New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-04-06
VOL. U.-NO. 1871

the great mission committed to our party !;
when ! see here the mechanic and the ner-
chant, the artisan and the lawyer, the laborer
ard the physician, the poor, the rich, all as
sembled with one mind. and in broad, catho-
lie spirit determined to hold up the hands of
those who have been and are yet to be chosen
to administer the affairs of the District of Co
lumbia, feel assured of victory in our approach
ing contest. Applause. /.
Sir, the contrast between this convention
and the one which recently assembled for the
purpose of nominating Democratic candidate
for the position of Delegate to Congress is
marked in a way not to be mistaken. That
convention excluded, by its proscriptive decla-
rations, by the very essence Of its constitution,
at least one-quarter of the entire population of
this District Is that democracy which delib-
erately erects an impossible barrier against q
large and respectable class of our citizens,
whose only offence is in the color Of their COM
plexion No. 1t is oligarchy, lCries of
Sir, when it is remembered that one of this
prescribed class has presided over your DELHI
Grafton to-day, and has received at your hands
a warm and earnest reception, and in the opin-
ion of May ought to have been your nominee,
that contrast will be still more marked. In my
mind it is marvellous that q party, having the
intelligence claimed for Democrats, should have
the audacity to attempt the prescription of
such men as Frederick Douglass To my mind
it is marvellous that they should hope for sue
cess by such a course.
That convention declared, in its second reso-
luton, that it is the imperative duty of the
Democrats and Conservatives to oppose and
defeat what il chose to denounce as {" the mis-
/ chievons schemes of your present Governor
| Ito sacrifice the interests of the people, and
| to degrade the local government of our National
| Capital And when the champion of that con-
vention and Its nominee spoke to this resolu-
ton, he denominated this scheme as AN
Ubiquitous and diabolical machination." Cries
of We'll show them
| 1t was not enough to shut their doors against
| the class to which l have referred, but these
conservators of the public interests placed their
seal of disapprobation upon the organization of
| our new government, and denounced our Gov
ernor and his promises to administer it for the
good of the whole people as UBIQUITOUS and
diabolical."
submit to the people of the District of Co.
lumba whether these are the men TO be chosen
to cooperate with those whom the President
| has named as fit persons TO manage the affairs
of the District. Cries of "Non'
/ submit whether there can be strength given
to your local government by such an admiX-
ture of warning elements.
only marked in its hostility to the colored peo-
pie of the District and to the officers chosen as
yeur servants, but it had no word to utter in
support of the change In our government. One
would have supposed that an event marking an
era In our history, an event which has done
more than all others to arouse our people and
attach them to. their iresides, an event which,
In my opinion, has given the death blow to all
capital removing schemes; | say that one
hax,a 4
called out some enthusiastic expression Of APP.
prevail. Not so. Such an expression would
have been an implied compliment to those who
labored so secure the passage of the law, and
who now labor TO give the law a faithful adj
mlnistration. But our Democratic fellow citi-
zens never have and never will acknowledge
| that any good can come from Republican effort
MIR. President, believe we have nothing to
fear from a comparison between those who are
committed to the support of the Governor and
his associates, and those who have arrayed
themselves against them. In intelligence. in
public spirit, in patriotism, in sincere devo
ton to the good of the whole people of this
District, they are the peers at least of our ad.
versarles. n o man can truthfully say that the
organization of which this convention is the
exponent is made up of adventures or of sell
fish politicians. 1t embraces large proper
ton of the old reliable and truly conservative
element of this community, and it embraces at
the same time almost the entire young, ener-
getic, and vigorous, growth of our native-born
citizens, as well rs those who have more re-
Gently come into your midst. These are they
who are leaving their imprint upon the bust
ness interests OF the District whose monu-
ments are seen everywhere In stately blocks of
houses who are building your churches and
school-houses who are projecting your rail
road connections; who are developing every
where the material prosperity of the District
and who are forcing the apathetic and indiffer
emit to the putting forth of efforts for the ad
vancsment of all those interests which make a
happy andprosperous community. Applause
THE PLATFORM
l believe, too, Mr. President, we may not
shrink from a comparison between the plat
form here put forth, and that upon which our
opponents 60 before the people. Their declara-
tons, so far as they are political, belong to the
dark ages of our history. They are drawn
from the prejudices of the past. and they prac-
tically deny that equality before the law which
was the opening paragraph of our Declaration
OF independence, and which is the closing
article of our national Constitution. The plat
form of principles which you have here to-
day enuncated is manly, progressive, and con-
ceived in the true spirit of the age in which
We live. 1t is broad enough for all, and it
declares that in the great work of building up
| the business welfare of the District no man
shall be shut out from full participation in
its benefits whose brain and muscle help to
develope them.
Sir, cannot believe that the people of this
District will enter upon the career of prosperity,
which plainly see before us, in any narrow,
proscriptive spirit. l cannot believe that they
will take the first step forward by taking that
step backward.
While speaking of the Democratic platform,
desire in this connection to say a word about
THE QUESTION OF MIXED SCHOOLS
L know very we'll that the act of the Democratic
! convention upon this subject was taken. not
/ so much with reference to strengthening their
own party, as to throw FIRE brand into ours.
But, sir, the Republican party is not SO in
f1ammable as may be supposed 1t may take
IRE, but the history of the past ten years will
show that it burns only to point out the way of
truth and justice. l know very well that our
opponents expect us, in meeting this question,
to escape Scylla only to be wrecked unon
Charyodis. la this they have overreached
themselves. They msquoted the Language
OF Governor Cooke here and elsewhere in
their platform. My belief is that in the i'm
portant matter of securing to all the youths
OF the District the highest possible educa.
tlonal advantages, no class of youths should
be debarred from those advantages. nor
should any class enjoy advantages superior to
others. In a word, there should be free
schools for all, without distinction or discrim.
nation" and no fair minded man can gainsay
this position. This was the language of YOUR
Governor. 1t embraces only the principle en-
bodied in our organic law, and reaffirmed in
your platform today.