The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-02-10
a1IasArille SElnipH.
WIN. CAMERON q CO.. Publishers.
SATURDAY. FEBRUARY lo, 1866.

A COlOTsd Delegation 81 the "hi'e
House.
The President Talks 10 Them
! Frankly.
And Tells them Something they had
no Relish Tor.
WAsHIxGToN, Feb. The delegation o.
colored representatives from the different
state of tbe country. now IN Washington,
to urge the interests OF the eOlored people
before the Government, had an interview
with the President this afternoon. The del
egstion was as follows:
Fred. Douglass, Of New York; George T..
| Downing, representing the New England
States Lewis II. Douglass, son Of Fred.
Douglass; William f. Matthews, OF Mary
land John johns, Of Illinois; John r.
| COok Of the District Of Golumbia5 A. j.
Rsynor. of South Carolina; Joseph /. Oates,
Of Florida; A. W. Ross, Of Mississippi; Mm-
Rippon, Of Pennsylvania John Nj, Grover
and Alex. Dunlap, Of Virginia; and CALVIN
| White, Of Virginis-
The President shook hands kindly with
| each member Of tae delegation, Fred. Doug
lass first advancing for that purpose. Geo.
T. Downing then addressed the President
As follows:
awe present ourselves 10 your Excelleney
to make known, with pleasure, the respect
| which We cherish you for; q respect when
is your due. as Gus Chief Magistrate It is
| our desire for you to know that We come
| fee ing that we are friends meeting friend.
| We should, however, have manifested our
/ friendship by not coming 10 further tax
| your already much burdened and valuable
time, but we have another object IN calling
we are in a passage to equality before the
| law. God hath made it by opening Red
| Sea. We would have your assistance
through the same. We come to you in the
name Of the United States, and we are dele
| gated 10 come by some who have un]ustly
| worn iron manacles on their bodies, by some
/ whose minds have been manacled by class
| legislation in States called tree. The col
1 ored people of the States Of Illinois, Wis
/ consin, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida,
| South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia,
| Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New
England States and the District Of Colum-
\ bia, have specially delegated US to come.
Our coming is a marked circumstance,
noting determined hopes, and that we are
not satisfied with an amendment prohibiting
| slavery, but that we wish it enforced
with appropriate legislation. This IS
our desire We ask for it intelli-
gently, with the knowledge and conviction
| that the fathers Of the revolution intended
freedom for every American, and that they
all should be protected in their rights as
citizens, equal before the law. We are
Americans, native born. We are glad TO
| have it known to the world as bearing no
doubtful record on this point On this fact,
and with confidence in the triumph OF Jus
tiee, we base our hopes. We see no Ieeog-
milton of race or color in the organic law of
the land. It knows no privileged class,
and, therefore, we cherish the hope that We
may be fully enfranchised, not only here, in
this District, but throughout the land.
We respectfully submit that rendering
any thing less than this would be rendering
TO rs less than our lust due, that granting
anything less than our full rights Will be
disregard Of our Just rights, Of due respect
for our feelings. If the powers that be do
so, it will be used as a license, as II were, or
an apology for any community, or for indi-
viduals thus disposed TO outrage our rights
and feelings. 1t has been shown, in the
present war, that the Government may Just
IL reach the strong arm into the states, and
demand from thOse who owe allegiance their
assistance aud support May it not reach out
| a like arm 20 secure and protect its subjects
upon whom it has a claiIn2"
! Frederick Douglass advanced and ad-
| dressed the President, saying;
"Afr. Presidens-We are not here to en-
| tighten you, sir, ss to your duties as Chief
| Magistrate Of this Republic, but 70 show
/ our respect, and 10 present in brief the
claims OF our race 10 your favorable consid-
| Grafton. In the order Of Divine Providence,
yuu are placed in position where You have
power to save or destroy US, 70 bless or blast
| us-I mean our whole race. Your noble
aud humane predecessor placed in our
/ hands the sword to assist in saving the
| nation, and we do hope that you, his sble
! successor, will lavorably regard placing in
our hands the ballot with which 10 save
| ourselves. We shall submit no argument
| on that point. The fact that we are the
subjects Of the Government, and subject to
! taxation, TO volunteer in the service Of our
| country, subject to being drafted, subject 10
| bear the burdens Of the state, makes il not
| improper that we should ssk to share in the
| privileges Of condition, ! have no speech
| 10 make on this occasion. ! simply submit
| these observations as a limited expression
Of the views and feelings Of the delegation
| with which have come
The following is substantially the re
sponse of the President
ain reply TO some Of your inquiries mot
to make 8 speech about this matter, for i
is always best TO talk plainly and distinctly
about such questions-I Will say that II
have not given evidence, in my former ca
4 Il
that proportion Of IL which constitutes the
colored population, can give no evidence
hereafter. Everything that I have had,
both as regards life and property, has been
| periled in this cause; and l 1eel and think
that understand, not 10 be egotistie, what
should be the true doctrine Of this question,
! aud what course Of policy would result in
the amelioration, and ultimate elevation,
not only Of the colored, but Of the great
mass Of people Of the United Ststes. J say
thst if have not give evidence that am a
friend Of humanity, and especiallya friend
the colored, in my past conduct, there Is
| nothing that ! can do that would. re-
| peat that all that possessed, life, liberty and
prosperity, have been put in jeopardy, ' nen
| had every iudueement held out 10 take the
| other course; by adopting which, would
have accomplished, perhaps, all that the
most ambitious might have desired. II
know myself, and the feelings Of my
own heart, they have been for the eolored
man. I have 6sTued slaves and oought
slaves. but l never sold one. ! rnissss So,
however, that practically, so far as my con-
| nection with slaves has gone, ] have been
their slave instead Of their being mine.
Some have even followed me here, while
Others are occupying and enjoying nay pro-
p pertY with my consent. For the colored
race my means, my time, my all, have been
perilled. And now, at this late day, after
giving evidence that is tangible, that is
practical, am free to say thai DO not Ike
TO be arrsigned by some who can get up
handsomely rounded periods, and deal in
rhetoric and talk about abstract ideas Of
liberty, who never periiled life, liberty or
property. This kind Of Theoretical fellow
friendship amounts to but very little.
While say that / am friend 10 the col
ored race, DO not want TO adopt q policy
. | that I believe viii end in a contest between
the races, which, IL persisted in, viii result
in the exteTmination Of the one or the other.
God forbid that should be engaged in such
work. Now, il IS Hlways best to talk
| practically, and in s common-sense way.
have said, snd repeat il here. that II the
colored men in the United States could find
no other Noses, nor auv Moses, that would
be more able and efficient than myself, !
r would be Their Moses 10 lsad them from
, bondefs 70 freedom; that I Eoald mass them
IRON the land where they haa lived il
slavery to land q il was in our reqch, 81
freedom. would be willing 10 pass shem
through the Red sea to the land Of pVoEaiae.
q the land OF liberty.
But am not willing, under either cir
sunnstgnee, 10 Gdopt q policy which / be
y lievs viii only result in a sacrifices Of his
6fa and the shedding Of his blood thinl
knox What / say feel what say, sud
/ feel veil assured that, Z the policy urged
by some be persisted in, il VIII result in
great injury 70 the white as Well ss The col
ared man.
There is 3 great deal Of talk about the
sword in one hand aecomplshiug an end
81 and the ballot accomplishing smother st the
b. ballot box. These thiHgs ara all very we'll
n and sometimes have = iorcible application
We talk about Justice; we talk about right
We say tbs. the white man has been in th.
yrronF IN keeping the black man IN slsvsry
as long as he has Thst IS al true.
Agsin, ne talk ahoui The Declaraiian O
Independence. equality hefors the lsv
n. You understand al tbsi, and know how SD
!. propriate il is. But nov ict Us look eatt
sthsr IL the fses. lea rs 60 70 the grea
b mss Of colored men throughout the slav,
/ States Letus take tha 1one-lon IN which
thev ere q the present tine tand it Is bst
sreurh. We all knowh snd suppose, bl
so.lse magio touch, yea ooala say q even
e oua aToa shah vote io-inefFoF,' hos