The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-04-07
The Public Meeting Last Evening
an Enthusiastic Gathering.

City Hall was we'll filed last evening with
the friends of the fifteenth amendment to ex
press their Joy at its ratification. The meeting
was called by our colored citizens and was en-.
tirely managed by them. Previous to the Or
ganizatlon of the meeting the band discoursed
excellent music.
d, Lewis B. Smith, Esq, called the meeting to
order, and announced the following gentlemen
as the officers of the meeting:
President Charles q. Mahoney.
NJ. Fi.her. WIN G. Armstrong, NJ. L. Stevens, John
S.encer, Joshua Weeks, Reuben Ruby, y. +. Land,
s. P. Miller. Frank E. Prav, M .. Mars. Grin Ring,
John Parrs, s. T. Corser, Joseph P. Taylor, Geo. w.
Parker.
Secretaries-E. P. Talbot, jr., H. C. Peabody,
Geo. W. Ball, VIM. M. Marks.
On taking the chair the President addressed
the meeting in substance as follows:
thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for the
high honor you have conferred upon me, by
according to me the privilege of presiding over
this great meeting, and if any mistakes are
made by me trust to your magnanimity to ov-
erlook them. We are met together to manifest
our Joy at the ratification of the 18th amend
ment, which grants political rights to the col
ored race. 1t is fitting that this simple act of
justice should be accorded to us, who filled
the armies of the Republic, and fought on
many bloody field during the dark days of
the rebellion. But there is a race who have
not won this gift by any act of theirs Land
ing on the Pacific coast, they have met with
repeated rebuffs, until they were almost driven
from our shores. But even they are fast show
ing to the country that they are worthy of the
confidence that this amendment reposes in
them. But the colored man has won this gift
by his services to the country. There are many
OF them who have perilled their lite and limb.
The close of the war found the coored man far
advanced in public estimation. The rebels in
the South, though beaten in the field, We're
still seeking to obtain by legislation what they
had tailed to obtain by the sword. But the
colored meu came to the rescue; they sustained
the reconstruction acts of Congress. and thus
the good work has gone on till its consumma-
tioo is in the l5thlamendment; and we feel this
to be the proudest day of or life. Open to
the black man chance in political life, break
down the social AID political preiudices, and
bid him God speed in the path of progress.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Mahoney' remarks
a fervent prayer was offered by the Rev. j. F.
Thomas of tho Mountfort st. Church. Music
followed, and the reading of the Presidents
Message and the Proclamation of the Secreta-
~ of State announcing the ratification of the
18th amendment; after which the President
introduced Hon. Israel Washburn, Jr., who
spoke as follows:
Felloao Citizens: The people of Portland, in
common with the liberty-lOving of the whole
United States. meet to celebrate the ratifica-
ton of the 18Th amend ment, as announced to
you by the proclamation so we'll read by the
young lady upon the stand. And it is fact OF
especial interest that this amendment was in
substance the proposition of the jllustrous
gentleman who so long represented your city
and State, and the chairman of the Committee
on Reconstruction. Two propositions were
before that committee, the one urged by him
with his accustomed force and eloquence, and
another. Ills proposition was to embody in
the 14th amenement what is now contained in
the 15tn; but majority of the committee,
among whom was Thaddeus Stevens sustained
the other proposition, granting civil but not
political equality to ALL
1t is two hundred years since the writing Of
the Year of Wonders" but the wonders spo-
ken OF 10 that work were the wonders of ca
lamities Of war and desolaton. At this time
we celebrate year of wonders, not of calami-
ties, but year in which the greatest privi-
leges have been vouchsafed to man since the
birth of Christ. This is the only country whose
government depends upon the people alone. Is
rheteno occasion then for those grand yet simple
words of our great President in his announce
ment to Congress OF the ratification of the 18th
amendment? The century which closes with
it is the grandest since the Christian era. 1t
IL
with the 18th amendment. The constitution
of the United States declares that all true gov
eminent is vested in the governed; but this
principle was transgressed, and Mr.. Jefferson
with prophetic foresight, looking into the flu
ture, made the Oft quoted remark, L tremble
for my country when l remember thai God is
Just" During the first quarter OF this century
there was feeling that slavery was wrong;
that it was an evil and a curse; but it was so
strongly entrenched that it was impossible to
expeI it, In the second quarter it had COM
menced to be tolerated. 1t was still felt to be
an evil, but Whitney had invented the cotton
gin, and the system was supposed be profita-
BILE. When the third quarter drew near it was
strong, and had rights and asserted them with
boldness, till when in the last quarter it was
aggressive, and claimed to occupy the territory
that was dedicated to freedom. And so mat
tiers went on, until slavery had wrested from
the Supreme Court of the United States de-
cision which virtually said that the black man
had no rights which the white man was bound
to respect. But what changes we have seen
in the last ten years! Slavery has been abol-
ished, and the 18th, 14th and 18th amendments
have been added to our constitution. Slavery
once so dominant, now none so poor to do her
reverence; and Gov. Orr of South Carolina de-
clares its abolition has been the salvation Of
the South. Truly the progress of the last ten
years has been wonderful.
Mayor KIngsbury YVES the next speaker, and
in opening his remarks imagined the return Of
the late Senator Yancey from the regions Of
the dead, and followed him to Alabama, to
Louisiana, to South Carolina and to Washing.
too, where he fnds negroes in the State Leg
islatures, a negro Lieut. Governor, aud to cap
the climax a negro in Jefferson Davis seat in
the United States Senate, and exclaimS in
grief, Il reckon I'll drop my flesh and pat on
my ghostly apparel again." We all remember
how that in 1861 some of the Republican party
even said to the leaders OF tue rebellion, =" For
Gods sake tell us what you want and YOU shs II
have it. We will establish line within which
slavery may exlst When the war com memo
ed we sill asked, "What do you want?' and
when slave came into our lines we laid iron
hands upon him and sent him back to his mas
ter Tue first man who lifted the veil and
showed US the way out of our trouble was Ben
jamin +. Butler, who simply said "these men
are contraband OF war" And SO we went on,
TILL tne great emancipation proclamation; and
we nave been advancing ever since. because
we have been doing right, and to night is the
contamination; am lifted up by the procla.
NATION, and ! am not now ashamed OF my
country 1t is the first, the greatest and the no.
bIest on the EARTH Excelsior is her motto, and
we have not yet seen nor shall we live to see
al she is destined to accomplish for the world
We must strike out the word color from oul
naturalization laws, and Charles Sumner hat
bill before Congress already for this purpose
In the great battle hereafter it is to be wa
of brains and be will come out on top whethe
he be- white or black, if be has brainsi if not
he will sink TO the bottom.
Hon. VIM. p Frye was then introduced an
spoke as follows:
h,a maas glorious thing it is to live. What
mh,;a ns II ~, y to live in these days of the Re
e. ~, E'lah went up in cloud of glory blu
tnroueb sIs NJ past ten years have been sbootin
great nartv; Un me meteors. Two-thirds of
the negro man or a balloon? Dare " ann G.,
new ask a15 sa fa gaestlonq would like to renl
70 .ae on iossll Of conservatism who asks 4