New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-05-01
EY s. WILLIS MENARD.

W men men, no IOuSeI siaNes, Dut lIee,
Shall walk on earth as common peers.
This day was prophesied of old
By sages set apart by God,
That men in chains should cease to groan
Beneath a tyrants iron rod.
For this great boon, Almighty God,
We come to day and bend the knee:
And from the fuilness of our hearts
We thank Thee for our liberty!
Through hope and faith and tear and prayer,
We've strained the eye through passing
years,
70 see the Gawning OF this day.
But could not see for binding tears.
No more in chains at early morn,
To fields of cotton, cane and corn,
Shall men and women now be called
To unpaid toll by bell or horn.
All now are free upon this soil,
With equal rights before the laws;
We have no princes, lords Q or dukes,
But only men in Freedoms cause.
From icy North to sunny South.
Let freedoms banner proudly wave,
For heaven gave no man slave
The sweets of liberty to crave!
This land is Freedoms heritage
The home of Liberty and Peace;
Aud Treason, Ku. klux deeds and crimes
In the fair, sunny South must cease.
The fat has gone forth from Grant
All men shall have an equal right,
To vote throughout the entie land,
No matter if they're blsck or white"
The decree has gone. A million men
Stand rpany TO defend the right
All men are free-the Union arms
Have put the traitor bands to flight.
The decree is gone-from hill to dale
It's mighty echo now resOunds:
Five million souls are now redeemed,
Made voters, free from slavish bounds.
Moses number two, Of fmodern date,
Had gromised liberty to all;
But Moses was a cheat-and slaves
Became electors by his IA =.
Thank God that Moses rules 40 more!
A noble, man now rules the lant,
And at the polls-before the law,
All men, as common equals, stand.
We know no North, we know no South,
Old sectional strifes must die away;
Grim war and slaverv- all are past,
We'er living now in freedoms day.
Columbia! glorious land, redeemed!
Majestic Queen of Liberty
God bless thee, may thy reign be iong
Sweet goddess of the brave and free!
Let songs of triumph now arise,
For day has superseded night,
The bound are free, the land is saved,
And Wrong has yielded unto Right.
After this the procession was disbanded
for the time, but the celebration was no
over, AS extensive arrangements had DeeI
perfected for meetings in different places
Mechanics Institute, Wesley Chapel
Straight University, Congregation Hall. Al
giers, Market-house in the Sixth District
and at Green Chapel. Some OF them were
well attended. After the speeches in Me
chanics' Institute, dancing party took the
foor and in pleasant manLer closed day
OF rel ejoiclng.
Below we give General sheridan's speech
and advise all to peruse It, as 1t contains ootf
wit and wisdom:
Speech OF Adiutnnt General George a,
sheridan.
Mr., President, ladies and gentlemen
Upon an April morning, something like a
hundred years ago. Europe was awakened
from it. unduiet slumber by the roar o.
guns from the field Of Lexington. Upon
sLl2s
almost without arms, had boldly thrown
themselves before the veteran troops OF
England. The morning sunlight fell upon
the dead faces OF some three or four OF their
nrmber. What meant the contest that had
taken place? II meant that freedom had
thrown wide her battle flags and called her
children around her; it meant that a ne"
nation had been born, and that its first bap
tismal blood had flown. That little battle
49, ~-l ,ifrht 1>-er, Al Z fho
world has ever seen-a drama destined TO be
PLAYED through near century, and to end,
as il as ended now with the freedom OF all
who live upon this Western continent.
guarded by laws Immutabie. Applause.
The contest there commenced seemed, To
many. hopeless; England swept the sea
with mighty armamenls; her soldiers,
trained to battle by tie finest genius OF
The world, could be thrown upon our
shores at almost any polnt; the COLO
nies, few and feeble, seemed Incapable
OF Offering efIectuai resistance to their
naughty toes still. our fathers, irm IN their
.aith that God was just aud would protect
the right. held 10 Their bold resolve. On
The fourth OF July, l7T6. the world was
startled by the Declaration of independence.
One sentence in tnat immortal paper stirred
the pulses Of the Gations. All men are
created free and equal it was sentence
wherein constitutions and governments
were epitoEiized. applause. Never be
fore had words OF such significance and
power fallen upon the ear OF the toiling and
oppressed. Never before had life seemed SO
worthy OF being lived. That sentence gave
an inspiration to our fathers; 1t made tol!
the and disaster possib ole to be borne; it made
revolution success. The right OF America
to govern herself acknowledged, wise men
assembled to frame constitution. The con-
stitution they adopted left certain class
of men outside the pale of law, made the
Declaration Of Independence nulilty,
robbed the revolution Of Its glory, the
war of all its triumphs, stamped the
seal of insincerlty upon men whose
praise had been upon the lips OF all.
By the constitution framed freedom s
flag waved not its fo,d over the black man
in a land dedicated to liberty; he alone
wore shackles; for him alone the law was
poWerless. The trainers OF the constitution
were wise, yet weak. Ihey showed thelr
weakness when they triad to compromise
with sin. Little did they dream what giant
strides the crime around which they threw
the sanction OF the law w0,i.d make. Little
did they think that within d century the
nation they had founded would be shaken
to It's centre by the struggle OF slavery Tor
absolute dominion, else tney would nave
blo.tea the unclean thing from existence,
and in their day and generation mace
America free, as she stands this hour. Ap-
piause Wpat a strange history the blacks
have had in this couutry. For four score
wears, like Israel, they have hung their
harps upon the Willows, and sat down IN
grief beside the streams OF Babylon. For
them the heavens seemed made OF brass; to
them the ear of God seemed closed; tor them
no uropbets seem to rise telling OF better
thinge; yet during their darkest hour Gods
hand was moving for their relief. Viewed
in the light of to-day, how strange it seems
tgat this nation go long forgot its duty to
tie blacks within its borders. How strange