The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1862-02-25
No, sO1.
Fred. Douglas ON the Wav.

| A large audience assembled at tho Cooper
Institute last ev, ming to hear Frederick Doug.
las lecture on the war. He spoke 10 behalf
of the colored race, and discussed the ques-
ton OF emancipation at length, remarking a.
| follows:
my answer to the question, what shall be
done with the four million slaves il emancips-
ted shall be short and simple. Do nothing
with them but leave them just rs you leave
other men, to do with and for themselves
We would be entirely respectful to those who
raise this inquiry, and yet it s bard Eot to
say to them just what they would say TO US.
if we manifested like concern for them, and
that is: please 10 mind your business and
leave us to mind oun. If We cannot stand
up, then let us fall down. We ask nothing
at the hands of the American people but sim
pie justice, and an equal chance to live; and
if we cannot live an flourish on such terms.
our case should be referred to the Author Of
our existence. Injustice, oppression aud slave.
ry, with all their manifold coucomitants, have
been tried with us during period of more
tbau two hundred years. Under the whole
heavens you will find no parallel to the
wrongs we have endured. We have worked
without wages; we have lived without hope,
wopt without sympathy, and bed without
mercy. Now, in the name Of common bu.
manily, and according to the law of the Lv-
ing God, we simply ask the right to bear tho
responsibility Of our own existence.
"Do nothing with us, for US, or by us, as
particular class. What you have done with
US thus far has only worked to our disadvan.
tsge. We now simply ask to be allowed TO
do for ourselves. submit that there is moth.
ing unreasonable or unnatural in this request.
The black man is said 10 be unfortunate. 1
affirm that the broadest and bitterest Of the
black mans misfortunes is the fact that he is
Q erywhers regarded and treated as an exoep.
tion to the principles and maxims which ap-
ply To other men, nd that nothing short Of
tie ext ensi"n Of those principles to him eau
satisfy any honest ,dvocste of bis claims.
He Jaw no harm in emancipaling all the
slaves at once, saying:
"Why not? They are not wolves nor IT,
gers, but men. They are endowed with rea-
son-can decide upon questions of right and
wrong, good and evil. lenefi,s and injuries
and are therefore subjects of Government pre-
csely IA other men are"
He thought the number Of Africans on this
continent and the adjacent islands but little
! IS than twenty millions, and did not believe
they could te coonized. In closing, he read
an eloquent reply to the assertion that the ne
gro was like the Indian, and would die out
efore the progress of civilization. He had
10 apprehension on that point. and added:
The Indian wraps himself in gloom, and
proudly glores in isolation-he retr ats be.
fre the onward march Of civilization. The
humming of the honey bee warns him away
from his hunting grounds. He sees the plow-
share of civilization tossing up the bones Of
his venerated fathers, and he dies OF a brokel
heart. Not so with the negro. There is a
v taty about him that seems alike invincible
t, hardship and cruelty. Work him, whip
him, s,ll him, torment him, and he still lives
and clingS to American civiIization-sn Un-
Gle Tom in the Church, aud an Uncle Ben on
the southern coast to guide our Burnside Ex'
petition.