Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-09-07
The Black and Tan Convention
KINKY HAIR AND FLAT NOSES
IN THE ASCENDANT.


IN THE ASCENDANT.
Speech from Fred. Douglass.
At meeting Of the New York delegation
to the Philadelphia Black-and-T .Conven-
ton, at the Union League Rooms, on Tues
day, FRED. DOUGLASS was called upon for a
speech, and responded as follows:
"MR. President AND GENTLEMEN: This
to me, is certainly an unexpected call, and
feel myself almost entirely inadequate to re-
| spond 10 it, have made many speeches on
different occasions and before large assem-
blies, in this country and other countries,
but / never appeared before any audience
that SO entirely untitled me for utteranee as
that before which / appear to-day.
" came here TO this Convention for no
display or exhibition of myself 1t would
have been unworthy conduct for me, I'M
worthy Of those who sent me, and unworthy
the race to which / belong. If / could be
! permitted to sit in silence in that grand pro-
cession, and to sit in silence in that grand
Convention now assembled in this city, what
was my duty in that Convention? To be a
man among men. But sincey you have called
me before you, / may try to say something
| concerning what 1 conceive to be the great.
issue to be made at the ballot-box by the
American people.
cit is we'll that all sides should be heard
| in a great crisis like this. One man may
tell great truth one race may tell large
amount of truth but it takes men of all
/ II. i -, Ill
whole truth. have read recently the adj
dress adopted at a Convention in this city
not of us or for us or with us. / found
many things in that address TO which / could
heartily assent, and to nothing could / as
sent more readily than to the powerful ar
gument showing that there could be no tax
alton without representation. Applause
and laughter If that address had emana-
ted from colored convention, | think
could have Endorsed it every word. Laugh
ter. 1t was only knowledge Of the mo-
tiYes which inspired it that led me TO reject
it.
"The great error of the American people
is to limit universal principles. That has
been the great error Of the American peo-
pie, to limit what is in its very nature illim-
table; to circumscribe principles intended
by the Great Creator of the universe for the
harmony Of the universe. For instance, in
that great document which it is well to think
of on occasions like this, the signers, each
Of whom were pledged in their lives, in
their fortunes, and their sacred honor, all
they had on earth-started out with the
doctrine that all men-not black man, not
a white man-that all, not an Englishman,
not an Irishman-but that all men were
created equal. That great doctrine was
long timed and circumscribed, but J. regard
this Convention now sitting in this city, as
intending to make it practical fact for this
great country. Applause.
perhaps l am getting too broad too
comprehensive. [Cries of "no, no."] But
I was at the great Southern Convention to-
day, and l take my license from Attorney
General SPEED. [Applause.l He gave us
to understand that we were going to find out
what was the truth, what we were to feel to
be the truth in that Convention. He pro-
claimed that at the ballot-box it would be
made law of the land, and that it would be
crystalized into legislation.
"You will pardon me forwhat | do on this
occasion; if | bring in here him with whom
I have associated for the last twenty-five
years-yes, for the last fifty years--the ne
gro. TGreat laughter 1t would not be
GAdlllD idkA AOA AlO W ~ aNttJ fth0 INV ~
member him. Laughter. / will say that
must do the poor negro some justice. l
am here as his representative, as the repre-
sentative of a multifarious constituency.
Laughter Such, perhaps, as no other
man in the Convention could represent
Now, in the first place, represent the black
race. Laughter. There is no installing
the curling Of my hair, or the fullness of my
nose. Laughter. Now, in the next place,
represent the whole race [laughter;l and
there is no installing that, either. In the
State Of Maine the COpperhead papers de-
ny the credit of whatever talent | may have
to the colored race, but ascribe it to the
white race, to which they say l belong
Laughter So, gentlemen, J speak for the
black and white races combined laughter,
and so far as my own experience goes, from
the peaceable manner in which the races
live in this organization, / do not believe
there is any reason to apprehend that there
will be a war of races. Laughter
Gentlemen, we have representatives here
from the North and from the South. | am
one of the representatives, and ! rejoice to
say that | claim to represent not only the
black and white races, but | also represent
the North and South. l am citizen of the
State of Maryland, and credit has been given
me for having in my veins the blood of one
of the early Governors 1t is not customary
for man to disclaim his ancestral origin,
daughter so then | represent the State of
Maryland. (Laughter.)
swell, sir, it was twenty-eight years ago
yesterday since / appeared in the streets of
Philadelphia in a hurry. (Laughter.) !
had neither local habitation nor name,
and was in pursuit of both. do not con-
slider that there was any disgrace attending
that, though it is true came here rather I'M
ceremoniously. / was unable to part from
home in that cireumlocutionary manner
which good manners prescribe. came
without bidding my master goodbye.
Haughter.) l ought to have done so, may
be. but IL had he would not have let me
60. I4aughter.) For that reason did not
tell him anything about it. (Laughter.)
"Now, for my real character here; l am
going to speak of the claims of the negro.
Some things have been settled by the war
some things which concern my race. One
Of the things settled is, that the negro will
fight. (Applause.) We have been aecus-
toned to regard him as a natural born Chris
tain, so well born that he had no need to be
born again. Gaughter.) He could be
smitten on one cheek and then he would
turn the other also; but the late war has de-
cided that he will fight (Applause.) al
ways knew that he would fight, or / thought
I knew it. 1t has been demonstrated that
| he is not only a natural born Christian, but
a philosopher and thinker. (Applause.)
/ The reason that he never fought before is
that he has never had reasonable prospect
Of whipping anybody, but as soon as he had
the slightest shadow of hope he laid bare his
! breast TO the storm of war, and he fought as
well as the best troops we had marshaled
against the enemy, and this thing is settled.
Il is settled that he is prominent part of
the American people; that he is here and no
scheme Of Colonization can be adopted by
whichtherace can be entirely eradicated from
1 the land. lie is here.
:" know that certain chronological states
men predict his disappearance from the Re
| public; that he will die out like the Indian.
! They forget an important fact-that the
smile lacks similarity, that j; lacks any re-
semblance to the characteristic Of civilized
man. How does the case stand2 The In
dior, yef,scne ot,r zyilfzqfiDy rejects n links