People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1892-08-12

that you may hear what | have got to
say, for I have something to say to you
especially. A voice, "Come up close :
come Nicodemus; glory halelujah ri
I have been here practicing law for both
white and black, some fifteen years, and
if there is black man in all this audi
ence who can say that he ever trusted
me with his case and did not attend to
it with the zeal and fidelity that I did
| for the whitest man in the county, let
him say it here and now. Several
voices, 'FThey cannot say it; nobody
will say it." Have not always, when
you put your cases in my hands, fought
for you as if you were the whitest man
in the country? Cries of eyes, yes,
you have."1 The first fee ever received
was from Zip Taylor, black man ; the
first five dollars | ever made was paid by
big hearted Jack Roberts, and the first
work | ever did when I was in the
clerks Office was for Zip Taylor, and the
records will show that put him in pos
session Of little homestead and took
him in out Of the weather. A voice,
eve all know that; it's the Gods
truth 1t is a well known fact that
when I ran for the Legislature in 1872,
the black people supported me almost to
man. Why? Because it had sunk
deep into their hearts that l tried to do
right between man and man, and did not
stop on account of color. Cries from
the colored, "Bless the Lord We colored
people knows that" You know how |
was bounded down and abused by some
of the men who are now seeking your
votes because I stood up at the court
house and thanked you for giving me
your support. A voice "We all know
that; we doesn't forget" You know
| that I said that I could see no reason
why. because a man was colored, he
should not have his say so as to who was
the representative from McDuffie county
as well as the proudest white man IN the
county. A voice, $50 it. Tom good
bye, Jim ~ I will ask you this question:
Has there ever been time since you
supported me and helped to elect me
that the poorest black man in the coun-
ty, if he had me representing him,
would not trust me as quickly and as far
as any white man in the county :
| Cheering,
On my plantation there are some
black men working to-day who were
nv grandfather's slaves, and the fore
man on my grandfather's farm was
nv foreman, and remained there in
that position until the old man was
too feeble to hold the hOe,-tO lead
the gang. Does not that speak well
for he Justice with which [ have tried
to treat your people? A voice: cit
does."l Do you not know that every
colored man living on my place feels
lust as secure when | pass my word
for anything as if had drawn up the
bond and signed the paper? [Cries of
that's So One of the last cases that [
tried was that of a poor, unfortunate
colored man, who was supposed to
have committed murder. He did not
have any friends, or if he did have
they did not make themselves very nu-
merOus when he srOOd face to face with
the gallows; he had no money and the
! Judge assigned me to defend him, and
[ went into the case with all the pow
err that God Almighty gave me; be-
cause naturally sympathizing with
the poor and the oppressed, | thought
that if there was a reasonable doubt
it would be better for the county and
for society at large, and for humanity
that he should have it, and when Den
mis- Reese walked out of the Court
House free man it was to the astOn;sh-
ment Of all the good people both white
and coIored in the county. Cries of
YES yes, we remember all about that!l
[ defended him because | had compassion
for the poor, the old, the helpless and the
friendIas7. A voice: That so, Ton,
We know you as Don't you know that
I have always sympathized with the un
fortunate and the poverty stricken? IF
ever a tramp was turned away from my
door without anything to eat, it was
done wi hout my knowledge or consent
or the knowledge or consent of my wife.
I challenge the production OF such a
case. IA voice: "There amt none. U
Well, I remember another case. A poor
colored woman, whose name [ cannot
remember, was up on the cha ge of
stealing and Judge Roney in the kind
ness Of his heart, RENTED her SEN
tence and told her to go home,
putting her on good behavior.
She had no home to go to, but she had
three little children crying for bread,
and you all know that [ made an ap-
peal in her behalf and passed the plate
around up here in the court house, and
said to the kind-hearted people, LET
us make up some money for this poor
creature" Tgreat applause and cries of
that's SOIL, and the result was that
that woman went home with more
money than she had, reckon, since her
freedom. Renewed cheering.]
Now, | want to say another thing to
you; and what [ say, to you want to
say in public in the blaze of day, SO
that all may hear it. do not want to
say anything to my white friends that
do not want the colored people to
hear, and [ do not want to say any
thing to the colored people that l
would hide from my white friends.
Now, what [ want to say is this: l
pledge you my word and honor, as a
man and as a representative, that if
you stand up for your rights and for
your manhood, if you stand shoulder
| to shoulder with us in this fight, you
shall have fair play and fair treatment
as men and as citizens, irrespective of
your color. Great cheering.]
know that it has been said that I
haze raised barrel of money in Angus
ia to buy votes have no money to
buy votes; nor do wish to buy the vote
of any man, either white Or colored