Year: 1867

Y on were not an original secessionist.
| Congress will remove your disabilities


under tho Sherman Bill. You must


send on an application, and [ will ap.


prove it, and help you to get Ii through" "


| replied that the Republican party had


no right under the Constitution to dis.


franchise me, and I would never ask for


relief at their hands, and that is my 20.
sition to night


The honorable Senator from Massa.


chnscts has said some things which


evince good feeling on his part, and


which approve. ITc has also said many
things from which l must dissent, and
made many assertions which tho roliti.


ca! history, and particularly that of our


recent unfortunate war, proves to be
untrue. lie commences with the his


tory of slavery in the South since he


came upon the stage of acton, and cn


d"avors to fix the responsibility of the
existence OF that institution upon the


Southern people, with all Of its horrors
as depicted by his vivid imagination


l. will carry the gentleman back to the
starting point Of the institution on this
continent, and before take my scat


| will prove to you that the North is
responsible for the existence of slavery
with whatever evils attached to it and
| am frank TO say that there were iea-
crcs in slavery which were wrong.


Many years ago, my fricuds before
the United States had an existence as a
nation, your forcfathcrs inhabited the
homes Of your race-Africa. The North.
crn people, who were then rs now a
commercial people, owning many ships,
went to tho coast Of Africa and bought
some and stole or kidnapped your
grandfathcrs and mothers, placed them
IN the holds Of their vessels in great
numbers, and in chains took somo few
to their Northern homes, and sent most
OF them to be sold to the Southern pco.
pie Tor slaves. In this work they had
valuable co.laborers in the En- glish and
Spanish. BY this traffic in human flesh
they made large sums Of money.


The Southern people, rs u general
rule. were opposed to the slave trade.
and when the Colonies threw of the
yoke OF Great Britain, the Southern
Colonies amongst them, and one of the
principal reasons which they published
to the world in Justification OF their
cause, was that the mother country had
imnosed slavery .anG the slave trade upon
them against their wishes. --.-l


When our Independence Was ac-
knowledScd and we formcda Union Of
the Colonies, the South was still opposed
to the slave trade, and it would have
been declared piracy, and halle your
race in the United States, would not
have been here now, but in Africa
'but the Northern men engaged in the
trade found it to be SO profitable, and
SO entirely free from any conscientious
scrnpes were they, that they insisted
that their pious operations should con.
tlnue twenty years longer. and the
South yicled These slave traders in.
vested their money in lands, houses and
other property North, which made many
OF their grand children or great grand
children rich, and some OF whom arc
now leading Republicans.


The slave holders Of the Northern
States did the same thing in most instan.
ccs by sending their slaves to Virginia
and other Southern States and selling
them when their slave labor became
less profitable IN cold climate than
white labor, and have since amused them
selves by abusing the Southern people
as slave drivcrs-and the Senator, the
descendant Of these men, is here to-
night reminding you of the wrong you
have received at the hands of your for.
mer masters, and advising you to avoid
political alliances with your friends and
nrighbors, and to seek an alliance with
people in distant States, the Republicans
of the North. repeat, that the con.
scicntious scruplcs Of tho North was
not seen cropping out until they had
yonr race in your pockets, where they
have taken good care to keep you ever
since.


There are many good people at tho
North who are your friends, and who
have never engaged in the slave trade,
owned slaves or approved Of slavery
The same can be said Of the Sonth, and
if lot alcne by the North that class
would have been much larger in the
South. More slaves have been freed
by the act Of their owners IN the South
than at the North. George Washing
ton owned about one thousand which
he freed at his death. Mr. Randolph
did the same. General Oglethorpe OPP
posed slavery in Georgia. There is a
man on the stage who knows that I
had an angry controversy many years
ago in this city for endorsing Henry
Clay's emancipation scheme for Ken.
tucky. He was my political leader, l
never knew him to do wrong, but |
fear we will mover look upon his like
again.


The gentleman from Massachusetts
says you ought to identify yourself with
the Radical party of the North, because
they have waded through bloody war
OF four years to set you free, to give
you the right to sir upon juries, to ride
on railroads, testify as witnesses in