Year: 1867

THE MEETING IN RICHMOND.


The Mass Meoting at the Richmond Theatre


A vast mixed audience, white and colored
assembled at the Richmond Theatre on Mon
dav night, to hear addresses from Messrs. vii
lam H. Macfarland, r. IT, Daniel and Marina
duke Johnson, delivered by invitation OF Scion
Johnson and other coored people of Richmond.
The doors were opened at 8 clock, and i'm
mediately the whole building was crowded by a
vast audience, three fourths of whom were
coored, the two races being intermngled
throuphout the house Such scene has never
before been witnessed in the South and never
has been or will be seen at the North. The
utmost decorum and good order prevailed


At half past 8 o'clock Messrs. MacfarIand,
Johnson, Daniel, the Rev. Doctors Wood
bridge and Burrows, and the colored COM
1nttee, came upon the stage, and were greeted
with applause by the vast audience.


Soon after SolonJ ohnson, a tall, we'll dressed
colored mao, OF easy and digni6ed department,
advanced to the front Of the stage and intro
duced Mr.. Daniel


Raleigh T. Daniel, Esq then arose and ad
dressed the meeting for about forty minutes.
He alluded to the necessity of both whites and
blacks exercising kind relations towards each
other [Applause In alluding to the new
political relations which had sprung up, the
mems consulting those who would give them
good advice, instead Of those whose only aim
and object it was to excite i'll will between the
races. He thought the difficulty in the path
of Cancellation and harmony was The dema
gogue; his counsels were insidlous and for
personal aggrandizement. Slavery was buried
10 the dead past, never to be revived 1t bad
been carried on in British waters by British
vessels TO stop it was one of the causes of
the revolutionary war 1t was carried on by
the colonies aad lasted till 1908, when it was car
ned on by Northern men in Northern vessels.
The speaker referred in scathing terms to
the heartless deception Of the Northern phil
anthropists, as practiced in their efforts to win
over the colored influence, while at the same
tine they were not willing to allow them
scarcely foothold on their soil He wished
to know in how many Northern States the
colored man was permitted to vote. The
speaker referred to the existence Of certain
secret societies in Richmond, in which it was
whispered by bad men that they, the colored
property owned by white men. IF the people
of the North ever took away the property of
the whites Of the South it would be to enrich
themselves and not to give it to the colored
men Of the South Mr.. Daniel exhorted har-
mony and good will among the races, as the
best promoters Of good to both, and maintained
that our own white citizens were naturally the
best friends the colored people had


Marmaduke johnson, Esq, then took the
stand, and stated that in obedience to the re-
quest of his colored fellow citizens he was pre-
sent to address thsm. He was born in the
cradle of slavery and had had nanny al
most ever since he had had mother So
long as he had been citizen he had never
received any other than the kindest politeness
from the colored man. He advocated peace
among the Whites and blacks, and believed
that it was Itkswish Of all that such state Of
feeling should exist. Whatever Congress bad
granted to the colored man, there was no wish
on the part Of our citizens to deny them. He
next adverted to the nightly meetings which
had been held in different sections of the city,
and wished to know why it was that Runnicutt
end others were harangueng them In opposl-
ton to their white friends. The white men
had held no meetings to put down the colored
men; why was it that the reverse had been
thecase on their part? If collision Of the races
ever took place, mark his prediction, that it
would be brought on by the blacks. If the
colored man desired his elevation, let him
cultivate industry and education, as thereby
he could make himself useful citizen and
take his place where he was intended. He
e2borted the colored population to throw off
the haucination which had come over some Of
them, that it was their policy to array them
selves against the whites, and for the future ac-
cept the friendship of their white friends, who
had never yet sought to injure them. Mr.. J ohm
sou closed with one of those soulstirring pero-
ratlons 30 characteristic OF him, and which
never tails to bring down the widest applause.
William Fl. Macfarlaud, Esq, next followed.
tie knew that the feelings OF the Southern
whites had always been those of the kindest
character towards the colored man, and at no
time was that kindness more experienced than
the present. The desire of the white popula-
tlon vas for the promotion and advancement
Of the colored population, and if they 1.-THE
colored mem would attain position and respect
ability, it was sheir duty to avail themselves of
the incentives to do So He exhorted the col
ored people to use their energies to become
good citizens, or else they would be bat little
benefited, morally or otherwise, by the free
dom which had been extended to them. Their
outy was to cultivate an acquaintance with the
affairs of the country in which they lived, in
order to use properly the elective franchise. He
Earned the colored men against those strangers
Who come into our midst and attempt to die
tate who they (the colored voters) should sup
port. Was there not a common interest
among our citizens, both white and black, and
Why should the eolored race determine not to
vote tor those who had always lived with
them. 1t was to the people Of Virginia, who
hVed under the same laws with them, and
among whom the coored people were always
70 be, that they should go for advice, and not
70 the stranger who cared nothing for them
except what would rebound to his own personal
ot,eaeft. The condition Of the colored race Of
toe Toe South was infinitely better than that of
!ie, sne Workingmen In some foreign countries, and
they neglected their opportunities they would
soon sink into lower depths than those who
were now their interiors, Mr.. Macfarl lands