Year: 1867

force. We have lived to see his predictions
verified, About the year 1854, the great
National Wing party was totally destroyed
by the slavery question. The National De-
mocratic party then was the only voluntary
political &C rd that bound the nation in one.
That party had control of the government,
and only on that account, was able to pre-
serve the Union. free from assault until 1860.


Nop mark carefully sohat I am going to sag,
for it ans,oers the question NTH which I began.
How did 1t happen that you became free p
BY the year 1860 the North, the majority of
the nation, had determined that slavery be-
ing bad thing, should not go into any more
of the territories of the United States. They
took the ground rightly, / believe. that it
was the right and duty of Congress to ex-
clude it by special legislation from all the
territories of the Union. They did not in
tend even to attack slavery in the States, ex-
cept in legal and constitutional manner
The South, on the other hand, took the
ground that it was the duty of Congress to
protect slavery in all the territories by special
legislation. They said the Alabama emf
grant had as high a claim on protection OF
his slave property in the common territories,
as the Ohio man had to protection ofproper-
ty in his horse. Tile Southern logic pas ar
resisti5le, If the Alabamian had tie same right
in national justice to property in the stace he
had raised that the Ohioian had to property
in the horse he had raised. The right Of slaoery
was the only point where Southern logic
was vulnerable, and as no man in the South
dared attack this point, the South in ef-
feet became unit When the National De-
mocratic party met in Charleston in April,
1860 the Southern wing demanded that pro-
lection to slavery in all the territories of the
great Union should be added to the creed of
the party. The Northern Democrats refus-
ed, and the last cord that kept the North
and South together was here broken. Mr..
Lincoln was elected President, and when
he went into the administration vacated by
the Democrats, he found that parts of the
government had fallen away. He believed,
and nine tenths of the American people be-
lieved, it was his sworn duty to execute the
laws of the United States over those States
that had attempted to secede. He attemp-
ted to force the States into obedience. Two
years were spent in the attempt without sue
cess Then it was that for the purpose of
preserving the Union and not in order to de-
stroy slavery, he put forth his celebrated
emancipation proclamation, that ultimately
gave freedom to you and immortal fame to
him. ia


Passin over much that has happened,
Congress has enacted a law to facilitate the
restoration of the rebel States to their for
mer position in the Union. One of the pro-
visions of the law secures to all men without
distinction of color or previous condition of
slavery the right to take part in this restora-
A uril ho 1o1 for
North Carolina and it will devolve on you,
colored men, to vote for members to that
convention. You will vote for whom you
please But you have called on me for my
advice, and will give it to you how to vote.
advise you for your own good and the good
Of the country and the good of your old
masters and mistresses and their little chill


dren, many of whom are good friends to you
and whom you love, to cote IN solid phalanr
for the candidates Of the National Republican
party. Do mean the black Republican par
ty2 mean the Republican party that made
Abraham Lincoln President, and I do not
care whether you call it white, black or yell
low republican. Mr.. Calhoun gave truth
full account of the manner and the only
manner in which disunion could take
place. There is noo no Union except


Union of force The Union can be re-
stored as it was only, in the same mode
and by the same process by which it was de-
stroyed-by substituting voluntary cords for
the bond Of force. One of the most powerful
OF those cords was, as we have seen, the Ma
tional political parties. The cord of the
National Republican party is thrown out to
us. Let US all, white and black. grasp it for
life, and let us hold to it as drowning sea-
man would to a rope thrown him by his fel-
lows of the crew. What other National par
ty can you associate with? Can we, my fel-
low-ex-rebels, trust the copperhead duplicity
that looking Southwark boasts its friend
| ship to us, and looking Northward arrogates
the credit of subduing us ? Never, never
We all say we want restoration by the new
reconstruction acts, according to their letter,
just the men to support the National Repub-
lican party, for those acts are Just what that
party wants and intends to have done,
nothing less, nothing more" if pe will
only be scise and have it so. Tj


These acts are now the party's platform,
and ifyou are really for supporting those acts
you do we'll to join the party that made
them-fathered them-and not the copper
heads, who opposed those acts and who tell
| you while you are sincerely engaged in car
rying them out nothing less, nothing more,n
that you are doing the DEVILS work, organ
izing hell" Oh, no my friends, these are
solemn times, too solemn for falsehcod or for
trifing. If you are really in favor of proceed
ing under these acts, you cannot object to
cooperating with the Republican party.
But do you mean that am to 90 with
Holden and his faction2 Well, my friends.
Mr.. Holden is member of the Republicsn
party, and Notwithstanding that, 1 desire
you to join. If you were to see Holden In
the road to Heaven ahead of you, would you
turn around and goin the opposite direction 2
| Now practice little common sense. Ifyou
are otherwise satisfied with the Republican
| party don't stay out of it, because Gov. Hob
| den or any other man may have shown the
| good sense to go into it. Don't let the idea
of evil communications keep you out of
| the Republican party, l beseech you, for if
| you join the opposition to the Republicans.
be assured-be assured you will be associated
with some men, who are much worse than


even your ideas are of Gov. Holden.


AS have said, the only Union we have.
now is the Union of force, the anticipation
| OF which was so deeply deplored by Mr.
Calhoun. Iwish to know if there is sin
gle man here, white or black. who would
prefer the continuance of this Union of force.
to the substitution of those voluntary, gol-
den cords that were severed, one by one un--
til they were all gone. If there be a man
here opposed to restoring those cords, / en-
treat him to speak. Numbers said there
was no such man here. Then let us go to.
| work and do all in oI,r noxuor fo f,y;ef o,,a