Year: 1868

Embarking on the little steamer Mary
Eleanor otherwise known as the " Great
Eastern" of these waters) Tuesday last, our
reporter proceeded up the waters of the
Cape Fear and Black River to attend the
Mass Meeting and Barbecue at Point Cas-
well to take place the following day. The
little craft was crowded with the speakers
from this city and their friends, and a
number of others. all intent upon the same
object. With music playing and gaily
rays wharf in the presence of a large num-
Der of persons who had assembled on shore
to witness our departure. The trip was
quite long and fatiguing one, but all ar
rived at the "Pint" safely and soundly.


At an early hour Wednesday morning the
il .abitants of the precinct and persons
from the surrounding country began to as
samble. It has been a long time since
Point Caswell witnessed such turn
out Perhaps never, even in the halcyon
DAYS of yore, when we were politically op-
posed to gentlemen, was such n gathering
seen there. When we say that there were
between three and four hundred whites and
sevcrty-fv colored persons, it is not above
the actual number present. The atten-
dance of the latter class would have been
six times as large had it not been that the
agents of Radicalism were at work, taking
advantage of their ignorance. panderlng to
their prediudices and even resorting to a
bold and apparent lie to prevent them from
hearing the truth. A foolish report was
circulated by some scoundrel in the pay OF
the Radical party, that the white people
were anxious to get the negroes together
in order that they might poison them at the
barbecue. And II large number OF the fool
ish negroes were stupid enough to believe
it, Those who were present, however, and
did partake of the bounty of the white peo-
pie, are scarcely dead yet.


The meeting was called to order by Owen
Alderman, ESQ, President of the Lower
Black River Democratic Club, and organ
lied by the election of E. A. Hawes, Esq,
as Chairman, and Mr.. D. =. Bland and DIR.
Jno. r. Halves, Secretaries.


Addresses being in order, James HILL,
President of the colored Democratic Club
of Wilmington, was first introduced as a
free man, who exercised his rights as such,
and testified his appreciation of them by
voting with the Democratic party OF the
country He was among those colored
men who recently sat in the Convention at
Raleigh as delegates and representatives,
who are no slaves of carpet-baggers and
scalawags, and who have not ''swapped -
their former masters, the Southern gentle
men, for any such rulers as these.


Addressing himself to the colored people
as he took the stand, Hill told them he
wished to talk of the course he and other
! colored men were pursuing, and what they
intended to do. They haIl determined no
longer to be made tool of by those whom
they knew not If the colored men Of the
country do not at once and with determl-
nation put their foot upon the secret
Leagues with which the land is cursed,
they would be lost-irl etrievably lost.
Their interests and those of the Southern
white people were identical, and when the
white people feel the weight of oppression,
being the poorer class, it will first tell upon
the colored race, and the shoe plnches
them first. He, himself, was q free man
he thanked God for it-and all were free
men who did not belong to secret leagues
those who do are not ; but day will come
when they will yet stamp these iniqultous





ocratic party binds its followers by no
oath-all its dealings are open and above
board. He deplored the ignorance of his
race, which prevented them from seeing
and believing. He saw which party was
leading his race to destruction, and was
going to tight against it with all his might.


The coloreu people are irlurlng their oWn
race by the course they are pursuing, ano
not the whites. If the colored men will
but stick to the white people of the South
they will not be forgotten. The Demo
cratic party imposed no oaths and neither
swore or bought any man, black OF
white but the Radicals desired the votes
of his race, aud would use all means to OBJ
tain them-that was ali they desired. He
then alluded to the case of Anthony Howe,
a respectable colored man in Wilmington,
to show the value of Radical promises
Slavery is dead now and forever and while
we have all to live together. let the colored