Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-12-18

ainrm, that, so far from having been well paid,
IS You supposed, | never received a single
iaIthing for my attendance, or for any word
which | uttered on the occasion referred to
while you were in all probability well sup
ported, swell paid for all you did during
your attendance. My visit to London was
az my W cost. mention this, not because
! blame you for taking pay, or because ! re-
gard as specially meritorlous my attending
the meeting without pay; for ] should pro-
oaoiy have taken pay as readily as you did,
iIad 1t been offered but it was not Offered,
and therefore | got none.
You stigmatize my speech as an 'abomina-
uon; but you take good care to suppress ev-
cry word of the speech itself. There can be
but one motive for this, and that motive OBJ
vlously is, because there was nothing in the
speech which, standing alone, would inspire
Others with the bitter malignity against me,
which unhappily rankles in your own bo-
som.
Now, sir, TO show the public how much
reliance ought to be placed on your statements,
and what estimate they should form of your
love of truth and Christian candor, | will give
the substance of my speech at Covent Gar
den Theatre, and the circumstances attending
and growing out of its delivery. AS sthe
thlng was not done in a corner | can with
safety appeal to the fire thousand that heard
the speech, for the substantial correctness of
my report Of it. 1t was as follows -
MIR. Chairman-Ladies and Gentlemen
l am not a delegate to this Convention
Those who would have been most likely to
elect me as a delegate, could not, because
they are tonight held in the most abject sla-
very in the United States. Sir, | regret that
cannot fully unite with the American dele
gates, in their patriotic e~ulogies of America,
and American Temperance Societies. lean
not do so, for this good reason-there are, at
this moment, three millions of the American
population, by slavery and prejudice, placed
entirely beyond the pale of American Tenn
perance Societies. The three millions are
completely excluded by slavery-and four
hundred thousand free colored people are al.
most as completely excluded by an inveterate
prejudice against them, on account of their
color. (Cries Of shame! shameD
| do not say these things to wound tie feel.
ings of the American delegates. l simply
mention them in their presence, and before
this audience, that, seeing how you regart
this hatred and neglect of the colored people
they may be induced, on their return home
TO enlarge the field of their Temperance ope
%rations, and embrace within the scope of thei
influence, my long neglected ace.-(Gres
cheering, and some confusion on the pla
form.)
Sir, 10 give you some idea Of the dificu
ties and obstacles in the way of the Tempe
rance reformation of the coIored population i
the United States, allow me TO state a fe,
facts. About the year 1910, a few intelli
gent, sober and benevolent colored gentleme
in Philadelphia, being acquainted with tn
appalling ravages of intemperance among
numerous class of colored people in that city
and finding themselves neglected and exclud
ed from white societies, organized s~ocietie
among themselves-appointed committees
sent out agents-built Temperance halls, ant
were earnestly and successfully rescuing ma
ny from the fangs Of intemperance.
The cause went nobly on till the LIST of Au
gust, 1912, the day when England gave Ii
berty TO eight hundred thousand souls in tn,
West Indies. The colored Temperance So
cieties selected this day TO march in process
sion through the city, in the hope that sue
a demonstration would have the effect of bring
ing others into their ranks. They forme,
their procession, unfurled their teetotal ban
ners, and proceeded TO the accomplishment
of their purpose. 1t was a delightful sigh
But, sir, they had not proceeded down tw
streets, before they were assailed by a ruth
less mob-their banner was torn down, an
trampled in the dust-their ranks broken W
their persons beaten, and pelted with stone
and brick-bats. One of their churches wa
burned to the ground, and their best Tempe
rance hall was utterly demolished. (Sham,
shame! shame! from the audience-greatcol
fnsiop and criac IF geit dowp, from tho limo
lean delegates on the platform.
In the midst of this commotion, the chat
man tapped me ON the shoulder, and viii
pering, informed me that the fifteen minute
allotted to each speaker had expired wher'
upon the vast audience simultaneously shou
ed, Don't interrupt! don't dictate 60 on
go on! Douglass! Douglass !" This col
tinued several minutes; after which, l pr
ceeded as follows =
'Kind friends, | beg to assure you that til
chairman has not, in the slightest degree
sought to alter any sentiment which am an,
ious to express on the present occasion. Ii
was simply reminding me, that the time a
lotted for me to speak had expired. l do NJ
wish to occupy one moment more than is a
lotted TO other speakers. Thanking you Il
your kind indulgence, | will take my seat
Proceeding to do so, again there were lou
cries of go on go on y with which con
piled, for a few moments, but without sayir
anything more that particularly related to Il
colored people of America.
When | sat down, the Rev. Mr.. Kirk,
Boston, rose, and said-'Frederick Dougla
has Internationally m%isrepresented the Ter
perance Societies of America. ! am afra
that his remarks have produced the imprt
sion on the public mind, that the Temperan
Societies support slavery-('No! no! no! n
shouted the audience.) If that be not /
impression produced, | have nothing more
, say
Now, DR.. Cox, this is a fair, unvarnisf
story of what took place at Covent Care
Q Theatre, on the 9TH of August, 1916. ]
S the truth of it, l appeal to all the Temporal
papers in the land, and the journal of
Il American Union published at New 70
o Oct. /, 1916. With this statement, | mil
safely snhmit the whola nuestion 10 both