Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-10-06
SUNDAY EVENING.
REMARKS BY II. FORD DOUGLASS.


The Resolutions Of The Business committe hav-
ing been read to tie meeting, Mr.. Douglass said :
l shall not, Mr.. Chairman, in the remarks l
shall make this evening, confne myself to tho res.
olutions which have been read, perhaps shall say
but little about them, more than that they have
my hearty approval. At the conclusion Of my re-
marks this morning | referred to the prejudice ex-
listing in this country against the colored people.
| had not time, then, to dwell upon it. and will
choose it as my subject for to night.
Strictly s~ponking l claim there is no such thing
las prejudice against color, either IN this country
or anywhere else. 1t is simply natures protest
against slavery, that is called BY this name. You
do not hate the colored man because be is such.
[ will not do our oppressors the injustice Of sup
posing for II moment, that they disgrace us on ac-
count OF our color. l know there may be some
exceptions to this rule. l have stopped at no,
tells ana travelled in cars, and entered churches,
and have sometimes met men who seemed to dis
pise me, simply because God brought me into this
worll, without asking me whether l would, or
would not, have a white skin. But the man who
would thus insult me, or any man, because Of his
colored skin, is sunk SO ley in The scale Of decency
and manhood, that contempt, clothed with the
wings Of the swif.est Lightning, would require
ii thousands of years to reach him, and would die
before it could get half way.
When we are free, men will fn6 it to be a fact
that there is no prejudice against color. 1t is the
condition, not the color. My color serves as a
badge, indicating that | belong to a race which in
this land has been doomed to degradation. And
just SO long as we consent to occupy a subOrdinate
condition, and submit without murmuring to our
degradation. there is no prejudice against US. 81
long as the black man Is willing to be a slave in
this country, all is we'll enough, but whenever he
attempts to take the position of a freeman, it is
then the white man seems to hate him. We can
fill the places Of servants, we can wait on white
people at the table, and drive ladies out ia car,
riages and, so long as We are willing to occupy
these positions. there is no prejudice against us,
1t is only when l feel myself a man and stand
forth among men as my own master, unwilling
that any shall rule over me, that this prejudice is
aroused against me.
In the State of Illinois, as long as we mad. DO
complaint and claimed no manhood we had little
difficulty. While, as they say, ave kept our
places" all was we'll there was no prejudice.
And SO it is always. You take our money to sus-
tain your schools and your government, and then
shut US out from both there seems no difference
between our money and that of the white people.
It is not tainted by passing through our hands.
1t is only when we would have the benefit of the
schools which we pay our money to support, or
ask to vote in the government which takes our
money by taxation, that this terrible prejudice
against color is manifested, and the UhiUerss seems
to be endangered.
All this is natural. As I said this prejudice is
natures protest against slavery and outrage and
the colored people of the country are bound, as
they love freedom, aud would deserve it, to elevate
themselves above this mental condition. So lone
as we are oppressed, we will be dispised for men
always dispise and hate those whom they have
injured. Aud the amount of injury and hate in
proportion to tho wrong you have done US fol
our presence always brings to the minds of our
opproSsors, the length and breadth and depth Of
their meanness. Hence, there are many people
who would exile us from this country entirely.
Many Republicans advocate this. They propose
to send US to Central America, or somewhere else.
Franklin Blair, and others of the party, propose
The colonization Of oil the free colored population
of the country, But, lot me tell you, God never