Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1870-05-20
From the Frederick Citizen
Frederick Douglass In Philadelphia

From the Frederick Citizen.
Frederick Douglass In Philadelphia
Among the distinguished colored men who
took prominent part in the imposing cele-
bration of the Fifteenth Amendment, which
took place in this city last week. was Freder-
lex Douglass. No one questions his orator.
cal powers, and few would disparage the SER
vice he has rendered the cause of emancipa-
ton and freedom. The exhibition he made
of himself last week will, therefore, be greatly
regretted, and regarded as a stain upon his re-
putation, and misfortune to the African race.
We refer to the irrelisious sentiments he ex-
pressed in his address at Horticultural Hall.
A correspondent of the Press states that he
made "a fling at the religious devotions'' with
which the celebration was introduced flip
PANTY represented the Bible as "an obnoxI-
Gus book; and made the following impious
declaratiuu
Il deal here in no hackneyed cant in thank
ing God for this great deliverance: look upon
this great revolution as having been brought
on by man, rather than by any Intervention
of Providence.'
We agree with "Graybeard" when he char
acterzes this as "blatant infidelity," and that
"there cannot be found in the history of
American oratory, a parallel in bold iufidel
effrontery and heathensh iugratitude to AL
mighty God"
The above was clipped from his religious
paper bya gentleman in this city, and handed
US for publication, with such comments us we
might deem proper We presume the paper
is Radical in politics. 1t accuses the great
negro orator of blasphemy. apparently, in
this: that Fred attributes the emancipation
and enfranchisement of his race to man rath-
er than to God. But, neither the Radical
platform of the whites nor of the blacks has
defined the Radical faith on this point. Some
of the leaders of both colors have said that
John Brown, the Kansas horse thief, whom
they-after he was hung for murder at
piously compared to the Re-
deemer of sinful world-was the great lib
orator. Others would mmortalize the martyr
Lincoln, as the emancipation Of Fred's breth-
rem. Massa Lincum did it, say has worship
pers. But Grant whipped the rebels, and in
as much as the greatest General of the age,
with about two and a half millions of splen-
didly equipped and well fed troops, conquer
ed about six hundred thousand ragged, starv-
ing Confederates-aud, now, as President, has
government patronage to bestow, his eulogists
all swear that he did it-that Heaven had
nothing to do with lifting up the downtrod-
den, and freeing them from the chains Of
slavery-that the puisant Ulysses did the
great work, and to him shall be all praise anC
glory forevermure The Gimp of he'll" Sew
ard, as Frank Thomas called him, lunatic
Sumner and spooney Butler have, also, thei,
champions, who attribute to them "this grea
revolution ;" so that, some thank God, some
John Brown, some Lincoln, some Graut, ant
so on,-even Chandler, who advocated 'blooc
letting" may challenge the grateful admira
ton of certain sects of the Radical persuasion
Hence we do not see why Fred Doug Ass
sLould.be specially charged with "blasphemy'
because he believes ''this great revolution wa:
brought on by man, rather than by any in.
tervention of Providence
We draw a wide distinction between what
God permits and what He ordains or wills
and we agree with Fred Douglass, that it has
been, with all this blood and crime, the work
of man-of cunning, wicked, hypocritical
self-seekng, merciless, bloody-minded politi
cal leaders To them we attach the intamJ
and the crime of this great revolution "-anc
not to God, who in thousand benficen
ways, have brought emancipation to the
American negro, if it had been His will, with
out letting lose the dogs of war and liftns
high the food-gates of Radical corruption
which has demoraIized the country and over
thrown all the landmarks of constitutional
government.
But we suspect the real 'blasphemy" which
Douglass uttered in that speech of his at Hor
ticutural Hall, in Philadelphia, alluded to by
the editor of our friends religious paper, con-
sisted in the declaration, that he desired to Sc
the men of his race free to cote the Democratic
ticket, If they should think voting that tickle
uould promote their interests. The great ne
gro agitator must not talk that way, or HI
will be read out of the church of "great mora
IDEAS" and be denounced as blasphemer
who lost the faith and fallen from grace
How the leaders of Radicalism would lamen
emanci patton; how they would pray for NOR
"blood letting" and a new revolution to re
mand the negro to slavery; aud how the.
would curse the Fifteenth Amendment, ant
damn the ignorance, stupidity and ingratitud
Of the negro, if he should go to voting tb
Democratic ticket, and help to turn Butte
and all the other thieves out of power. Wha
universal, demoniacal howl, at the poor ne
gro, would come up from all the dens of Rad
icalism, if he, in the exercise of real politico
liberty, should vote the Democratic ticket! !!