The weekly Anglo-African., 1860-01-21
A DEBATE.

day evening, the 10Th inst, the young men
of that quiet city having chosen to venti-
late their ideas pro bono publico ON the
question, (Which has sustained the most
injustice at the hands of the American
people. the American Indian or the Anglo
African 2"
The meeting was organized by the ap-
pointment of Prof. VIM j. Wilson Chair
man, and Jas. R. w. Leonard Secretary,
The gentlemen combatants having arrayed
themselves on either side, agreed to en-
trust the diadem of victory to the hands of
the President, who opened the debate with
the introduction of Mr. Thos. NJ Cardoza.
This gentleman said he was aware that
the audience must be little prejudiced in
favor of the Anglo African, but hoped it
might be subdued, in order that an Impair
tial view might be taken of the insuferable
wrongs done the poor Indian. He refer
red to the massacre of the Indians in the
Southern and New England States, where
men, women, and children were butchered
like chickens-roasted, and subjected to
all manner of tortures too horrible to con-
template Mr.. Cardoza contended that
these and like prosecutions had made them
nearly extinct. In looking over the audi
ence, the speaker thought the absence of
the Indian, the rightful owner of the soil,
and the presence of the numerous gather
ing of Anglo-Africans, must settle the
question.
Mr.. - Hunter followed in reply, TAX
ing the ground that the decision of the Su-
preme Court, the slave traffic with its at
tendant horrors, the reduction OF the An
glo-African to the level of the brute crea-
ton, were as great wrongs.as could be done
to people, and to these wrongs, he con-
tended, the Indian had not been subjected,
particularly the genius and spirit of the
first, which he said comprised the whole.
On the contrary, this government makes
for the Indian appropriations, and even
now the Dacotahs are knocking at the door
of the Union for admission, representation,
and voice in the councils of the nation.
The gentleman argued that the persecution
of the Indian was owing to his resistance
to civilization. From his wild nature and
habits of living, hunting and warfare, he
was less approachable than the African,
who lived more upon vegetable matter,
which springs up spontaneously around
him, rendering him consequently more do
cle and teachable.
Mr.. John p. Sampson was glad that the
people were getting interested upon sub
iects of this character, and could sit, listen,
and, for the time being, conquer their pre-
judices" sufficiently to enable them to rem
der an unbiased decision. He spoke of
the severe sufferings of the Indians from
1492-before slavery was known in this
country-and declared it impossible to pull
dowu an old house or make an excavation
without the earth spewing up the mutilat-
| ed bones of the red man. He held that
their extinction had been the prevailing
object of the whites in their hostilitieS
against the Indians, pronouncing it two
fold wrong-a violation of the rights of
man and of the laws of God, who had
placed them here to multiply the earth.
The President next introduced DR.. VIM.
B. Ellis, who spoke with much power and
force, setting forth the advantages which
the Indian has ever enjoyed over the An
glo-African From the landing of the Pill
grims, said he, they have had arms placed
in their hands wherewith to defend them
selves, and had courted the hostility of
which the opposition complained. They
have retreated voluntarily before the
march of civilization, and are by no means
to be compared in point of moral and social
susceptibility to the Anglo-African.
Mr.. Samuel Wright, young gentleman
not advertised in the programme, receiv-
ing inspiration from the burning eloquence
of the last speaker, sailed out upon the
floor to do battle for his people-the An
glo-Africans. However, the thermometer
fell from "fever heat to somewhere below
moderate" as he faced the expectant au-
dience, who breathlessly y awaited his COM
ing thunder. Mr.. Wright warned the au-
dience of chronic disposition to embar
rassment, and hoped he might be indulged
should he exhibit little on this occasion.
He started out with very fair prospect,
to show the great difference between man
stealing and man-fghting, when it became
suddenly evident that Mr. Wrights ideas
were getting "off the track" which he OBJ
serving, begged of the audience to be ex-
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