro labor,
e Mr.. Russell said it was " the sentiment
] throughout the South that negro labor
was valuable and the most effective tC
S be had. The relation between the
e races is kindly and and affectionate,
t and l saw nothing to the contrary.
S often asked the question, what is
e the race question: and the only inva
h riable answer was There is no race
e question: 1t is entirely question o
p good government, and the only dread
:, throughout the South is that of putting
n the government into the hands of the
It less intelligent and irresponsible class
o 1t is the feeling that exists in every
l. well-governed community to have it
l. more intelligent persons at the head o
'r their affairs. The moment such dreat
le comes then you find the more intelli'
6 gent men banded together for self
IS preservation, to save their government
That is the question as found it, ane
it does not spring from hostility be
. tween the races. Any man may g
10 amongst and live with them withou
10 seeing any hostility. If it comes to
~ u, test, as in the State of Virginia, wher
= it was attempted to turn over the con
troll Of the State to demagogue b.
. working upon the superstitions of ig
" norant men, you will find in the Stat
of Virginia-you will find in the Com
monwealth of Observation-Disclosures me
will band together to resist any attemp
of such men to get State governmer
into their hands. [Applause.
All through the South the negro
looked upon as faithful and valuabl
laborer. You could not go into an
q g, county and get the negro to leav
- without an earnest protest from tn
%, whites residing there. Deportation {
y, y, the blacks can never be carried int
~ effect. The relation between the race
is most kindly-even affectionate. A
most every white man there was reare
under the loving care of a colore
nurse Everywhere in the South the
er are many instances where the Whit
as are looking after the dependant blacl
20 because they are dependent. The COLI
ISL of the skin is of no consequence. ii
ne only question is one of government
~ whether the local and State gover1
IN ments can safely be put into the COZ
Ia lai troll of the less intelligent class of Il
ny community Past experience has bee
IS wofully bitter. stand as Northern
as believing in the absolute right of eve
40 man to cast free vote. l don't THU
. | differ in that from the majority of Il
people in the South.
Mr.. Russell then paid his respects
on Rev. Richard P Hallowell, who, in
an recent speech before the Harvard Hi
he torical Society, denounced as "tres
to enable" the words of the late Hem
he w. Grady when he made his speech
vi this city,and affirmed that Mr.. RUSS
he in visiting Atlanta, decended to
nd even lower depth.
TO- Henry Grady came to Bosto
, haunted in our faces the bloody ga