Year: 1867

/ 81 .F - - /


II mean by all this that the Radi-.
calls in Congress want you to reject


the proposed plan Demonstration.
| They have the will the disposi-
ton and the power to- force
upon you still harsher terms and
as certain as that there is Deity in
heaven, they will do it. Do, you
ask how? l answer, by. the very
simple process Of DISTINGUISHING a
yet larger portion of the whites, and
giving to viscious white men and ig-
rant blacks the exclusive right to
vote. Do you ask, can Congress do
this? What is it that Congress has
not done Z" ..-.l...es .r,s-.a,, ...... q.


II hear it said on all sides. live
accept these terms, Congress will
not be satisfied, but will impose 9TH
er and harsher terms. This is but an
opinion, and / dissent from it. /


believe if we close in with the terms
now offered, and do it in good faith,
no further, demands will be made of
us by Congress. I do not suppose
extremely Radical members, such as
Stevens, Logan, Boutwell,, &C., will
! be satisfied, but Congress, as body,
will be. Its word is pledged, and
am satisfied it will not be violated.
But suppose it is, who viii be dis
honored? ? You. who have complied
with the terms, as harsh as Congress
chose to make them, or Congress it


self, which, in that case, will meanly
and perfdiously have eaten its own
words? I have not thought that
Congress is going to do an such a
thing, but if 1T docs, the civilized
1 world will be at no loss in fixing in
the black spot Of dishonor. II


Entertaining these views you
! will not be surprised when you hear
me say that I am in favor of. accep-
ting the Congressional plan for re-
/ construction in good faith: and for
carrying it out in all it's amplitude,
and to the incest puntilio.' 91'i-at
"You have been told, and no
doubt many believe, that the late
war was waged by the Northern peo-
pie for the purpose of setting you
free, andthe Southern people fought
for the sole purpose of holding you
in bondage. No such thing is true.
That there were individual men in
both armies who were actuated by
these motives, is no doubt true.
But these were not the controlling
motives of either of the grand ar
mics. The Confederate States took
UP arms in defense Of their equal
rights, and to establish their sep
arate independence. The United
States fought to maintain the Union,
the Constitution and the laws. At
least that is what they said. Con-
gress stoutly denied that freedom to
the black man was any part Of the
object Of the war. st " 5


President Lincoln issued his proc
lamation offering US peace and the
perpetuity Of slavery, on the simple
condition that we would lay down
our arms and return to our allegi-
ance to the United States. That we
were not fighting to keep you in sla-
very is proved by our prompt rejec-
ton of this proposition. The fact
of its being submitted to us, is proof
that the North did not go to war to
set you free. If we were fighting to
hold you in slavery, we had gained
our point, and would have laid down
our arms. If the North was fight
ing to set you free, they were ready
to abandon their object. The truth
is you are indebted to your own
good conduct, under Gods proyi-
dence, for your freedom It was
predicted that you would take up
arms against your former masters


Instead of this, most of you staid at
home, protected the wives and chill
dren of our soldiers in the field, and
made bread and meat for armies
The Yankees, seeing this, resorted
to the expedient Of declaring you
free, as means of starving US out,
and thus force us make a peace. 1t
was a political necessity resorted to.
not so much to benefit the colorcd
man as it was to punish the white
man. .rs.-..


But it is said the Northern peo
| pie are more your friends than the
white people of the South. Let us
inquire into this. It is probable
that people who are strangers to
you can be more your friends than
are the people among whom you
have been raised, and whose graft
tude you have excited by your do,
cility and fidelity under trying cir
cumstances S? But let US try anothe
test. How do the Northern people
treat the colored folks who live
among them? You will naturally
conclude they have given them all
their rights they have conferred on
you, and more too. Not a bit of it.
Fin most Of the Northern States the
colored men have about as many
rights as you had when you were
slaves; and they are much less res
pected by their white neighbors, as
a general thing, than you are in this
country by your former mastels.-
| 1t is very well for you to inquire
if all these things have been given
to strangers, why the same things
and even greater have not been done
for your race at the North ? The
answer is easy. These things have
| been done because it was supposed
! white men of the South would be
punished thereby, and not as favor
or benefit to the colored man. am
happy to say the design has not been
! effected the white man of the South
has not been humiliated. They con