Year: 1867

States had an existence as nation, your forefath
ers inhabited the homes of your race-Africa-
The Northern people, who were then as now, a
commercial people, owning many ships, went to the
coast of Africa and bought some, and stole or kid.
mapped your grandfathers and mothers, placed
them in the hold Of their vessels in great numbers
and in chains took some few to their Northern
homes, and sent most of them to be sold to the
Southern people for slaves. In this work they had
valuable co-laborers in the English and Spanish
By this traffic in human flesh they made large esums
of money


The Southern people, as a general rule, were
opposed to the slave trade, and when the Colonies
threw off the yoke of Great Britain, the Southern
Colonies amongst them, one OF the principal
reasons which they published to the world in JUS
ti6caton of their cause, was that the mother coun
try had imposed slavery and the slave trade upon
them against their wishes.


When our independence was acknowledged and
we formed Union of the Colonies, the South was
still opposed to the slave trade, and it would have


then bs sf6 1Ssa dsFsa s gss sa
now, but in Africa; but the Northern men enga-
ged in the trade found it to be profitable and 80
entirely free from any conscientious scruples were
they, that they insisted that their pious operations
should continue twenty years longer, and the South
yielded. These slave traders invested 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 are now leading
Republicans. ,


The shareholders of the Northern States did the
same thing in most instances by sending their
slaves to Virginia and other Southern States and
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profitable in cold climate than white labor, and
have since amused themselves by abusing the
Southern people as slave drivers and the Senator,
the descendant Of these men, is here tonight re-
minding you Of the wrongs you have received at
the hands of your former owners and advising you
to avoid political alliances with your friends and
neghbors, and to seek an alliance with the people
in distant States, the Republicans of the North.
/ repeat, that the conscientious scruples OF the
North was not seen cropping out until they had
your race in their pockets, where they have taken
good care to keep you ever since. d


There are many good people at the North who
the slave trade owned slaves or approved Of slave
ry. The same can be said of the South, and if let
alone 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 Washington owned about
one thousand which he freed at his death. Mr..
Randolph did the same General Oglethorpe op-
posed slavery in Georgia. There is man on this
stage who knows that had an angry controversy
many years ago in this city, for endorsing Henry
Clay's emancipation scheme for Kentucky. He
was my political leader I never knew him to do
wrong, but fear we.will never look upon bis like
again. L


The gentleman from Massachusetts, says you
r C. pod,oo1
of the North, because they have waded through
bloody war of four years to set you free, to give
you the right to sit upon jures to ride upon rail
roads, testify as witnesses in courts and much else
deny every assertion he has made on these points
and challenge him to the proof He who says that
this war was commenced by the North to yet you
free and confer on you the rights which you now
enjoy, fasifes the history of the country not in
tentionaly, hope. The Government Of the Uni
ted States, during the war, again and again de-
clared most solemnly that this war was not COM
menced or being waged for conquest, orwith view
Of interfering with our property, in slaves in the
States. Mr.. Lincoln urged US to return to the
Union, pledging the Government to receive us
most cordially, and give slavery its protection In
the States. We were threatened with emancipa-
tion if We did not come back In one hand the
Government offered us "Union and Slavery" and
in the other was rebellion and emancipation. -
Having gone to war on principle, the South chose
the latter. No man knows this better than the
honorable Senator Nor will he or Gen. Swayne,
who is on the stand, deny the assertion that am
now going to make, thatwe could have gone back
in the Union and held you as our slaves to-day
You are not indebted to the North or the South
for your freedom, but to God. Instead Of abusing
you are taught to despise by your enemies and
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was an instrument in the hands of God for your
deliverance so far as mortal eye can divine the
purposes OF the Creator.


The Southern people do not envy you your free.
dom. They would not restore you to bondage if
they could. They have your well being at heart.
I did not fire gun for slavery. More than half
the Southern army never owned slave. Hardce,
Cleburne, and many others signed petition long
before the war closed, for your freedom and to at
ford you an opportunity to volunteer and assist
your white friends Of the South in achieving South
ern independence.
President Davis recommended this course, and


in the theatre, in this city, endorsed his policy


in the presence of very large assembly, and stated
that I would take great pleasure in commanding
colored troops. You acted well your part during
that unfortunate struggle for which you deserve,
and have the gratitude Of every Southern man and
woman in our midst


The gentleman says that the Mexican war was
brought on and advocated by Mr.. Calhoun for the
purpose of increasing the area of freedom No
man ought to know better than the honored rep
resentatve of Massachusetts, that the statement is
untrue Mr. Calhoun and also Mr. Clay, the great
Southern giants alive at the time, opposed the var
Mr.. Calhoun was to the last the bitterest opponent
of that war-predicting as he did the disastrous
results upon the peace Of the country. Instead OF
that war being waged for slavery it was very eyi-
dent, as the result proved, that any territory ad-
joining us which could be acquired would be free
Utah and New Mexico. Though only q boy, I
followed the old flag through that war, with many
thousand good and true men from my section who
country. Again as to how you became free. The
tary Proclamations only as they believed it would
midst; and seemingly making your. welfare q Sc
condary consideration Torender this act of theirs
valid and constitutional it was necessary that we
should act We called together our Conventions
and without hesitation made you constitutionally
free forever. We also gave you the right to testify
in cases where you were interested, and l advoca-
ted in this State House your right to testify In all
cases.


You now enjoy many privileges here not enjoyed
[by your race in the Northern States. As the gen.
teman has congratulated you upon your improved
condition here, and created still greater expecta-
tons for your future political and social relations
in the South, let me tell you what great blessings
the North has conferred upon your race even In
his own State. =,