The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-08-05
Fred. Douglass on the Situation.

Frederick Douglass has published careful
letter reviewing Grants relations 90 the color
ed race. He began by asserting that the
Presidents record shows him TO have been a
faithful and sincere friend of Mr.. Douglas,'s
race; there is nothing to justify an accusa
tion by Mr.. Sumner or any one else that he il
or has been otherwise. From this postulate
he proceeds to review Grants career under
this head, showing by orders, letters, &c.
written in the field, that he sagaciously and
practically cared for the protection and well
being of the freed people; that he at once
sustained the policy of the Lincoln admins
tration in regard to the colored troops, and
that he was in advance of them in support
ing their rights. Mr.. Douglass, speaking of
recognition by appointment 10 office says that
they have good share. He found in one de-
partment alone 249 persons of color. On the
question of personal recognition, his evidence
is very strong. He says: "During my va
ried public career of more than thirty wears,
have, perhaps, more than any other colOred
man of my times been brought into direct
contact with our nations great men; and
taking my whole experience into account,
affirm that, after our martyred President,
Abraham Lincoln and Senator Charles Sum-
ner, no man i'll high position has manifested,
in his intercourse with me upon all occasions
and i'll all places, a more entire freedom from
vulgar prejudice of race and color than Ulys-
sees s. Grant. l have called upon him often,
never to solicit Office for myself or for others,
and have always found him to be easily ac-
cessible, gentlemanly and cordial. Like most
of you, when meeting distinguished white
persons, / was on the lookout, when meeting
with Gen. Grant, for some indication of the
presence, in his manners aud words, of
the slavery-born aversion to my race. l
found nothing of the kind in him. Refer
ring to the San Domingo commission dinner,
to which Mr.. Douglass was not invited, q
fact of which Mr.. Sumner complains, Mr..
Douglass says in effect that he was not a men,
Der of the commission, was not with them
when they called at the White House, and
has no more right to complain than the white
men who were attaches in the same cause as
Douglass. In the conclusion of his letter,
Mr.. Douglass says: ''To vote for Messrs.
Greeley and Brown would justly invite on our
heads the contempt and scorn of honest men.
We should not only brand ourselves as polit-
ical knaves, but as political fools, merely
marching to occupy position to which we
are invited by the Democratic party, which
party during the past forty years has existed
almost exclusively to make sure our slavery
and degradation as a race"
A FLANK MOVEMENT IN PoRK.-Opera-
| tors were somewhat surprised to-day at the
| sudden downward turn in mess pork, result
| ing in transactions at 81 below the current
prices of yesterday. No explanation of this
unexpected movement could be obtained, but
| it was surmised that the decline in prices was
to check a liberal shipment of pork, which
was understood about to be inaugurated at
Cincinnati for the benefit of parties who are
engineering the "corner" here. Whether
this ''fank'' movement will be'successful or
not, remains to be seen, but dispatches were
forwarded to the leading market, as soon as
the sudden decline was reached. 1t is under
stood that quite number of contracts remain
unsettled for this month, and that an effort
| will be made to force prices to higher range
than heretofore reached, when it is evident
| that no shipments of any amount can reach
here in time to be delivered on the contracts.
| On the first of next month, the deliveries of
mess pork will be quite large, as parties have
been making preparations to cancel their con-
tracts and step out OF the trade for the time
| being. As we are within about ninety days
of the regular packing season, with a stock
of 125, 900 barrels of mess pork on hand, and
the stock constantly increasing, the pros
poets ahead are not particularly bright and
encouraging.-ChicdgO Inter Ocean, SGtur-
days Commercial Article.