Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-11-20
Good ThIHgs wen Said.

non. JOHN hlCkAANs u Ieuusllfd-
mia, on Nov. 5th addressed Conven-
tion of the cohred people of that State,
at West Chester, and gave expression
to ideas that earnest men everywhere
will regard as having the ring of the
true metal. We quote asfollows:
kR. PRESIDENT: No great reform
ever has been, or ever can be, insugu-
rated under unclouded skies. Socrates
drained the poisoned cup for teaching
Athens a higher moralit! than that
known to her schools. The life of
Christ is but catalogue of PROSECUTIONS,
ending in his death. Luher was i'm
prisoned by friends to shisld him from
the wrath of enemies. Nearer our own
day, Wilberforce and Chrkson were
long despised and rejected; and Ameri-
can slavery was extingushed in the
blood of hecatombs. This movement
of yours. born of philanthropic hearts,
is introduced to us when crowds gather
thickIy around and the COON is almost
impenetrable.
greet you, and I thank you for as
sembling here; and am happy to
meet with you upon this dull morning,
which is to usher in the bright day of
the transfgur alton of the negro. With
Peter will say, it is good for US to be
here; and let US make three tsbernacles
-one to hum anity, one to equality and
one to education.
As l gaze upon your upturned and
anxious faces, my feelings are those OF
deeply-mingled joy and sadness. l re-
joice, because you have commanded
the attention of a rapidly advancing
civilization. Because you claim that
equal station on the earth to which the
laws of nature and of natures God
justly entitle you. Because you assert
you are children of Common Parent,
having an indefeasible right to enjoy as
fully as others the glorious inheritances
transmitted by our fathers.
But l mourn. mourn over the
hypocrisy of the times. Too much has
been said, and too little done, on the
question of guaranteed rights, and the
eternity of principle. Your kinsmen
have been defenders Of and martyrs to
the cause Of liberty, and we profess To
recognize their sacrifices, and to be
willing to do you justice. We hsVe
fallen lamentably short of q proper per-
formsnce of our promises, and your just
expectations. The word white" in
our State constitution, still remains to
our shame. You have acted wisely
and well, and the white man should
move promptly and benefcently. If
you may not stand by my side, and
upon my platform at an election, you
should not be asked to peril yourselves
in aconhict waged for my especial bene-
fit. If you are not to enjoy the sdyan-
tsges Of free government, then why
struggle for its maintenance l will
not argue: You will act on a1oms.
In my judgment you have been ac-
lively instrumental in the preservation
of the national life, and l despise my
self if 1 could be brought to deny you
the prerogatiVes of "a common Humanity.
As He in whose hands we are, hath
made of one blood all nations of men
TO dwell on all the faceof the earth, we
are brethren, and l vii ask no privi-
lege or immunity for myself that 1
would deny to others.
When political equality is solicited
the reply is frequently heard: Don't
hurry the matter; dontforce the issue
upon us; at the propsf time it will
come it is now unpopular" There
should be no delay in redressing wrong;
it is dangerous; it is destructive. As q
child would command the lightning to
paint his fancies in lines Of fire upon
the stormy cloud, so here are multi.
tudes of larger growth, who believe
they can take a position surrounded by
the immense, irresistible machinery of
a worlds progress, and By the antics OF
idiots, and the worn outwit of clowns
stop its movements, and shape the de-
crees of the Almighty. 1t is always
safe in such cases to predict results
Nations, States, communities are form
idable but as soon as they lose sight
of the fact that they ara not to be used
as workers in th e accomplishment of a
Divine purpose any longer than they
are ,OiEiing to be used and guided, they
melt away like the confident hosts of q
naughty Sennacherib Many who
make boast OF their loyalty to good
government mi ght think Of this with
advantage to tn emselvss and posterity.
Allow me to venture upon q plain
expression of the truth L is this: If
we had spent half as much effort in at
tempts TO accomplish the POSSIBLE as
we haYe to accomplish the IMPOSSIBLE,
we would have manife:ted more virtue,
and you would have possessed this day
a powerful influence for the public
good. We would not now be despond-
ent over treason TamIant, and loyalty
e0llehaHt. Ought we not to have been
convinced, long ere this, that the Irish
Catholic voter, whilstcomplaining bit
terly of wrongs inflicted by tyranny in
his native land, insistsupon, and votes
for despotism here? AID ought we not
also to have learned hat the negro is
eonscientiously dedicaed to freedom !?
Why this is so, presents problem in
politics most difficult # solution. Un-
less a hypocriticsl D'mocracy in the
United States has prUen itself more
potent than the Vicegerent in BONE,
it cannot be expIaind. The bulls of
IOpeS running lurOutu Two uunuIcu
years of time; the Eryclical letter Of
last autumn; the teachings of Giattan,
Burke, Curran, Mathew, OC.nnell,
Purcell, and thousans of other, have
accomplished nothing, and the ,epsrs.
ton of races is, If possible, broader this
hour than ever before the black man
is held good enough to oficite as q
Priest in st. Peters, one of the noblest
edifces ever erected byhumanskill; he
may administer the Iacramnts, re-
ceive confessions, and, oy Write of his
holy Office, assume to Iardonsins, but
he is too low, and too mean b express
a wish at q constable's election. In the
church he is an agent ofthe Almighty,
to be exalted to heaven. Inthe State,
he is without soul, beneath contempt,
and like the beasts thas perish. Not
being able to excuse, summon all my
charity, and say: "Fath,r forgive
them" l wish l could dd. ''they
know not what they do" iuoh mon