The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-03-08

encouragement OF the other.
Our future peace, happiness and
prosperity rests within our keeping.
God grant that we acquit ourselves
as men, men worthy of so great a
charge
In presenting. to you, my friends,
this distinguished citizen, DIR. Wash
ington, feel that / speak with pro-
phetic vision when / say that the
evidences point that God has again
rambled amongst the hills and dales
OF the old dominion and produced a
leader for this benighted and unfor-
tunate race of people according to
his own choosing.
DR.. Washington needs no introduc-
ton to you. His fame has far pre-
ceded his coming in our midst.
The few paltry words of common
dation to him that l might utter
would be poor tribute to his real
worth. His great work in the inter
est of the negro erects a monument
more lasting than tables of stone
His precept and example to the ne
gro race stands as a beacon light
whose luster cannot be dimmed,
stunning the boys and sand-bars,
logs and snags,. across the channel of
their advancement.
We must esteem ourselves most
favored to have such man to come
in our midst
He is an inspiration to every negro
in this land and a benefactor to this
nation.
His wise counsel to the negroes of
this nation is known, his words of
wisdom are imperishable and will en-
dure forever
In presenting you to the people of
this section, you are in a country
where peace, amity and good will be-
tween the races prevail | do not
speak as one without knowledge of
the fact. l was born and raised in
this town, amongst the negroes of
this state, on my fathers plantation,
now part of the corporate limits of
this city. l have sat and listened to
the old ghost stories of ignorance
and superstition, how the old witch
es tied knots for their stirrups in the
horses name and rode them at
night; and that certain old granny
was a witch and. could conjure you.
With the boys, we would chase the
old cotton-tail rabbit on moonlight
nights down the cotton rows and
over the old fields; planted the corn,
picked the cotton, MIXED the cows,
wrestled with the boys, and grew
along to manhood; 80 when / was u
child | spake as child, | understood
as a child, thought as a child; but
when / became a man, put away
childish things"
When the responsibilities of man.
hood came upon me, with other
southern born and raised men, not
niger lovers" for political gain, but
out of the promptings of sympa-
thetic heart and the discharge of a
duty, l undertook an associate trus-
teeship for the schools, thereby bring
ing me in close relationship in the
educational line. My people have
honored me with judicial position,
and for dozen years 1 have been
brought in close relationship with
the criminal nature of the negro.
l testify to you with knowledge of
the fact that the negro receives a
fair trial in the courts of this state.
I have seen the southern gentleman
on the jury, in a circuit court over
which l presided, trying negro for
rape, man who shouldered his mus
ket at the age of sixteen and made
gallant and brave Confederate sol
der during the whole war, but stack
ed his musket when General Lee
surrendered, rather than join in a
verdict of conviction when the evil
dence did not convince him, laid on
the bare floor of the court house two
nights, when the weather was at
freezing temperature.
| would not have you believe that
there have been no instances in
which there had not been miscar-
riage of justice and wrong done.
When ignorance, viciousness and vice
have. by misfortune, occupied the
seat of reason and justice, and gain
ed a temporary supremacy, the negro
has been wronged. Similar condi-
tions have had like results where
white men were involved.
In this community the negro is
given an equal show in the race OF
life. He enters into the industrial
contests and exhibits the fruit of in
dustry. and is awarded first prizes at
-. oo,,ntu fairc AS a merchant he