The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-05-31
THE FAITHFUL SLAVES.
4 BEAyTIFUL TRIBUTE 10 THEM
NJ POLK miller.
Full Text OF His Address at dwelling
of n Monument to Them at Fort MIL
:. C.-Thc Monument.


al IA. South. erected al his own expense,
A beautiful monument to the. Faithful
Slaves OF The Conicdcracy.' on the llst
OF Nav 10 was unveiled. The monument
is of marble. and on ~ may be seen a
pegfect likeness OF the OLD plantation
negro. as he rests on his cradle ~ the
hArNcst-acld. Also. "a perfect representa-
toin Of tnc fat. old, black NANNY tcn-
.rrI, pressing f0 hcr bosom, NANNY
ll,uc boy the child of her young mis-
tress
polk Miller. who has ofisntimes been
l.llcd 10 sleep in the arms Of a faithful
old NANNY. and whose love OF the Old
plantation times grows brighter with The
years. was selected as the most suitable
person to deliver the address The Times
/ rcwith gives his speech. which was
made in the presence OF a large gather
ing Of people of both races. and which
will be- found interesting and instructive
DO the young people Who nave grown
up since the war. lie was frequently
interrupted b. the applause Of the
ueeroes. who would cry out: "Dats so!
NOW YOU talkin'." "Dat white man IL
sholy bin ar bout dar in de ole times 50
FULL TEXT or THE SPEECH
IL has been said that in the mad rush
FOR greed and gain trere exists no longer
the finer feelings which once character
lied the civilization of which an south
crncrs boosted. while that may he true
10 a certain extent, and while We may
not be- able 10 give 10 the "ofla rs we
would like to do, continual stream Oh
evidence that the sentiment Of the South
has NOT been sappod. that monument
erected thirty-One years after freedom
has come 10 the negro, tells a tale OK
love which no words from me can
magnify. 49,,
feel proud Of the honor which has
been conferred upon me 10y The cluzens
Of Fort Mill, in permitting me 10 pay
loving tribute 10 the memory OF a peo-
pie. who, though looked upon as slaves
by the outside world, yet were rlch N
the possession of the love, the friendship,
and esteem Of their owners. While the
blood nd-thunde' speeches bt wendell
Philips. Garrett Smith. and other Aboli-
tionlsfs OF the North were being made.
TO FIRE the hearts of the people OF the
world AGAINST us. the negro, all uncon-
scious Of the prayers that were being
eNered up for his dcllverancc, and the
tears Of Harriet Beccher stowe which
were SO freely shed as an. advertisement
for her book. Was enjoying nightly 'poa-
sum hunts with his Nslster. ana on
SUNDAYS had the old Molly cotton-tails'
fying up ana down the sprins bfan-nes.
II 1 could but picture the scenes OF
my early, happy life, on the OLD PLAN
tation. and tell of the joys which come
10 me AS , take Il retrospective view Of
The past, surrounded by the negro boys.
VINO were my constant companions and
playmates. il would sound 10 these young
people ike fairy-tale Go where you
viii in the south. you viii find men. who.
like myself have passed the meridian Of
life. who viii tel yCu that the truest
and best friends and the msot unseinsh
and devoted companions Of their child
hood were the negro boys with whom
they were raised up on the plantation.
j looked upon them. not as slaves but
as friends, and when they We're set free.
] did not feel the pecuniary loss one
half as much as l did the thought Of
being forever separated from them.
CAME BACK TO VIRGINIA
had an my life witnessed the mutual
affection which existed between my
father and the older servants who had
come down TO him from his father as "a
gift and / had looked forward To life
time of unbrOken friendship between the
boys with whom / had played in my
childhood Many a man who owlld
slaves i'm the South would willingly have
emaucipatcd them. if they had felt they
could have been sef-sustaining. Many
did so. but 70 was considered the height
Of cruelty 10 turn them loose to shift
for themseiVcs-a class of people who
were as dependent as little children
May slave-owners i'm making their
wills, instructed their executors 10 Get
free their negroes. giving as reason for
not emaucpatnig them during their life
time that they could see TO their wants
while living. John Randolph. Of Roanoke
a congressman from Virginia. did this
He ordered his executors 90 sell all of his
real estate. stocks. and bonds, and 10 buy
lands n Ohio and colonze his negroes
upon it. lie did so, and while maEy re-
manned and their descendants to-day
form a part Of that vast horde of coli
ored people in the Buckeye state, some
Of his most intclligen, negroes came
back 90 Virginia selected some neignhor
OF their former master as new owner
and went back into slavery, stating that
they would rather he "a slave in Virginia
than a free negro i'm Ohio.
The free negro in old times occupied a
very uncnviable position with Dis own
race. lie was looked upon by them as
castaWay. and ! have often heard our
negroes say of them. Dat n.esSr was so
cverlastin' mean his mafster had 10 git
i'd of him by settin' him FREQ. He
couldn't FER give him crway. cause no
heard them say, that. If dcrc is emmy
Thing I'm dis world dat / does despise.
'ccp'in' it's er DO white man. IT, 3 cr free
bigger
THE WHIPPING or NEGROES.
The slave of q good master felt that
his lot ia life was O. paradise by the side
OF the free negro. and 10 was. In the days
before the war every white man in the
South who belonged 10 the slavc-own-
ing class had a tender spot ia his heart
FOR The negro. Hc had been raised ~
with the idea that the negro was wari
of the white people. and that IL was his
duty 10 defend him en- every time OF need
Whenever white man abused a negro
whether ne was DIS owner or not. every
ether white man came 20 his rescue
in this way We grew mp with a feeling
that these ignorant ana dependent crea-
lures were 10 have our sympathy and help
in every time Of trouble. The white man
who would take ad, antago OF him IN
trade was looked upon by his ncighbor as
the lowest dog In creation and no word
in The English language could express
greater contempt FOR such man than
10 say OF hlm. "Why. that man wcu,i
take advantae" Of q negro An CN con
Wet to-day Is no more Stunned by honest
people than were the men OF the old
time who mistreated negro The whip
ping Of negroes gave rise 10 a great deal
OF comment em come sections OF our
country. and the necessity FOR 10 ala
not seem 10 be understood and apprc-
it't0 by those who were far away from
tie sem But on plantaTionE whore
there were a great many negroes. some
pu lshment had 90 D. inflicted, and what
iDtef than whipping? We whipped our
children when they went aStray and The