Year: 1868

We can live, here in peace and in the
quiet enjoyment Of our rights. In the
contest for the Presidency both sides
want our votes. The Radicals say we
ought to vote with them, because they
set US free.and gave us the right to vote.
The Democrats say we ought to vote
withaheh, because they own all the
land SM property and are able to help
us, aisd Te willing to be opr friends, if
we will show by our votes that we are
not their enemies. They say that the
Radicals are their enemies, and, if we
Join the Radicals, they will be compelled
to treat us as enemies. They say the
Radicals have taken from them the right
to vote, and are forcing them to pay all
the taxes, and that if we vote with the
Radicals we will be as much their enc
mics as the Radicals are.


Now, my colored brethren, we lave
got to decide which way we will vote.
| have tried to find the truth of this
matter, and after careful examination,
1 have made up my mind that it is the
interest of all colored men to vote with
the Democrats, and want to give you
briefly the reasons why l think so.


have found out that it is not true
that the Radicals fought to set us free,
but that they offered to the Rebels,
whilst the war was going on, that if
they would cease the war, they might
hold us in slavery forever. The rebels
refused to do it, and fought on. The
Radicals found they couldn't whip the
rebels without declaring us free and
taking ms into their armies. When they
did this, they whipped the rebels. So
you see, my colored brethren, the Radi-
Gals did not fghtto set us free, but they
set us free to get our help in whipping
the rebels. Instead Of our being in
debted to the Radicals forsetting US free,
they are indebted to us for helping them
to whip the rebels; which they found
they couldn't do without our help. We
are indebted to the rebels for not laying
down their arms when Mr.. Lincoln Of
fered, that if they would, they might
keep us in slavery. Ii they had done
as Mr.. Lincoln and the Radicals wished,
we, my colored brethren, would be slaves
to-day. I know the rebels didn t refuse
to lay down their arms because they
wanted us to be free-no more did the
Radicals fight because they wanted US
to be free. After they got into the war
they couldn't help from letting us get
our freedom. So von see the Radicals
are entitled to no credit for setting us
| free-they had toset us free otherwise
the rebels would have whipped them all
the time, as they had been doing until
we were set free. The truth is, my
colored brethren, that the Radicals are
indebted to us for rsetting them free; for,
. if the rebels had continued to whip them
as they did at Bull Run, and had they
gone up North with their armies, they
would have made slaves Of the whole
Radical Yankee nation. But we pre-
vented the rebels from continuing to
whip them, and, therefore, we were
richly entitled to our freedom for saw
ing them from final defeat.


But the Radicals say they gave lis the
right to vote, and, therefore, we ought
to vote with them. Now, my colored
brethren, l want to show you that there
is no more truth in this statement than
there is in the statement that they fought
b. to set us free.


At the same time that we were set
free, on the 22d of February, 1865, a
Legislature was elected by the white
Radicals, and power was given to that
Legislature to decide who should vote,
and who should not. They met togeth-
er at Nashville to decide, and they did
decide. that none but loyal white men
should vote. So yon see, my colored
brethren, these Radicals, at that time,
did mt think colored men ought to vote
; They found out, in short time, that a
majority of the loyal white voters were
opposed to the Radicals. and would turn
Brownlow and all the other Radicals
out of office. So they called the Lesis-
lature together again, and took away
the right of voting from great many
loyal white men, who had got certificates
to vote, but they still confined the right
of voting to white men-although it
was proposed to let the colored men
vote, yet the Radicals in the Legisla-
ture refused, and said that colored men
ought not to vote After while they
discovered that still a majority of the
white loyal voters were opposed to the
Radicals; and thereupon the Legisla-
ture got together for the third time,
and, then it was that theyconsented to
let the colored men vote, but because
they found thatthey worldall be turned
out of office unless they could get help
from the colored men. Now you see,
my colored BRETHREN that the Radicals
at last gave us the right to vote to save
themselves from being turned out Of
ofice-just as they gave US our freedom
during the war, to save themselves from
being whipped by the rebels.


Now, my colored brethren, I don't
know how you may feel, but, as to my
self; ] don't feel that I am under any
obligations to the Radicals for giving
me the right to vote, when l know that
they gave it to me, not because they
thought l ought to have it, but because
they believed if they didn't do it, they
would be turned out of Office; and be-
cause they believed that you and Iwere
so ignorant that they could make us be-
lieve they were our friends, and would
do great things for us; when, in truth,