The Portland daily press., 1865-12-19
Letter from the Federal Capital.
THE FREEDMEN's AID COMMISSION.
WASHINGTON, Dec. IA, 1855.


THE FREEDMEN's AID COMMISSION.
WASHINGTON, Dec. ID, 1856.
| To the Editor of the Press: b. ,h- .lT ~
The American Freedmen's Aid Commits
sion is an enterprise of national Importance,
and the great meeting held by it in the Hall of
Representatives, on the evening of Wcdnes-
day, the 18th inst, was somewhat more than a
local event. In order to avoid, as far as prac-
ticable, the discomforts of an immense rush.
and the disappointment which many expert
ence in such a case, tickets of admission to
floor and galleries Were issued. Not more than
one half, perhaps not more than one fourth of
those who wished to attend, were able to Sc
cure the needed bit of pasteboard, and vet,
long before the hour fixed for the exercises to
commence, the spacious Hall was densely yfilled.
The entrance of Chief Justice Chase, the
President of the meeting, with Rev. II. w.
Beecher, Rev. H. H. Garnet, Speaker Colfax,
and others, was hailed with tumultuous an
pla1se, mingled with good-natured laughter,
when the very black face of Mr.. Garnet was
seen. The meeting was called to order by the
Chief Justice, and an opening prayer was Of
fered by Mr.. Garnet-earnest, direct, and
beautifully appropriate. A brief address was
then made by the President, in which occurred
these pregnant words: "Ihe ,car has raised a
cast number of subjects to the estate of cIrI-
zENs." And these words were from the lips
of the Chief Justice of that same supreme
tribunal which not ten years ago pronounced
that swindle upon our common humanity, and
insult to our common Creator, known as the
"Dred Scott Decisionp Think of il, ye who
hailed that judicial enormity as finality, and
howled with internal delight that the negro
was de-humanized forever more-think of 1t,
and learn something which it concerns you to
know. '-- --.- s5h ai'- -''i'- .1uel.r d.
The orator of the evening, Henry Ward
Beecher, was himself throughout, than which
no more need be said by way of praise. The
first part of his address was devoted to the
discussion of principles. There has always
been faith in men, great men, wise men, strong
men, but little faith in man as such. He diff
fers from the brute in elasticity. He can be
"pulted out, the monkey can'tn Because he
can be developed, he should be. A man un-
educated Is man and animal, tcith the animal
on top. An educated and developed man is
man and animal ,cith the man on top-:he true
Christian centaur. The Jews believed pro-
foundly that God loved all mankind in Judea.
We believe He has very high opinion of the
Anglo Sa1on race. Shall we, in the work of
reconstruction, be guided by this narrow no
tion, or shall we have faith in man irrespec-
i've OF race or color, and seek to develope and
elevate him as the creature of Gods impartial
love, and an heir of Immortality? II we re-
construct on any narrow or unsonnd basis, our
work will not stand. aNothing is settled that
is not settled right. Liberty must not only be
guaranteed to the black man, 1t must be had"
What kind of liberty? Not liberty as empty
and worthless as husks or chat, but liberty
that shall come as richly laden with blessings
as the harvest vain, that tolls toward the gar
her, piled with sheayes as high as fork can
reaeh,-the same, the selfsame liberty of
which the white citizen speaks, when he talks
OF his own liberty. If liberty be a natural
right, then all other rights necessary to its Sc
cure possession and enjoyment, are also COM
pretended in it, and are natural rights not less.
Such right is the right to the ballot. There
is no real liberty withoutit Suffrage is the
natural right of all ,cho hare been thoroughly
born. We should proceed in the work of re-
construction as fast as we can safely, and no
faster. We can hardly fail of glorious fu-
ture. If we do our work wisely and well, we
shall attain it with little delay and pain. If
not we shall still reach it, but after long time
and through great suferings. If we are true
to ourselves, and to the opportunities God has
placed before us, we shall be successful in our
endeavors, and speedily and gloriously, "au
flesh shall see the saluation of God" -
At one point in his discourse, the speaker
remarked that he never used the wore "Dena-
acratic," without twinge of conscience. 1t
used to be good word, until it was smitten
with leprosy, and it is going to be good word
again, for according to the Jewish sanitary
ritual, it has got to go away from among men,
and remain alone, till it gets well. M
The address, to which no abstract can do
any justice, certainly gave no indication of
supposed laxity of political faith, which some
have of late been inclined to ascribe to Mr..
radical 1t was listened to by the vast audi
ence among whom were many members of
the House, Senators, and several judges of the
Supreme Court, with that profound attention
which it deserved, interrupted only by occa-
sional outbursts of enthusiastic applause. il
U,to G ooro+, !, rx, Az. ~. =.
r. Shipherd, read statement respecting its
operations, the following extracts from which
can hardly fail to be of general interest: --
'THE AMERICAN FREEDMEN's AID coMAns-
SION - -.ue
Was organized in the city of New York, on
the Oath of August, 1865, by representatives
of the leading Freedmen's Relief Associations,
formerly independent, for the purpose of uni
flying their methods Of labor, and extending
their organization throughout the country. F
The end and reward Of this common labor
is sought in fhe redemption of the freed peop-
lie from the degradation into which slavery has
plunged them, that they may become thorough
ly FIT for complete citizenship. No sectional,
no partizan, no class interests are sought Or
Large eleemosynary aid in the way of suit
able clothing for destitute women and children
is demanded, and is being rapidly supplied by
the willing fingers of loyal and Christian wo-
men in every Northern State. $50 -iol
Meanwhile. not less than six hundred teach
ers and relief agents are sustained by the Com
mission in Southern States, who instruct fifty
thousand pupils, and conduct twenty orphan
asylums, and large number of industrial
normal, and other training schools.
The present monthly expenditure OF the
Commission is not far from fifty thousand dol
lars If the inviting openings were IRE, all enter
| ed, it would be at least five time: TINS sum.
tits believed that no other investment of
| funds. whether derived from the public treas
ury, or from private iberality, will yield to the
| nation so early and so large return as that
which provides for the early education of the
neonIe Of the South, both black and white
The special encouragement to aid the black