Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-03-29


Second District-O. s. b. Wall, John Cook,
joseph Harry, Chas. Eewett, and l.. ). Emery /.
Third District-Alfred Pope, o. WILCOX, Will
liam Barker, Logan Williams and p. Coakley.
Fourth District-Collins Cursor, j Judge G. r.
H ~ S Y: r. Aosely, Sandy Alexander and G.
w CaeileG.
Fifth District. Henry d. Psyton, M. j.
Quisley. Henry Himber, B. r. Grant and Jos.
Sixth District-Edward Cursor, James Kelly,
samuel Pierre, jas. II. Smith and Lloyd Mudd.
Seventh DIstrict-w. A. Freeman, A. T.
Smart, Rev. @. w. Dennison, Vim. Beckett, and
Il ghth District-wilHam A. Cook, Jeseph
BBreoks, W. ii. Gaines, w. Z. Mott and Msrshall
Ninth District-Dr, j. H. Thompson, DIR. G.
Y. Cox, Z. III. Peters, U. b. Purvfs and j. W.
Tenth Disrict-Dr. ID. W. Bliss, j. A. Jenni-
Ter, j. A. Barker, John II. Norris and James
Eleventh District-Georgs Newman, s. s.
Baker, Richard rhompkins, A. Bowen and W.
f. kennaugh.
Twelfth District-Jos T. K Plant, NJ Duffey.
John Wallace, William Bush and Charles Wal
Thirteenth District-M Frank Kelley, F. C.
Cate, q. w. Smith, VIM. Simpson and George
Fourteenth District-James Coleman, Thos.
| q. Connolly, Sydney Mcfarland, Aaron Rms
sell and Peter Campbell.
Fifteenth District-Andrew Gleason, William
| celus West
sixteenth District-,J. w. Mcknight, s. II.
Williams, p. ID. Reinhsrt, A. K. Browne aud
Seventeenth District-R. j. Collins Thomas
thompson, VIM. Talliferro, Perry Carson and
Joseph Williams.
johnson, Jesse Chinn, Thomas Ii. Barron and
James Wills.
Nineteenth District-P. b. Dowen. A. NJ.
Gteen, Patrick Quirk, Dr., Daniel Lynch and
j as. A. II. Green.
Twentieth District-A. b. Tinnev, T.. 8. At.
kinson, j. f. Doughty. n. q. Ordway, and j. s.
BalleDger.
Twenty first District-Jno. johnson. Henry
Better, NJ Sinner, Geo. H. McReynolds and
TweI ty-second Distributions b. Cross, J
l.. Nensole, j. T.. Herrell, w. L.. COwan and H.
Browning.
DIR. Thompson moved the appointment of a
committee OF seven on permanent organization.
MIR. Ordway said be would make suggestion
which would suit them. He saw before him a
gentleman who had just returned to his home
and who, when near his home, had suffered an
indigHity. He moved that
FREDERICK DOUGLASS. BE DECLARED PRESIDENT
OF the convention, and he was elected amid APP
plause.
MIR. Douglass was escorted to the chair. and
spoke ar follows:
SPEECH OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS
Gentlemen Of The Contention, The honor Won
have conferred upon me by calling me to pre-
side over your deliberations is one for which l
am largely unprepared, unqualified, and one
which certainly did not expect on coming to
this convention. Taken entirely by surprise, /
formal speech to make. The truth is, / have
not yet quite got on my land legs, laughter i
ana am not altogether able to steady the helm
of such convention as this on dry land after
being quite so long at sea. 1t requires some
thing that have not got. / shall have to throw
myself entirely upon the indulgence of the mem
business, and to ask their most lenient iude-
ment upon the part / shall take in presidine
over theconvention. realize, gentlemen that
thus Is moment or great solempfty to the coun-
try, and especially is 1t a moment of solemnity
10 the class OF your fellow country men with
which am especially identified. We have gone
through dark days and stormy nights in our
istory, and had seemed to have reached al
most the land of the haven Of safety. But
again clouds are in the horizon; the storm again
{ hers; there Is darkness, and there are temp
the action Of this conTention to. day, will do
much 10 brighten, or dafkeD the pathway
OF our political future. [a?plause.l Ii |
our conduct shall be vie, as hope il sill be; |
II We shall be firm in the adhesion to the great |
principles upon which our republic has now !
started think ii will be well with us, and we
shall contribute largely to the success OF those
principles. What are those principles? Where
are they? We have undertaken an expert
meLt-a new experiment. The government |
OF this country originally rested en'irelv |,
upon the shoulders of the white citizens &c the
republic. The black man had no voice |
i'll our proceedings. He was unknown a few
years ago; utterly unknown in any OF our poit-
zeal, religious, moral, or intellectual activities.
lie was not represented in the general Assem- |
bly,, in the general conference, in the associ-
alton or consolation; in the democratic con-
vention, or the wing convention, or the repub- |
lean convention. But great change has
taken place. 1t was thought originally that |
he was morally and intellectually Incapac-
ltated to represent or to be represented
n such conventions. But by a heroic ct
tort, and by the favorings OF Providence, q
vast and wonderful change has taken place,
and this race, long ago scourged beyond the |
benetcient range, even of our free institutions
this government, and the experiment 10 which
We are engaged now is to establish the truth
Or the falsehood, the possibility or impossibility
OF All nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples,
successfully under one government. We here |
by naming and adhering to the same princip pies,
shall all stand clansmen and brothers beloved |
IN our common country. 1t Is great expert |
ment. Ii seems to be an attempt to realigs the |
Christian idea that Of one blood God has made |
all nations to dwell on all the Christian earth |
years, appeared often before the American |
in the character of q slave; |
In the character OF q fugitive slave,
character Of an advocate for the slave; |
can people in the enlarged and diSni-
citizen. ICries of "good," and great applsuse.I
have sometimes been called .'nigger,"
laughter a black man, or a mulatto man, but |
to-day L stand before you . man among men,
great applause, knowing no man after
the flesh: regarding all men with an equal
measure Of justice and charity. tCries OF
good" and applause.l 1 not only stand
hero as man, and q man amongst
men, and citizen, but by your generosity
your Partially, may say, by your determine
ton to work, your sense OF your utter abhor-
ence OF the miserable prescription, the outra-
geous indignity heaped upon mel because God
has clothed them with a skin not cOlOred like
their own. 1 say by this grace. this generosity,
this disposition Of yours, am here As the pres
ident OF YOUR convention. Applause.l Now
what is the pleasure of the convention?
MIR. Gaines moved that they proceed to the
election of nine vice presidents.
DIR. Bliss moved that
COMMITTEES ON PERMANENT ORGANIZATION
be appointed, consisting of ten. Mir. Kelly
moved the number be IL, and DIR. Bliss accept
ing the amendment the motion was adopted,
and the following were appointed Messrs.
Arnold, Harry, Coaky, Collins Cursor, Ed.
Cursor, Joseph Ambush, &. B. Piryis, Nj.
Brown. jos. Anderson, A. Bowen and DIR. Bliss.
Mr.. W. A. Cook moved that a committee be
appointed to draft
PLATFORM
OF the convention, to whom all resolutions
should be referred.
Major Morse moved to lay the resolution over,
urging that II was unnecessary to draft a lengthy
platform. he believed that they could win on
principle-the simple principles Of truth, JUS