RECONSTRUCTION ORATORY
Northern visitors, drawn to Richmond in the Spring of 1867, to the Davis
trial, came upon the heels of a riot if not squarely into the midst of
one. Friday, May 10, began with a mass-meeting at one of the old
Chimborazo buildings, where negroes of both sexes, various ages, and in
all kinds of rags and raiment, congregated. Nothing could exceed the
cheerfulness with which their initiation fees and monthly dues were
received by the white Treasurer of the National Political Aid Society,
while their names were called by the white Secretary--the one officer a
carpet-bagger, the other a scalawag. Initiation fee was a quarter, monthly
dues a dime; the Treasurer's table was piled with a hillock of small
change. The Secretary added 400 names to a roll of 2,000.
A negro leader, asked by a Northern reporter, "What's this money to be
used for?" replied: "We gwi sen' speakers all 'roun' de country, boss; gwi
open de eyes er de cullud folks, an' show 'em how dee gotter vote. Some
niggers out in de country don' know whe'er dee free er not--hoein' an'
plowin' fuh white folks jes lak dee always been doin'. An' dee gwi vote
lak white folks tell 'em ef dar ain' suppin' did. De country's gwi go tuh
obstruction ef us whar knows don' molighten dem whar don' know. Dat huccum
you sees what you does see." When collection had been taken up, a young
carpet-bagger led in speech-making:
"Dear friends: I rejoice to find myself in this noble company of
patriots. I see before me men and women who are bulwarks of the nation;
ready to give their money, to work, to die, if need be, for freedom.
Freedom, my friends, is another name for the great Republican Party.
("Hise yo' mouf tellin' dat truf!" "Dat's so!" "Halleluia!" "Glory be tuh
Gawd!") The Republican Party gave you freedom and will preserve it
inviolate! (Applause; whispers: "What dat he spoken 'bout?" "Sho use big
words!" "Dat man got sense. He know what he talkin' 'bout ef we don't!")
That party was unknown in this grand old State until a few months ago. It
has been rotten-egged!--("Now ain't dat a shame!") although its speakers
have only advocated the teachings of the Holy Bible. ("Glory Halleluia!"
"Glory to de Lamb!" "Jesus, my Marster!") The Republican Party is your
friend that has led you out of the Wilderness into the Promised Land!"
Glories and halleluias reached climax in which two sisters were carried
out shouting. "Disshere gitten' too much lak er 'ligious meetin' tuh suit
me," a sinner observed.
"You do not need for me to tell you never to vote for one of these white
traitors and rebels who held you as slaves. ("Dat we ain't!" "We'll see
'em in h---- fust!") We have fought for you on the field of battle. Now you
must organize and fight for yourselves. ("We gwi do it, too! Dat we is! We
gwi fight!") We have given you freedom. We intend to give you property.
We, the Republican Party, propose to confiscate the land of these white
rebels and traitors and give it to you, to whom it justly belongs--forty
acres and a mule and $100 to every one of you! (The Chairman exhausted
himself seeking to subdue enthusiasm.) The Republican Party cannot do this
unless you give it your support. All that it asks is your vote and your
influence. If the white men of the South carry the elections, they will
put you back into slavery."
A scalawag delivered the gem of the occasion: "Ladies and gentlemen: I am
happy to embrace this privilege of speaking to you. I desire to address
first and very especially a few words to these ladies, for they wield an
influence of which they are little aware. Whether poor or rich, however
humble they may be, women exert a powerful influence over the hearts of
men. I have been gratified to see you bringing your mites to the cause of
truth. Emulate, my fair friends, the example of your ancestors who came
over in the Mayflower, emulate your ancestors, the patriotic women of '76.
Give your whole hearts, and all your influence to this noble work. And in
benefits that will come to you, you shall be repaid an hundred-fold for
every quarter and dime you here deposit!" The meeting closed with
race-hatred stirred up to white heat in black breasts.
Later in the day, Richmond firemen were entertaining visiting Delaware
firemen with water-throwing. A policeman requested a negro, standing
within reserved space, to move; Sambo would not budge; the officer pushed
him back; Sambo struck the officer; there was a hubbub. A white bystander
was struck, and struck back; a barber on the corner jerked up his pole and
ran, waving it and yelling: "Come on, freedmen! Now's de time to save yo'
nation!" Negroes of all sizes, sexes and ages, some half-clad, many drunk,
poured into the street; brickbats flew; the officer was knocked down, his
prisoner liberated. Screams of "Dem p'licemens shan't 'res' nobody, dat
dee shan't!" "Time done come fuh us tuh stan' up fuh our rights!" were
heard on all sides. The police, under orders not to fire, tried to
disperse or hold them at bay, exercising marvellous patience when blacks
shook fists in their faces, saying: "I dar you tuh shoot! I jes dar you
tuh shoot!"
Mayor Mayo addressed the crowd: "I command you in the name of the
Commonwealth to go to your homes, every one, white and black; I give you
my word every case shall be looked into and justice done." They moved a
square, muttering: "Give us our rights, now--de cullud man's rights!" An
ambulance rumbled up. Negroes broke into cheers. In it sat General
Schofield, Federal Commandant, and General Brown, of the Freedmen's
Bureau. "Speech! speech!" they called. "I want you to go to your homes and
remain there," said General Schofield. They made no motion to obey, but
called for a speech. "I did not come here to make a speech. I command you
to disperse." They did not budge. The war lord was not there to trifle. In
double-quick time, Company H of the Twenty-Ninth was on the ground and
sent the crowd about its business. That night six companies were marched
in from Camp Grant and disposed about the city at Mayor Mayo's discretion.
High carnival in the Old African Church wound up the day. An educated
coloured man from Boston presided, and Carpet-Bagger-Philanthropist
Hayward (who, having had the cold shoulder turned on him in Massachusetts,
had come to Virginia) held forth: "The papers have made conspicuous my
remarks that the negro is better than the white man. Why, I had no idea
anybody was so stupid as to doubt it. When I contemplate such a noble
race, and look upon you as you appear to me tonight, I could wish my own
face were black!" "Ne'm min', boss!" sang out a sympathetic auditor, "Yo'
heart's black! Dat's good enough!" The speaker was nonplussed for a
second.
"When I go to Massachusetts, shall I tell the people there that you are
determined to ride in the same cars on which white men and women ride?"
"Yes! Yes!" "Shall I tell them you intend to go in and take your seats in
any church where the Gospel is preached?" "Yes! Yes! Dat we is!" "Shall I
tell them you intend to occupy any boxes in the theatre you pay your money
for?" "You sho kin, boss!" "Yes, yes!" "Shall I tell them you intend to
enjoy, _in whatever manner you see fit_, any rights and privileges which
the citizens of Massachusetts enjoy?" "Dat you kin!" "Tell 'em we gwi have
our rights!"
"If you cannot get them for yourselves, the young men of the Bay State
will come down and help you. We have made you free. We will give you what
you want." The coloured gentleman from Boston had to employ all his
parliamentary skill before applause could be subdued for the speaker to
continue. "You are brave. I am astonished at evidences of your bravery. To
any who might be reckless, I give warning. You would not endanger the life
of the illustrious Underwood, would you?" (Judge Underwood, boss of the
black ring, was in town to try Mr. Davis.) "Dat we wouldn'!" "_Well, then,
as soon as he leaves, you may have a high carnival in whatever way you
please. It is not for me to advise you what to do, for great masses do
generally what they have a mind to._"
Wrought up to frenzy, the negroes fairly shook the house; the chairman
made sincere efforts to bring the meeting to order. The young white
Secretary of the National Political Aid Society arose and said: "Mr.
Speaker, you may tell the people of Massachusetts that the coloured people
of Richmond are determined to go into any bar-room, theatre, hotel, or car
they wish to enter." "Yes, you tell 'em dat! We will! We will!"
Next morning, our war lord brought Hayward up in short order. The meeting
had come to his notice through Cowardin's report in the "Dispatch." The
hearing was rich, a cluster of bright newspaper men being present, among
them the "New York Herald" reporter, who endorsed Mr. Cowardin's account,
and declared Hayward's speech inflammatory. It developed that negroes had
been petitioning to Washington for General Schofield's removal, a
compliment paid all his predecessors.
The idle and excitable negroes must not be accepted as fully
representative of their race. Those not heard from were the worthy ones,
remaining at the houses of their white employers or in their own homes,
and performing faithfully their regular duties. They were in the minority,
but I believe the race would prefer now that these humble toilers should
be considered representative rather than the other class. Lending neither
aid nor encouragement to insurrectionary methods, they yet dared not
openly oppose the incendiary spirit which, had it been carried far enough,
might have swept them, too, off their feet as their kindred became
involved. Negroes stick together and conceal each other's defections; this
does not proceed altogether from race loyalty; they fear each other; dread
covert acts of vengeance and being "conjured." Mysterious afflictions
overtake the "conjured" or bewitched.
THE PRISONER FREE