Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-10-08
Thursday Morning, July II, 1867
Celebration of the Fourth.

Celebration OF the Fourth.
The colored people of this town and
the district generally have for some
weeks past been making preparations
for a becoming celebration Of the
national holiday. Entering upon this
intent with the best Of motives and
exhibiting a determination to allow no
disorder or misconduct to attend the
occasion, they received such encour-
agement and assistance as the enter
prise merited. The meeting was not
intended for political or party pur-
poses and those conducting it deter
mined to make it an occasion Of tender
ing the hand Of friendship and unity
to the other class and to manifest their
desire Ito live and let live"
The morning of the fourth accord
lngly witnessed thousands Of the color
ed population collected in our streets
arrayed in gay costumes and carrying
baskets Of provisions to contribute
to the dinner. At 10 o'clock a. m, q
procession was formed at the upper
end Of Main street and thousands OF
males and females took places in it.
The country delegations came In
squads and companies and fell into
line under charge Of the marshal OF
the day, J. K. Wagner (colored), as
sisted by Nelson Hamilton and James
Mcknight (colored.) The procession
moved down Main street and under the
best Of behavior to grove in the rear
Of Col. McCaw's residence where ap-
propriate arrangements had been
made for the remaining exercises OF
the day. A stage had been erected
here, surrounded with seats and long
tables short way off were bending
under the constant accumulation OF
edibles.
After singing, prayer by Rev. T.
Wright (colored), VIM. C. Beatty
ESQ.,, orator Of the day, selected by
them, delivered a lengthy address, and
one which considered in the main was
appropriate to the occasion. He al
luded to his past life and his position
on the political issues Of '32 and &c
and his convictions as to the true in
terests Of the colored people under the
new stauts. He gave lucid explana-
tion Of the origin Of the law and OF
government in their strict meaning
the necessity Of such rules Of conduct
for society and their institution by
divine authority, the apparent neces-
sity for all persons to conform to the
laws as duty to their fellow men and
to God. Without this conformity to
law we could not expect to live in
peace or our works to prosper.
He then discussed the difficulties in
the way Of acquiring land in any
any other manner than laboring fol
it and the fallacy Of expecting it to
be given them gratis in forty acre
tracts. He showed that the motives
Of the party exciting such issues was
not one Of benefit for the colored man,
but merely to secure their votes for
party aggrandizement. His whole ad-
both whites and blacks that might
well be used to profit by both classes
A. S. Wallace, Esq, then arose and
briefly thanked the colored people for
honoring him with an invitation to
participate in their festivities and the
pleasure he experienced in being with
them.
Jefferson Mccall, (colored) presi-
dent Of the assembly. then rose and in
a speech of over half an hour clearly
and impressively advised with his
people upon their duties and respon-
sibilities. Our interests, he said, were
now one. Together the people Of this
country, black and white alike, must
stand or together fall. The white peo-
pie Of this vicinity had given unmis-
taxable evidence Of their kind feelings
toward the colored people and he
could see no reason why they should
not mutually sustain each other as
we'll under their new relations as In
the past when master and slave. He
alluded feelingly to his old mistress
whose spirit had been with God these
many years. but whose memory was
still with him and the only compunc-
ton he now felt was that he had not
been half as faithful and kind to her
when a slave as he should have been
These 81 years he had lived with the
white people and he had always found