New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-29

ORLEANS FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 1871.

tinctiOns between the whites and blacks i
misehievous, and calculated to harm every
body. The sooner caste and prejudice ar
have no color. We are not cOlored: we are
American citizens pure and simple. (Crie.
of Good, good."l Hence, to style our
selves cOlOred citizens is to per
petuate, to your own detriment, the
spirit of caste from which we have already
suffered so much. Anything like conven
tions, or celebrations, or courses Of political
policy, as colored men, should not be en-
couraged. ColOred conventions, as such
ought to be suppressed. And socially the
convention can accomplish nothing, because
you can not legislate away prejudice. Sup.
pose white men organize themselves as
white men, what would be the result? We
want nothing cOlored, politically or other
wise. There have been quite a number OF
high-sounding political resolutions intro
duced into this body. They are foreign to
the call, and have no business here. In ad-
dition to that, the St. Louis delegation are
| under instructions from mass meeting,
| which passed resolutions to the effect that
it was inexpedient that any definite line of
policy should be determined on in a c0nven-
| tiOn composed exclusively OF one class of
citizens. Well, Mr.. Chairman, deprecating
| every movement as colored men, and every
| thing calculated to perpetuate caste and
initiate against our advancement, and in
view of the resolutions just read within
your hearing, now move the adjournment
| Ut this convention sine die.
Mr.. Holmes, OF st. Louis: l second the
motion.
Professor o. l.. C. Hughes, Of St. Louis,
moved to lay the resolution on the table,
| which was carried by very heavy ma
jority.
The committee on business here entered,
and reported that they had adopted the fol-
lowing resolution on the subject Of q
national commemorative holiday:
Resolred, That we, the representatives of
the cOlored people of the United States, in
convention assembled. do hereby recon-
mend the setting apart of the Fourth Of July
to commemorate the several events which
have eliminated in our present position in
the full possession of all the rights Of
American citizens.
Mr.. Alexander Clarke, of Iowa, presented
minority report in favor Of the selection
Of the first of January and the Fourth of
July. A second minority report declared
in favor of the first of August.
Mr.. j. T. Mahorney of Indiana, rose to
speak to the resolution. The great sub.
.ject which the negro in this country is now
debating is the celebration of a national
holiday by the cOlOred people all over the
country, in cOmmemOration OF the great
events that have eliminated in the olsen
thra1lment Of the race. One thing they
must consider: that the negro is in a
transitOry state in this government The
circumstances that surrounded them were
such as never surrounded them before.
Mr.. MahOrney then reverted to the time of
the issuing Of the emancipation prOclama-
ton. and read extracts from the reports
of the Secretary of War and Secretary of
the Interior, and from the speeches of Presi-
dent Lincoln, to show that the prOclama.
tion was issued as matter Of expediency
He demanded that they know no negro
in America. The whole question turns on
this point Let German come to this
with America and American citizens. Should
they always be considered negroes! They
must act their part. The issue is upon us
we can not avoid it.
Mr.. Hughes: do not rise to make a
speech now upon this all absorbing ques-
ton, but | have vanity enough to presume
upon saying a word here which think
should enable the representatives of the
people here assembled to give that undi-
vided attention to the speaker, which l
think is the right of every representative
here, and that the merits of the question
demand. We are here from all sections of
East and the West. And there ought to
be that largeness of heart and soul as will
allow every gentleman who has right on
this floor to rise and express his own Opin-
ions on the instructions he has received
from the constituents who have sent him
here. I, myself. am under the impression
that we can do no better than to celebrate
the Fourth Of July, the day upon which
were declared the great principles upon
which this government is laid.
Mr.. E. r. Williams. the president of the
convention, said that. as the only delegate
present from Nebraska he was instructed
to give his voice for the thirtie.h of March.
the anniversary OF the promul cation of the
fifteenth amendment.
Mr.. George B. Wedley: Mr.. President
We have assembled here as representatives
from the different States of the Union in a
national convention. l think the idea was
a grand one, when the citizens of Nebraska
selected the city of st. Louis as the most ap-
propriate place in which the convention
could be held. What could have inspired
Nebraska with the idea! Was it because
this is the centre OF the nation geographic |
ally, or was it because St. Louis is built upon |
the eastern bank of the mighticst stream |
on this continent whose turbulent waters |
wash the shores of thousands of miles of |
the most fertile land in the world-a city |
which is destined to be the brightest and |
most pOpulous in the world, and at no dis |
tant day the seat of empire, where all the !
questions of public welfare and national |
policy shall be discussed. 1t is indeed an
appropriate place to assemble, and feeling,
as do, that deep interest in the welfare Of |
my race, allow me to suggest to the gentle
men OF this convention the importance of |
calm deliberation and just decision. Mr..
President, when l offered this resolution,
;. that we, the colored people of the ma
ton, shall celebrate the fourth day of July
in commemOratiOn of the attainment of our
promised l would give this
convention some reasons why this is the
most appropriate day to commemorate the
and enfranchisement of our
race. NV first reason for setting apart the
fourth of July is that we could Celebrate it
n common with all the people of this ma
ion. We find, in reading American his
Ory, that on March the fifth, l77O. six years
previous to the signing of the declaration of
Independence, the citizens of Boston made
m attack on the British troops, in which
Christus Attucks. colored man, was killed,
Who was the first martyr that fell in de-
ense of American liberty and indepen-
!ence. All the subsequent events were but
inks in the chain Of events which was
ventually to place all the citizens of the
United States upon the same political plane
# equality-the agitation Of the slavery
question, the murder of Lovejoy, the repeal
i the Missouri compromise, the eubse-
uent difficulties in Kansas. the hang.
ng of John Brown, the election Of
lbraham Lincoln, the arming of the
!!outh, the assault on Fort Sumter
he proclamation of emancipation, and the
<pE rhn