The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1869-01-26

Address Of the Committee from the CoIored
Mems Conv ention, and General Grants
On the s9tl, inst !, at Washington, q
Committee Of the Colored Mems Nation
al Convention, recently in session in that
city, called upon General Grant by ap-
pointment The Committee consisted
of John NJ. Langston of Ohio, Robert
Purves of Pennsylvania, George +.
Downing of RHODE Island, William e.
Mathews of Maryland, John E. Cook of
the District of Columbia, George B.
Vashaw of the District Of Columbia,
John c. Bowers of Pennsylvs MIA, John
T. Gaskins of Rhode Island, Alexander
A. Clark of Iowa, o. L.. c. Hughes of
Pennsylvania, and 0 S. B. Wall of Ohio.
hSr Langston, the Chairman of the Com.
mittee, addressed General Grant as fol-
lows: 5s
g GEN GRANT. In the name of the A.
uooOou of American citizens; in the
name OF 100000 electors of African de-
scent-electors who have braved threats,
who defied intimidation, whose numbers
have been reduced by assassination and
murder in their efforts in the exercise of
a franchise guaranteed by American law
to every one clothed in the full livery of
American citizenship, to secure in the
late Presidential canvass the election OF
the nominees of the National Republican
party to the high places to which they
were named, we, the accredited dele.
gates Of the National Convention Of Col
ored Men, The sessions of which in this
city have just closed, come to present to
you our congratulations upon yonr cleo
ton to the Presidency of the United
States Permit US, General, to express,
in this connection, our confidence in
your ability and determination to so ex-
ecute the laws already enacted by our
National Congress as to conserve and
protect the life, the liberty, and the
rights, no less Of the humblest subject of
the Government than those of the most
exalted and influential. Called as you
are to fli the Chair Of State, your duties
will be arduous and trying, and (especi.
ally since in this reconstruction period
of the government, removing the rub
bish, the accretions of the now dead
slaveholding oligarchy), you will ad-
minister the government according to
the principles of morals and law announ
ced by the fathers. In advance we
bring to you, General, as pledge Of our
00VOtIO0 10 our common country. ana
Government, the liveliest sympathy of
the colored people Of the nation. and in
their nam we express the hope that all
things connected with the administration
of the Government upon which you are
so soon to enter as our Chief Magistrate,
may !e. under Providence, so or
dered for the maintenance of law and
the conservation of freedom; that your
name written Ugh on the scroll of hon
or and fame-may go down to posteri-
ty-glorious and mmortal-associated
with the names of your illustrious pred.
ecessors in the great chair of State
Washin gton and Lincoln. Again, Gen.
eral, we express our congratulations"
To this address Gen Grant replied:
81 thank the Convention, of which you
are the representative, for the confidence
they have expressed, and Ihope sincere
ly that the colorea people of the Nation
may receive every protection which the
laws give to them. They shall have my
efforts to such protection. They should
prove by their acts, their advancement.
prosperity and obedience to the laws.
worthy of all privileges the Government
has bestowed upon them; and by their
future conduct prove themselves deserv.
ING of all they now claim" -
!. A New England paper reports that
we are paying two million dollars a