The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-04-10

States Hotel. Over sixty couples were pres
eut, representing all parts OF the State, and
including quite number Of distinguished
persons. Among the many were ex-Gov-
ernor Blair and lady, Hon. 7. W. Ferry,
Hon. John +. briggs, Hon. W. l.. stoughtou,
Hon. Allen Goodrldge, Hon. Caleb Clark,
Hon. W. II. Kelsey, Gen. Beadle, Major
Knox, Capt. Pierce, Rev. Jabez Fox, II. J.
Gray, esq, Mr.. Stone, Of the kalamazoo Tels-
graph, J. Fred Myers, Of the Department
Journal, NJ. E. N. Howell, ESQ.,, J. b. Bloss,
d. T. Pierce and ]. j. Barnes, of the Land
Office, Messrs. Watson, Mack, s. Y. Alice,
Callahan, Barton, Kelsey and Teneyck, of
the Treasury Department.; Mcssrs. J. w.
Green, Bingham and Mattingly Of the Post
Office Department; Mcssrs. Z. Moses and
Creary, Of the Capitol; Messrs. Barnard and
Baxter, Of the Pension Office; @, Y. AtLee,
ESQ.,, Leroy briggs, and q large number
whose names we did not learn. Most of the
gentlemen were accompanied with ladies.
NJ. l.. Higgins, esq, president of the asso-
citation, upon the opening Of the programme
for the evening, delivered a short address as
follows:
LADIES AND GESrLENES-At this stage of
our proceedings 1t becomes my duty to sug-
gest remark or two by way Of congratula-
ton and welcome, upon the ausplcious cir
cumstances under which we meet tonight,
as sons and daughters of the Wolverine
State. II gives me great pleasure to find so
much OF the enuobling sentiment OF State
pride and home feeling, and so little OF the
narrow spirit Of isolation and individual OK
clusiveness dwelling among US as the sue
cessful contamination Of this pleasant gath
ering now indicates. We meet here under
the broad shadow Of our own family tree,
whose long extended branches reach out
and drop into the blue waves Of the great
lakes whose glossy waters wash the shores
OF our beautiful peninsula on either side.
Looking back to our scattered homes, dis
tributed here and there throughout our no.
bic State, and taking pride In the fact that
| II Is Indeed goodly land, pleasant hert-
| age, and, that its people are worthy of our
fondest recollections, we come here tonight
to cherish the same feeling, as well as to re-
/ ylve those vital currents of sense and
thought which make 1t ga thing Of life and
| q Joy forever"
We come here to start anew those social
| influences which bind kindred, friends and
| fellow-citizens together In one homogeneous
whole; all Of which IL rightly cultivated
| combine to protect our material interests as
well as promote our true happiness and real
pleasure. To have attained this will be no
mean accomplishment. II certainly springs
from worthy motive and deserves success.
| We shall have 1t. But | venture to suggest
| In the pursuit Of this object Ii needs no gem
| eral display, no gorgeous pomp, no accident
Of birth or mere Fictitious dignity assumed
to hide the place OF sense. Not at all. But
simply this and nothing more; The proud
consciousness OF true nobility In man or
woman; the presence OF real courage and
womanly virtue; Of youthful vigor and maid
| emily beauty; OF pleasant speech and courtly
manners of genuine art, music, song and
dance-such lrdeed, may safely say, as we
have In our own presence here tonight. In
| conclusion, have to say, 1t Is yours to be-
hold, to accept, TO enjoy. With q cheerful
greeting We tender you the diversion we have
| prepared. True, II has been improyised with
but little preparation; nevertheless II is open,
frank and free. To all Of which We bid you
welcome, and hero and now extend to you
| the Inequalities of the evening.
The address Of the president was followed
| by music on the piano, and recitation from
Byron by S. Y. Alice, which was rendered
| In an excellent and appropriate manner.
Then promenade and dancing, after which
elegant refreshments were served by the host
of the United States Hotel. This through,
brief, pertinent, plthy speeches were made
| by Ex-Governor Blair, Hon. T. W. Ferry,
Hon. John +. briggs, and Hon. W. l.. Slough
ton. Dancing was then renewed and was
| kept up until the hour Of closing.
The affair was conducted to the entire sat
isfaction OF the large company present. All
| seemed interested and pleased. The pro-
gramme was well arranged, and tlne band
| OF music added to the enjoyment Of the oc-
casion.
The details of this very pleasant occasion
were In charge of the following committee,
| who fulfilled their trusts admirublyG Messrs.
S. York AtLee, Z. Moses, D. T. Pearce, NJ.
A. Watson, w. Mack, and J. J. Callahan.
| REPORT OF THE CoLoRED PAsroRs.-The
| Ia pf hn
adopted at the meeting Of pastors of colorcd
churches, held on Tuesday last at Weslc y
Zion church. The report as adopted is as
follows:
With no desire to rctard in the smallest
degree any effort put forth in the inter-
| est of the cOlorcd people of this country,
and disclaimlng all attempts to disparago the
men, whether colored or white, who are
| earnestly labOring for the good OF our peo-
pie, we nevertheless feel 1t to be duty due
alike to ourselves and to the very large per-
centage of the people represented In this
meeting, constituting as they do an important
part Of the intelligence, thrift and enterprise,
and consequently Of the voting population
| Of our people In the several States of this
Union, to make some suggestions respecting
those who should be the authorized repre-
sentatives Of the colored people.
| History has proven, and especially the
history Of the political struggles in this coun-
try during the past five years, that those
who are most eager and persistent In claim
| Ing the honors resulting from success In any
| great revolution are not for the most part the
men who steadily and consistently con-
| tributed tOwardsi its accomplishment. Events
have shown that this historical fact Is alike
| applicable TO colorcd men and white. Your
committee, therefore, recommend tn fol-
| lowing Preamble and resolutions as tho cx-
| preston of this meeting:
whereas In the order of Providence the
colored men of this country are being called
| TO occupy prominent positions and to act in
the capacity Of representatives of their coun-
| try, OF which five millions are colored people;
and whereas the persons called to occupy
these positions are supposed to be entitled to
| them, not only on account of their capacity
to Ill them, but also on account Of their pos
session OF the confidence and influence of the
great mass of the people whom they repre-
| sent, II should be matter OF Inquiry, as II
Is of Importance, Of what should entltlc gem
temen TO these representative positions
| therefore
| Resolved That In our opinion those favored
should be, as far as possible, men of ability,
who have especially Identified themselves
| with our interests, not only when their own
personal preferment or pecuniary advantage
| could be better subserved thereby, and who
| were wont to Ignore all social Intercourse
with them at other times, but such as have
disregarded or at least subordinated those
| selfish considerations to the great interests
| of our race; Identifying themselves fully and
| freely at all times with the common people.
RssolVsd, That 1t Is our opinion that those
persons who for the most part Immediately
thrust themselves into public notice; who,
by well-organized cllques, control and mo-
| nopolize the honors Of national conventions,
and who insist upon being the representa-
tiyes Of the colored people to the exclusion of
many modest men Of equal ability and much
| more influence among our people, are now,
as ever before, looking more to the spoils
| and honors Of office than to the real inter-
| est of the masses whom these aristocratic
gentlemen Systematically ignore save as in
terest serves.
Resolved, That as the colored people are,
as a race, particularly religious, and their
intelligence, ability and usefulness In this
country have been mostly enlisted In rell-
gious direction, there being no access to
those honorable political fields in which to
exercise them, some Difference ought to be
paid to this sentiment In the selection of rep
representatives. fiom among them. If, there