The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-04-17

lug peculiarly ours " ~ Tue Isl Oh Jlnuhfyi
,ut | object TO claiming q full right oven In
hat. Now that we have a President who
-ccoenises the claims Of all worthy nspirapts
without distinction Of race, let Us show him
md the American people that there are no
burdens we are not willing TO beat, aud no
privileges that we will yield to their on
elusive enjoyment. s4'T't si7-diir irt
We will join with them IN the celebration
of the 4th Of Julyilet them join with us in
he celebration Of the 1st Of January; and n
hey do, not Join with rs let us foregn the
rather than keep up, an apparent
OF interests or Of hopes.
I claim that not only 10 the present
ours, but hcsh the past and the future" When
go back TO the past recognize Dan
lei Webster as a great, perhaps the great
eat intelleetual product OF our Institutions ;
and whereas I used to divide him into moral
and intellectual, and throw the ino,nl half
away, now, as there Is nothing OF slavery
for his great authority to sustain, claim
him, as,1-aaid bel fore, the highest intellectual
product Of american Institutions. We msy
now claim Clay and Douglas, and even John
G. Calhoun, as the prison house which they
guarded has been -fcveied 10 the ground "a
rise no more; We claim not only the battle-
fields Of the past, especially those made i'm.
mortal by the carnage Of colored men-Wag.
ner, Port Hudson, Milliken's Bond and
Petersburg-but we claim also every posi-
bllity Of the future In church and state. III
Let us, therefore, cherish In our hearts not
only the feelings Of gratitude which VIC owe
to Almighty God and to the memory OF that
man whom He raised up as our deliverer,
but let us also be animated by every hope
which throbs In the bosom Of enterprise, and
by every aspiration connected with our noble
inheritance. r.
The remarks of Mr.. Martin were. received
with evident satisfaction, as was cylnced By
the applause. ~ r...
The president then introduced, as the next
speaker, Senator Wilson, of Mass 70
SPEECH OF SENATOR WILSON.
Mr.. Wilson said he had come from hi
place in the Senate to participate In the eel
ebratlon Of the seventh anniversary o
emancipation In the District OF Columbia
lie saw upon one Of their banners, "Thanki
to the Lord" On this day all present, how
ever grateful to great men and political par
ties, would, he felt assured, III up theh
voices In thanks TO God. Oh.
The struggle for freedom In America had
been long and evcntful one. The men had
struggled hard, aud they had received the
blessings of Almighty God; aud here In the
District of Columbia, where they had gained
all the rights belonging to free men, they
should offer up thanks to the Lord for what
He had given them.
He could not help but remember that less
than flfleen years ago when he first came tc
the Senate, the black men were slaves 10 In.
dlyiduals or slaves to community and had
respect, while to-day they were rs free and
equal as any class OF citizens.
The struggle, he said, had been won By
fidelity to liberty, by great cxertious and
great sacrifices and by the blessings Of God
The occupant Of the White House had, hi
snld, gone to Tennessee, tprolongod ap
plause, but, after all, we ought not TO hay,
unkind feelings. He believed that Andrew
johnson had been In the providence Of Co
an obstacle placed there to FIRE their heart
aud make them do their whole duty. Ifthi
obstacle had not been placed In their wa!
they might have failed In the full and com
plete fulhllment Of their duty. Applause.
They had now sent II to the world that tn
black man should enjoy full and equal right
with the white man, including the right t.
vote and be voted for. Applause
Grant was now In the White House, AM
those who protested to believe that he would
when elected, go back on them, now founi
him leading them on. [Long applause.l
Before he came down from the Senate h
had voted to confirm the appointment OF
black man TO the Republic Of HRyti, and tn
vote had been almost unanimous. The othe
day he had voted to confirm colored ma
as postmaster In the capital OF proud an
naughty South Carolina. The other day h
had voted to confirm colorcd man as rev
enue collector In the proud city Of New Oh
leans-the city where Benjamin and Slide
once ruled with such aristocratic sway
These names were, he said, presented to tn
Senate by Gen. Grant, the President of tn
United States.
To-day he had voted for an Indian to OF
| cupy high position, and he claimed thu
the President made no distinction of race 4
color. He relied upon the broad shoulder
noble hearts aud brave souls OF the people t
sustain the Republic.
lie related an incident where Il few day
since colored man brought an Irishma
and recommended him as n good man an
true Republican, and asked his (Mr. WIS
assistance In getting him appointed justlc
of the peace. lie signed his papers, anI
they retired, the Irishman with "God bles
you" and the colored man with his fac
wreathed with smiles. The Irishmnn, h
said, had never been friendly to the negro
but they were not only glad to get their votes
but to secure their influence. There wa
nothing like power In this world. The col
ored man had earned 1t earned ii by tw,
hundred years Of scryltude earned 1t b,
their yalor, and he urged them to show b.
their intellectual and moral culture that thcl
were the people their early friends took then
to be.
1t was, lie said, his proud satisfaction, tn,
proud satisfaction of his life that he had In
troduced the bill that gave them the law tina
brought freedom to the District.
They had shown that the predictions o
their former masters, that they would dc
nothing and become worthless If given thell
liberty, were untrue. Although, said he, YOU
lived among them, and they thought tina,
they knew you, we Yankees knew you bet
ter, and you have proved that the Yankees
were right.
He advised the colorcd people to he sell
reliant and trust to themselves. They might
trust the Yankees as far as they deserve
and the SoutheTner as far as he deserved
but should rely implicitly upon neither.
Senator Wilson was followed by Prof. G.
d. Vashon, formerly of Philadelphia, who
thus addressed the assembly.
ADDRESS OF PROF. GEO. u. vAsHoS.
Felow-citizens The revolving twelve.
month has brought to us the seventh ami.
yersary of emancipation In the District Of
Columbia, and once again are We gathered
with hearts full of JOY and of gratitude to
the All-LoyDg Father in order TO celebrate
that glorious event. Upon this soul-cheerlng
occasion our thoughts naturally recur 10
other days, SO recent that they still live
wildly ia the memory Of the youngest man
here prescnt-days when the wild and guilty
phantasy that man can hold property In his
fellow-man was recognized as undOubted
right by the laws of this great republic.
Under the influence OF this fearful delusion
how atroclOus were the crimes against hu.
mainly perpetrated even here in the national