The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-01-02
MASSACHUSETTS,,
EMANCIPATION CELEBRATION.

BOSTON, Jan. 1.-The sixth anniversary of
the EN- ancpation of the slaves was celebrated
here to-day, regardless of the driving storm,
by parade of the Shaw Guards (colored) and
large gathering of the Anti Slavery leaders
in fremont Temple The morning session was
opened by several speakers from this city and
vicinity, and the exercises consisted mostly of
coneratulatory addresses to the coored people
present. The emancipation proclamation was
read by Mr.. Emanuel Sullivan, colored grad
uate of Harvard. Miss Henrietta A. Gray, a
colored peetess from Cambridge, recited
Christmas poem, and Mrs. Francis E. W.
Harper poem on Moses. Rev. Rowland Con-
nor, VIM. Wells Brown and Rev. VIM. r.
Alger were among the speakers.
The afternoon session, at 3 o'clock was well
attended, the audience consisting largely of
white persons: The opening address was de-
1ivered by Richard T, Greener of Cambridge,
who eulogized in an eloquent manner the old
leaders of the Anti-Slavery party.
He was followed by Wendell Phillips, who
began his address by saying that he had not
come there to rejoice, for he was too fearful of
the future. He argued that with the banks,
corporations, precedence and one half of the
votes of the nation the white people could as
efectually govern the blacks as they could had
the question of suffrage never been agitated
He regards the gift of the ballot to the black
man under the present circumstances as a
humbug. The negro can do nothing with the
ballot until an opportunity is given him to ac-
4uire wealth. Suffrage was in reality of no
iD that right. He expected to see JEFF. Davis
placed in the Senate Chamber of Congress be-
fore the adoption of measures calculated to
give the negro his natural rights. The speak
er referred to the war, and said that ideas and
guns should go together, but we had lost the
opportunity of sending ideas into the South
when we dallied at the end of the war. Now
we must wait for another generation to do the
work we left undone. The Speakers strongest
argument was that, although the negro had a
legal and moral right to vote, yet he had no
legal right to represent his people in Congress-
He made some severe references to the course
of Gen. Grant in sitting still, as the speaker
said, when he might have used the army in
protecting the colored people of the South from
murder and robbery. If Grant did prove
friend to the colored man the speaker would
throw his hat over the roof and catch it ON the
other side. He closed by an eloquent appeal
everything else, and work only for an amend
ment to the National Constitution. Concen-
trate the strength. of the people on that and it
might be accomplished, and in doing this we
must have such an amendment as will over
lcok the race and only see the man. He would
have al races of men equal in every respect
before the law, and leaving the race entirely
out of the question, legislate for the man, be
he Indian, negro or Chinaman. The speaker
expected opposition from Grant, but we must
have Constitutional amendment, giving every
human being equal rights in spite of Grant.
Hon. Henry Wilson, on being introduced,
took an opposite view Of the condition of the
country, and spoke of the wonders which had
been performed for the black people in eight
years. He said the negroes were getting prop
erty, ana had received for their labor the last
year over S2000,000. They were in the Legis-
lafures, the Courts and offices of their respec-
tive States, and he believed that Conpress
would at its next session, under the authority
of the 18th Article, remedy the evils which
had arisen in Georgia and renstate the blacks
in the proper exercise OF their rights He
etated that an amendment to the Constitution,
covering all the objections urged by Mr.
Phillips, was now before Congress, written by
Mr.. Phillips own hand, which he believed
would receive the sanction of Congress, and
that there were enough Republican Leglsla-
lures ready to adopt it to make it o law. AS
for Gen. Grant he believed that he was true to
the cause. The General elected on that issue
could not abandon the negro until every right
and privilege was given him.. The speaker
closed by aglowing picture of what had been
done by the nation stating that Congress was
always ahead OF the people on the question of
reform, and would move in these matters as
soon as the people would sustain them.
The closing address was delivered by Rev. y.
D. Fulton, of Boston, who addressed the col
ored people, telling them that we had done
great deal for them and now they must do
much for themselves.
During the speeches the colored Shaw Guard
entered the Temple with their band, and were
received wit continued applause
Inc evening session was opened by the sing
ing OF John Brown song by the audience and
reading of extracts from anti slavery speeches
by Miss Molly Neux.
Hon. Thomas Russell, of Boston, was the
first speaker. He referred to the time when
many of this company were gathered together
six years ago in the Temple, to wait news that
the slaves were declared free. He forcibly and