The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-11-20

a. - r;herafe Arn,enfans tfor whom we
aro mt respousible). or to help Cuba ito
annex which would be evil TO usl when
n Is impossible to arouse our own people
70 rid themselves OF the perils OF ignor-
ance? We have 100000 voters. | wish
we could get into all minds the true func-
ton of citizenship. In-Europe, the sword
makes or prevents revolutions. Here 1t
is the ballot. Some men. who do not APP
preciate the duties of citizenship say l
have right to vote ms please
Il don't believe in ballot-box stufiing,
coercion. false registration. Political
wrong is like moral wrong. | don't be-
Heyc man can scatter arrows and fire.
brands OF death aud then say 4 have
RIGHT TO vote as l please. He votes for
his wife. children, neighbors, and coun-
try Sometimes with the ballot Is de
nosited ignorance. prejudice or revenge.
don't believe man has any right TO do
II | don't believe A MAN WHO CAN
NOT READ HIS BALLOT OUGHT
TO BE ALLOWED TO PUT IT IN
THE BOX applause among the stu
dents)
The Baptists believe in individual in
terpretation of the Bible but it does not
mean that a man shall not bring to the
study of the Bible an honest minds and not
read into it his ignorance or prejudice or
preconeeived opinions. Giving the ballot
ought not to mean turning over govern
ments to ignorance and preju-
dice or the scums and out
securing the cities and calling
that free Republic. The government
Of free people means an enlightened
citizenship. No man with chains of pre-
JUDGE forged on his arms is good clti-
zen.
The most remarkable thing | know OF
was the emancipation of the negro.
rejoice in it. i thank God that there isn't
a slave from the Atlantic and to the
Pacific or from the lakes to the gulf. |
hear sometimes some talk about your
folks wanting to go into hotels, theatres
and the like. | will say to you: Be skill
full. Ii you have skill and intelligence,
you will be respected. 1t is making the
best of ourselves that makes the true
man.
Some white people complain that the
negro has not made progress. Individ-
ually, some of them have not. As race,
they have made extraordinary progress.
81 have this idea of patriotism: / love
my home first, my kindred next, then my
neighbor, then my State and then my
country. If after taking them in, if
have any room left, I'll take in Armenia.
II don't believe much in the idea of
having the United States flag over our
schools. I'd like to know what the Uni
ted States government has done for our
public schools in North Carolina to de-
mand that the flag should hang over
them 1t never gave q cent to North
Carolina schools, except to the \. and Nj.
Colleges. 1t is a deception and fraud
to put the flag there. 1t is the State
that gives you education.
II don't know but two things I'd
shoulder my musket and fight for: /. To
prevent the reinstatement of the negro;
2. To fight union of church and State.
Every now and then some white peo-
pie become frightened because they think
negroes are increasing so rapidly that
they will outnumber the whites after
awhile. The negroes are increasing but
relatively not so fast as the whites. One
of the evils in the negro population is
that it is congested into small area.
II never could understand why the ne
gro population remains so compact in the
South instead of becoming scattered all
over the Union. The Northern men
freed the negro. Why is it the negro does
not go North to be with his friends in
stead Of staying in the South among his
enemies? Why isn't the congestion Of
negro population in Ohio or in Minneso-
TIA? The trend of the negro population
is to mass itself in the Southwest toward
the Gulf, and instead of DETECTING and
going to West Virginia, Massachusetts,,
or Connecticut the population goes South
west The centre OF the population in
this county is in Southeast Indiana. The
centre of the negro population is Rome,
Ga-they go toward the Gulf Of Mexico
and the Mississippi river.
"The tendency of population generally
is to go to the great cities. The census
shows that this is not true Of the negro.
The census also shows that there is a
steady increase of attendance of the ne
groes in the public schools.
These are some of the thoughts in q
singularly felicitous and frank address,
full OF sound sense and rs full of meat
as an egg There was that assertion of
conviction that age lends force to in a
speech, and as a conclusion an eloquent
description Of North Carolina, its climate,
its people, its future. The audience at
times burst forth in general applause.
DR. Curry was at his best. And that is
saying, that no better speech could be
made by Southern man. He is big of
brain, broad Of purpose, and has the cam
dor and frank expression that becomes
great leader Of a great cause
At the conclusion Of his speech, Prof.