The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-04-09
FREDERICK DoUGLAss.
l Large and brilliant Audience, and
An Excellent speech.

lie, at Washington Hall, last night. He
was greeted with one of the largest and
most intellectual audiences we have
seen at the hall since the night Mr.. Col
fax delivered his "Tour Across the
Continent" In fact it has been very
unusual for such a house to turn out
on any occasion short of some very eel
ebrated performance in an intellectual
way. Mr.. Douglass was introduced to
the audience by A. w. Campbell, of
the ISTELLIe EScER, who, on taking the
stand, said:
{ LADIES AND GESTLEMEN:-I come
before You tonight to introduce Mr..
Fre6rick Douglass, citizen of the
State of New York. 1t is not necessary
for me to inform this audience who he
is. Neither is it necessary for me to
enter upon any yindication ofhis right
to be here and address us on this occa-
sion. The presence of such house as
I see before me is an ample vindication
of that right, and he, needs no
other. To be sure, tits an unusual, if
not an altogether unprecedented cir
cumstanee for a man of his race and
color to speak before Wheeling au-
dience on political questions. But at
this late day and after all that has hap
pened of late years, it is unnecessary to
explain or apologize for the innovation
upon past usages. Suffice it to say that
you see before you man who was
once slave, but who by his unaided
will and intellect escaped from that
condition, and alone and friendless in
the-world made his way in life until at
last he has achieved not only a po-
sition of respectability but of respecta-
BILE notoriety throughout the civilized
world. For many years he has been
before the public and has addressed
such audiences as this in all the
large cities and towns of the North
and of the. Old World. And everywhere,
so far as I have noticed, he hassustain-
ed himself with marked credit. / doubt
not he will do the same tonight. He
viii now speak to you on the Sources
OF Danger to the Republics"
AT the conclusion of the Introduction
Mr.. Douglass arose and before COM
zmencing WAS greeted with hearty dem
onstrations ofapplause. After they had
subsided he took occasion to remark
upon the qualification which it afforded
him to appear before the Wheeling
public, city of which he had read and
heard much, the capital of the young
State OF West Virginia, product of
the war for freedom and republican
government. He had not expect
ed such a. reception. BE had sup
posed that the ancient prejudice
against people OF Els color was still so
strong as to limit him to very meagre
hearing. But in Wheeling you seem to
be as free and generous and magnani-
nous as in Boston, and L am proud to
see and acknowledge the fact. si
At this hour we have neither space
nor time to present anything like full
report of Mr.. Douglass' most interest
ing and instructive address. 1t occu-
pied about two hours and a half In de-
livery, and during its progress he was
frequently applauded to the echo. We
present below the merest synopsis of its
leading features az follows:
He said that he had usually appeared
before the American people in the
character ofRn American slave; he had
since appeared in the character of an
American freeman, and to- might he APP
peared in the more dignified character
of--an American citizen. He was
anxious to cast in his mite to testify to
the nobility of that position. p
There has much been said OF the
beautiful machinery of our Constitu-
ton, its adaptation to the circumstan-
ces of the nation. He did not come to
deny this, and in as far as our Gonsti-
tuition did not interfere with the rights
or men our boasdngs We're right and
excusable- But he would remind them
that the citizens of other governments,
monarchiaI and aristocratie, deem
theirs as good as ours, Indeed some OF
them have looked upon our Govern
ment as n .failnre. and look for its
downfall and thes1bstitution of anoth-
er and q better Government. Our
boasted right of the balIot-box has moi
been very worthily illustrated. When
other nations, a few years ago., were
tottering and about to fall, we sat Sc
cure in this power. But all is now
changed. The bailot-hox was broken
down a large part OF the people re-
volted from its arbitrament, and for
four long years carried on war against
Il -
ness. And then after the rebellion was
put down, the same want of strength,
these foreigners say, was evinced. They
profess to see evidences of our lack oi
confidence in our principles, in that We
do not punish treason. a nation that
t4ees not hate traitors cannot love loyal
men. One that does not punish treason
cannot love loyalty. They point MS to
the fact that thousands OF citizens have
been shot down without crime in the
South since the war, and that no effort
] Is made 10 arrest and punish the muir.
derers. If this Government was Whai
il claims TO be, there would.be no plael
I of hiding so secure as to shelter thI
murderers of loyal men But to-day
they walk about the streets of Memphis
t and New Orleans, smoking their cigars
and no hand Is raised 70 modest them
I They point MS also to the commiug-
ling Of the distinct branches Of the Gov.
ernment-the executive and judiciary
i interfering with the legislative: and
in this they see evidence of the down
fHff OF the G0yerumeut. In one respec
our nation has hsaaTantRge over oul
critics abroad-+iu the divine right oi
kings There is nothing athwart the
pathway OF free criticism OF our rulers
IL is an honest Constitution, and de
! SERVES respect for-Ehat It Isl It-wai
designed TO combine liberty with order
TO promote the general prosperity, an,
to secure the blessings of liberty TO our
selves and 70 our PoSterieF-Z1 sas,-E
4 His own early education, the speake
! SAL was not very fayotzble {
securing his reverence TO The Con
] stifution. and especially. not 4
4 the peculiar institution. But evel
4 he could speak reyerently OF it
i frnmers- They gave, us Constita
ttion rs broad Is natures and 4rea fro 9
caste and comp1exional distinotfonsl i
= Its ewes we are neither whits nor black
J E..s nnl-- ..i4E-..,. l-Llar- HEhn a aim tha