Year: 1867

j
and a black man was brought into court and
a white man was brought into court at the
same timc2 suppose few men might be
found occasionally who would be ready to do
justice, but will venture to say, and my cx-
perience in the South since the close of the
rebellion justifes me in saying SO, that they
would be like the visits of the angels, few
and far between. daughter and cheers.)
Do you expect then that they would give
you schools for the education of your chill
dren2 No, no)


The schools you have at present are in
many cases the same as those which estab-
lished in Louisiana. If they are such good
triea DIS of yours, why is this country now
cursed with the presence of the spirit of
wickedness which will not allow your
schools to stand.in safety The old spirit
of slavery is not yet dead. Crhat's soy
And you must he careful that the little life
left in it is crushed by your uniting and
standing together in one solid phalanx.


Do these people who now profess such
extreme friendship for you. thank Congress
because it has g iven you the right of suf-
frage No; they say they accept the meas
ure, and that is all They don't welcome it.
There is long difference between welcom-
ing and accepting, for accepting means,
in other words, that they can't see any other
way to get out of it. (Cheers) 1t
means more than this. 1t means We accept
it, but we do not want it. And they will
have to accept it, for it means something
else. 1t means we will have to accept it or
accept the coniiscation of our property
We will put them ON trial for about ten
years or so, and if in that time. we find they
have become willing to accept the measure
chcerfully we will admit them into the
! OH
bear any OF them express their regret when
that fearful event which plunged the land
into unutterablc woe-the death of the mar
tyred Lincoln-took place (No, no. y
Do they take his portrait and hang it in
their parlors If they are SO tond of your
freedom and of you, why don't they honor
the memory of the great and good man, who
said like Moses of old, in the presence of
Pharoah: Tins saith the Lord, Let
these people GO" loud applause)


| Now look to the future. What you want
is equal and imperishahle freedom. You
want it in all its fullness, beauty and bles-
sedaess. You don't want it, if it costs the
life of any one. ("No no.") You don't pro-
pose to trample any one to death. (No, no.)
You simply want to stand up before God in
the light of day, free and untrammelled
men, as hoaest and good men, (yes, yes,)





other men, and you don't wish to be abused
or prosecuted. or ostracise1 because you pos
sess these rights Crhat's so, that's SOY
| This is your right, as well as it is the light
of any other man. What you want is very
simple, and if were in your place. l would
have it, even if the very Heavens were to fall
on my head. (Cheers) BY this, l mean
that would on no consideration allow my
self to be humhugged by certain men, who
are now trying to exhibit certain kind of
love for you. l have no doubt, whatever,
that some of them were very kind masters,
but then, they were MasterS after all some
OF them may have been very good men, but
they were shareholders, nevertheless. pro
longed cheering) You want another thing;
and would have you give due considera-
tion tn the great question now before you;
you want to have granted to your children
the same rights which are granted to the
children of white people. You want a tax
imposed by the Legislature of your State
on property for the education of your chill
tlren. as we'll as for the education of white
children. You want men in your Legisla-
ture who Arill do this. If your Legislature
is composed of men who have up to this time
denied you education, do yGu think you
will have such tax that? {No, no.
You want justice in the courts hereafter
You don't want the courts to be so admin
istered that when you walk into them, both
the Judges and jurors will look and sneer at
you. because as | have heard them say, in
Louisiana, Il nigger is brought into court"
(Cheers) You want a court of justice. and
not court of mockery-not a court where
justice is reduced to mockery. You want
the opportunity of coming in like American
citizens-of coming in before any Judge and
claiming stice. That is your right. (Ap-
plause.)


In the future you want no cruel or barha-
rious torture for crimes that have been COM
nlitted by white men. White men offend
ing would not be punished as you would be
under the law. Your backs must hereafter
be free from the scourge and the lash, and
when punishment does come to you. you
want it to come in the same ratio in which
it comes to the white man, for the same of
ftnse. To bring about this result, you must
| he careful that the ati;cers Of the law are
men worthy to he trusted worthy of your
Yates. You want, also, On election dtvs, to
be protected by the authorities-you want
authorities who will protect you in the en-
Jovment OF your franchise. When you 90
up to vote, you don't want a mob to trample
you under loot And remember, you have
got great future before you, and the wnole |
future depends upon your first vote 1t is in |
your hands to guard yourselves and YOUR
rights in the future, AMI be careful that YOU |
do it. (Checrs)
| like that noble sentiment given to us by !
Andy Johnson. in the first place, in so many |
words. and that is, Loyal men must rule" |
There is meaning in that. He has given
us another sentiment which is, that traitors
must take back seat in the work of recon- |
struction," and then, as | said before. when |
we have good reason to believe that they are |
worthy and fit for it, we will take them back |
into the church. loud applause)


I have spoken of the Republican party,
and have called it the party of freedom.
That can be sustained by the record of the
party. See how it has progressed, until it
has done the crowning work. See the work
it has accomplished since it come into power.
First, commencing by telling the South,
" we don't intend to interfere with your in
stitutions," thinking, perhaps, the rebels
would lay down their arms after having re-
ceived such an assurance as that. But find
ing they were about to he dangerous in re-
sistance, then they said, " this slavery of
the South is the bone and sinew of the South.
1t is the great power of the South, without
which the South could not fight us a single