Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1869-06-04
what CpBorcd Men want-Speech BY
Frederick Douglass

In hia spceoh attha recent anniversary
of the American Ant. Slavery Soocty IN
New York, Frederick Douglass, aiter ex
pressing his Joy at the advance which hao
been made toward freedom In our coun' |
try during the past few years, continued
"I have only enc theory, and II applies
10 the Democrats as well as to the kepuO'
licans Il " summed up in one word, Let
the negro Alone.f That is your whole duty
in regard TO the negro, You want TO be
doing something, and you are doing some
thing by listening TO the speeches OF to-
night, and what we want is to be let alone.
My politics in regard TO the negro is this
Give fair play and Lot him alone, and be
sure you gtve him fun playa ~ p now q
point before the law, and l rejoice In ~
What we want, and what wo are resolv-
ing to have, is the right to be men among
men-mep, everywhere. The wants oi
men are various 1nithe South the plant
ers owning their 10000 acres Of land have
banded together, and determined not to
sell any large or small parcels to the col
ored men. Therefore II is the duty oil
CongfSSsdf BOMB psher power--the pres.
ent g0edt tAhient q any rato-.-to SEQ that
the negro has fair play In the acquisition
of land that when he offers fair price
he shall; not be deprived of the right of
purchasing because of color. Let the ne
gro purchase land If he is on the way TO
the school, let him 60. Do not say he
shall not go into the same school with
me. If any one has q right to school,
IL is the negro. II any one has the need
ofschool,itis the negro fyou sec him On
the way TO the workshop let him work,
and not say that you will not work with
him. NewsnapeTs have recently told us
that thirtysix. printers employed in the
government office are truly disgusted by
the employment Of one negro as printer
in that establishment One paper says
they have had leave to retire, and l hope
they may retire. IL is easier for me to-day
to get my son in law office In Rochester
than 10 get him place in shipyard to
help build ships. The reason Is, the high
er you 90 w IN the gradations of intolli.
gence the further. you get away from
prejudlceS And the more reasonable men
are. find fac loss difficulty in getting
along with educated men, ign6rant as am,
than TO got along with nneducated men.
In 1889 John Quincy Adams brought for
ward a proposition to recognize the inde-
pendence of Hayt, in Congress, andfthe
House presented q scene of unparalleled
confusion. Henry A. Wiso said 1t is
true we are told that this black republic
has maintained, It's liberty for forty years.
care not for that should time itself con.
front me and shake his hoary locks at my
opposition, I should still oppose the &C
acknowledgement of the independence OF
Hayti. Hayu, the negro republic is to
day acknowledged, and is on footing
with other nstions-ac to be
among the s;sterh0od of nations -acknowl
edged as saloh by the mightest and foremost
nation of the world. That nation sends a
black Minister TO Hayti--the nation that
stands ready TO reach out its hand 10
those brave, those heroic noble Cubans
who are struggling for liberty Ap.
plause have some sympathy with my
Democratic brethren. They have always
been logical. They have always seen u
little further than the Abolitionists. Long
before Wendell Phillips announced his
doctripe of the dissolution of the Union,
John Q, Calhoun saw that that was what
Il would, load to. Long before Mr.. Sow
ard announced the doctrine of the ire.
pressible oonnict, Mr.. Calhoun saw the
irreprossi ble oonniet, ,andsa that this coun,
try must become all slavery or all freedom
Mr.. uendticks said ON the floor OF the
United States senate SO Gentleman, this
thing Is fInpossitIe Manhood suffrage
means the bringing OF q black Senator
into this chamber, to be seated in these
chairs. II is impossible" He was right
II means all that and l am just the man
to go there Cheers You take step
in the right direction, and another opens
before you; take one in the wrong, and
another still, and you reach the bottom
il there Is any bottom-of the bottomless
pit. Let the negro vote, and he will be
voted for. IL voted for he will go to Con
gress there is no telling whore ho Won
go Then give him The right to vote
VIII Ii dissolve the Union? No, 1t won't
don't be afraid of il. Some one has sale
that all races have some distinctive pecu
liarity by which civilization could be pro
NOTED If it were initiated. l believe il
imitation. A disposition to initiate is on,
of the most civilizing qualities of tn,
human mind, and | am going TO imi
tate oil the good can, and MOI
initiate all the bad find in this world
There is nothing so good f0Fathe negro, oi
anybody else in this country, rs living
right among the people. The only reason
why the negro Is not killed off as the In
dians have been Is because he has kept 81
close under your arm that he could no
get out Had he been on the borders o
civilization, like the Indian, he would hav,
been plshed on and on precisely as th
Indians have been 1t has been said b,
Senator Doolittle that the negro, like tht
Indian, must die out; and they are nov
rapidly disappearing, ana that there Is M
use of doing anything about Incorporating
them into this government have Lately
been travelling in several Of the Westerl
States, and have had occasion to observ
that a vast number OF colorsd people ha,
removed there from the South. Thes
men followed the Union armies from thu
South, and were practically dead TO tn
South. That lie the way the negro is dyin
out. / say to the American people III,
only way TO conquer their preiudic
against the coiored race is to begin to b
just; do not believe that this long despise
class will die out. See what this race ha
been exposed'to for two hundred and fit,
years deprived of marriage deprived o
all the saving influences of every ssvini
institution, loaded with shame, Scared b,
the whip, driven from time to eternity in
to the dark, as he has been-who dare sa
that such a peODle can not hear fraedopS