New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-05-10
MIR. FRED. DOUGLASS presented the following reso-
LII; -. er,,, ,he Business Committee.

b,,,o Long ytsrs Of Oppression and slavery have dsoar1
@ Ard have them TO uen4 svocAtions for live
hood; vho' bitter and P,TseufinE pregass sssn'.
h esswn sword ready to strike down the apIps eooied
yosfh the meneDf be sdvanees toward me w9rAsnof wa
;isw STAINING respectable trade; and Aera. t1e ony
e.ere degradation for people 70 b. found IA enan
esn the position Of seue cla% and IN turning our af-n
tion education productive ldutry and PraeeAi Know"
sdse Of mechanical seences: therefore, -,
hesred That it the Is business Of the Council charged
with the duty q looking sfser and prons the webens o.
the ored peope % esbsh mo means Whereby our y.an
longer be deprye- Of useful honorable and ners'e
Ed That a. enc mean. 20 thi. iposn. end the Coun-
Gil Istrm and that they DO hereby the plan for an Indus
trial Coege which has teen reported BY the proper Committee
and Which s, during period Of wee nth, OF s, bs sT
in arhersnee Of The came oee; sY me ses9a report SUD
Mr.. BosSER Of Illinois thought the colored people
had too long been dependent upon what mghtbe done
for them by the whites. 1t time that they did
something for themselves. He hoped this Report
would be adopted, for he did not believe that the
coored youth could otherwise find channels through
which to elevate themselves TO position of independ
ence and responsibility.
Mr. DOUGLASS fully concurred with the last speaker
in the propriety of adopting the Report; but he
deemed the Industrial College Of 20 much moment that
he hoped it would be more fully discussed. He be-
eved that If an agent had been appointed at the time
the plan was first proposed it would now be placed IN
POSITION Of success beyond oil doubt. his scheme
had been pronounced by the first periodical IN the
world 10 be the creates; and most comprehensive plan
for eleyating tie colorcd race in this country yet pro-
posed That is the opinion of THE NEw-foRK
1mBUNF. He aware that some of the Abolition
papers had opposed the pan but if the coored people
would ever arrive al n respectable place IN socMiy
they must do their orn thinking. The coorcd people
are now the sick Of America; those who pretend
to be their friends measure their place and gauge
their ideas and pat them on the back, but II they
step beyond that narrow place those friends become
yifcfs and enemies. He wanted the colorcd men to
feel that they possess the power TO overcome the pre-
udice against their color He did not see why coorcd
mems enterprises should be stgmatized By Their color
When white start school for their children no
one stigmatizcs il proscriptivc; why then DO they
charge the coored man with proscrp'lveness when he
seeks TO the disabilities attendant upon ms
position The prescription Is theirs not ms. u lad
iecn asserted then the one hand that coored chill
drcn could easily learn trades, and on the other hand
that after they had learned them they could not get
employment at them. Was that not an argument Tor
tie colored man TO help himself But he would admit
that this school not needed when the workshop and
the studio and every other branch of business, shall be
oren to the soBs and daughters of color equal terms
with or at least some show OF kindness, from the
whites Until then he must feel that tins plan Is the
best vet offered for eevating the people OF his hue
Mr. downing reiterated his views in opposition to
the establishment of this school, lie held that the
fault of their mental position lay with the apathy and
Incidence of the colored people themselves. He had
in lis mind white persons in every branch of business
who would be willing TO take colored youths and teach
item trades, if they could only get them to come to
learn Ii would take from $4,000 to $1,000 10 start
the enterprise contemplated and then without hope
of lis succeeding.
Mr. Meyers held that the great difficulty was in the
want Of unanimity among the colored people 1t was
not tie fact that coored children could learn ony trade
tley wished Aboitonsis and friends of the coored
"man," when they wanted to employ boy or a man,
oNar q. no NJ
pcrsons If the colorcd people of the State or the
nation wished to establish this school, they could do
so and maintain IT successfully. Since ls26 down to
now those who prof,ssed TO be the strongest Aooh-
iionss have refused to render the coored people any
thing else but sympathy; when occasion offered
and they might render them some practical service
they shIunk back from the opportunity-they might
employ a colored boy as porter or packer, but would
put h0dcarrer to the clerk desk as coloed
boy, ever so well educated though he be.
Mr. DUFFIs felt that the Council were not prepared
tn adopt this Report and he hoped it would be laid
over. great deal had been said about the impossi-
bty of getting colored youth into respectable work
shols but not a word had been said about their fit
ness fiji such positions and he doubted if they were
really qualified. He lived in Ontario County, the hot
bed of Silver-Grayism and he would guarantee that
III the village in which he lived he could get from one
TO twenty oolored boys chance TO learn trades from
Undermining up TO education IN Hobart Free Co!-
lcce He moved that TIE Report be laid on the table.
argued that the children of the colored are not
prepared for such movement is contemplated it
is then obvious that they must be prepared, and bow
is this 10 be done Such school the one in ques
ton would be nucleus around which colored children
could gather and be indoctrnaed with such spn OF
enter rise they never before felt aud as wogd
enable them to achieve Independence. The majority
of the colorcd PEOPLE themselves speak contemptuousy
of all enerises set on foot b. cOlorcd men, and lend
their hearty cooperation and favor to all movements
in which white men are concerned. lie fet and he
wished his fellow-cOlored men could ADOPT the same
views, that if they would rise to position OF respec
they must oct for and respect themselves
Mr. SMITH of Philadelphia spoke in favor of the re-
port and offered examples of the difficulty attending
the efforts of coored children to obtain trades.
Mr. JOHN L. STILL thought that from the present po-
sition of the discussion il would not be advisable to
adopt the report He did no; see how the coloFed art
san could get work after he had learned a trade.
Mr. BONNER said il would appear from the remarks
of Mr. Downing and Others that prejudice at all ex-
listed in this country against color; such view was
absurd in the extreme He cited instances to the con-
trary showing that among the most radical ADO
honists in the OF his residence, Chicago he-than
whom 10 colored man there stood better chance or
had more infuence-had been unable to get co.oTcd
bow his own nephew, situation, the WINE wo.kmen
in the shops refusing TO work beside him.
Mr.. bonner took the Chair.
DR.. SMITH said nearly every gentleman who advo-
Gated this industrial school had been or was me
chanic, and those who opposed it had never been
engaged in any mechanical avocation. In his youth
be worked for four years as a blacksmith, and could
speak of the good effects of mechanical training.
Tbs plan did not merely contemplate the teaching of
moc anicai trade, but other things would be taught
scientific agriculture for instance. II they could only
throw into the of the country in five years
five hundred scientific and practical agrculiurnlisis
they might soon take into their own hands the agrcu
The eo;slaurea of all of the STATES