The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-03-26
MURRAY'S SPEECH.


George W. Murray, the negro Con-
gresham, delivered an address in the
Court House Saturday night and
Monday afternoon. Both speeches
were substantially the same. lie is
caDvassing the State speaking to the
negroes on the constitutional conVen-
tion question.
He was introduced by c. G. Garrett,
who said that Murra:. was canvassing
the State to arouse the negro to the
fact that his ballot was about to be
taken away from him.
The following is brief summary
Of Murray's speech on Monday:
He began by saying that his speech
would be pretty much a rehash OF
what he said last Saturday. He was
glad to see so many present (the Court
House was literally packed,) and he
knew that most of them were present
at a sacrafce, but liberty was not
worth having unless sacrifices were
made to obtain it. He quoted Patrick
Henry's famous utterance: ''Give me
liberty, or give me DEATH" He gave
a brief statement of the history of the
enfranchisemant of the negro. Many
Of the negroes friends in the Union
Army thought that the negro ought to
be emancipa:ed, given the benefit OF
public schools and then given the right
OF suffrage after twenty years. Others
thought that he ought to be not only
| emancipated but given the ballot.
The plan of the latter prevailed.
| Murray thought this was a mistake.
Tie negro was ignorant, inexperienced
ard credulous, and he ought not to
have been given the suffrage until he
had bsen educated. He thought, how
| ever that the white people among whom
he had lived had made mistake in
not taking hold of him and leading
him in the right direction. He then
spoke of the time when the State was
under military government, of the
period between '65 and '68. lie then
took up '76. How Hampton and the
white people had told the negro that
the government was corrupt, and
begged for the negroes help to over
throw it, promising that his liberty
and property would be guaranteed to
him and protected. ga little and a
little had been pinched until now Mr..
Tillman wanted to take it all" He
spoke of the influence of the ballot.
How the negro had no vote, there
fore had no influence, and hence fire.
| quently was denied his rights even in
courts of justice. He said that the
pledges of 1876 had never been full
filed.
He disclaimed any idea on the part
of tie negro 10 dominate. lie said
that the negro, after thirty years ex-
perienc:, had found out that wealth
and bra:a Roall rue even if their
possessors were in the minority. He
discussed the registration laws, hew
they were intended to hinder registra-
eivn and not to facilitate the citizen in
his exercise of the ballot. He thought
ehe law would be declared unconstltu-
tional by any honest court They had
employed lawyers to take the question
10 the United States Supreme Court.
aud they proposed TO fight it if it took
EN- years. They had gone into a court
hat knew no factions and "had no
hand cuff on it." They proposed 10
ask for injunctions restraining the
Governor from Issuing certificates Of
election to delerates 10 the constita-
tional convention, to get mandamuses
requiring registration supervisors TO
open their. books. AS many as could
would vote. If the constitution wasn't
such that they could live under, they
would knock up the registration laws
and thereby have The constitution itself
6oclare:} mil and void