Year: 1878

|
having done this l pass to more
congenial topics. Foremost among
them is the most momentous
problem ever forced upon a peo-
pie for solution the proposed ad-
lustment of the relations Of two
distinct nations living on the
same soil. it is not a question of
Il day nor Of q geueration,. but for
all time to come, and we have
to meet it now. What is the best
mode for US TO meet it?


| have indicated, on various oc-
caslons, the line l thought should
be followed by our party-the par
ty in which nearly all the intelli.
gence, education and capital Of the
State arc to be found-and have
indicated the manner in which [
thought We should deal with this
perplexing question. It was By
no fault of ours that the colored
men were brought to South Caro-
lima; by no fault of ours that they
were afterward made free. The
same people who first brought
them here and sold them into
slavery, now claim to have offered
most magnificent libation on the
altar of Liberty by making free
those whom they first enslaved
for their own profit, and have now
freed without loss to themselves.


We cannot tell what great cb-
ject Providence had in view in
allowing these things to be done
by which these people have been
brought here and liberated in our
midst. We are told that aGod
moves in mysterious way his
wonders to perform and He has
moved in a mysterious way in
this matter. He has brought
them here, relieved them of their
sl
shackles and left them here un-
tutored in mind, with all the
pre]udices q century Of slavery
hiss engrated on them, and we
are to be their guardians and pro-
tectors. l know that sentiment
will not find an echo in.the hearts
of many of the colored people.
They have been taught that we
are natural enemies, politically at
least, of tho colored men. Person
ally they have had kindly feelings
for their old masters. Let one of
them but get into difficulties, and
in nine cases out Of ten he will 90
to bis old master for assistance,
and not to one Of his Republican
| leaders. He will trust the former
in everything except as to his
voting. He was told two years
ago that if the Democratic party
got into power he would be put
back into slavery, and he believed
it. 80. .


was told the other day by a
distinguished clergyman that he
had had a discussion with one Of
his old colored friends, and had ask
ed him, among other things, why
be was not a Democrat. The old
man said that he had been taught
that it was contrary to the teach
ings Of the Bible. The clergyman
wonderingly asked where that
doctrine could be found, and the
old man replied that as the Good
Book only spoke of tvo political
parties-the 'Publicans and the
Sinners-he thought he must
choose between them and be
either a Publican or Sinner,
which was but the Bible name for
a Democrat. Laughter, in which
some of the colored hearers joined
heartily.l The old man had evi-
dently never observed how. many
Of his party were both 'publicans
and sinners. Renewed laughter
and tremendous display of dental
anatomy.] They have been at
last dispossessod Of the great error
into which they were led by their
designing leaders, and have found
that they are protected in all their
rights, and are as free now as they
were in '76. They recognize the
fact that there has been more
peace in the State and less crime;
that there is returning prosperity
and that good will have grown up
steadily between the races. They
see that they were misled and are
now willing in many instances to
trust those whom they were
taught to distrust. The evidence
! of all this is that while thousands