New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-08-29
From Nashville, Tessn.

NASHVILLE, Tenn, Aug. l., 1872.
Hon. Frederick Dougiass
DEAR SIR: Enclosed you will find a copy
of a letter written and adopted by the colored
citizens of Nashville, in which we express
our sentiments upon the issues of Hon.
Charles Summers letter Of advice to colorcd
voters.
Ne have taken pains to prepare our views
with care, and hope you may find for them
place in your excellent columns.
Yours in the interest Of Republicanisn,
MOSES II. JOHNSTON.
At Republican meeting held at Liberty
Hall Thursday night, the following letter,
addressed to the Hon. Charles Sumner, was
unanimously ordered to be forwarded to the
Senator:
NASHVILLE, Tenn, Aug. Q, 1872.
Hon. Charles Sumner, Washington, d. c.:
SIR: Having some days since noticed your
letter addressed to certain worthy cOlorcd
fellow-citizens of Washington, ID. c., in
which you presume to advise them and us in
reference to the proper course to be pursued
by the colored voters of the Unit I'd States in
the coming Presidential campaign, permit us
as humble citizens and as those who have hith-
erto been among your many admirers, to call
your attention to few facts. In doing this,
however, we take the liberty to say that you
may rest assured that whatever your future
course may be, the colored people of this
Republic will never prove so rccreant to every
sense Of honor, dignity and humanity, as for
a moment to be ungrateful for what You have
done for them in the past. We desire to say
that, with your review of the antecedents,
or1I Of tEc
dates before US, we art not entirely satisfied.
More especially is this true, when we con-
slider the fact that you are utterly silent rs
to your worthy colleague. our choice for the
Vice Presidency, Hon. Henry Wilson, Of
Massachusetts.
Your communication to which we refer, is
suggestive of number of queries, a few of
| which it is our present intention to lay before
| you.
LIST. Is it not apparent that the Democrats
| have formed an alliance with Horace Greeley
| and few other Republicans, to carry out
| the purposes and establish the principles
| avOwed by them four years ago, under the
| leadership of Seymour and Blair? In other
| words, is it not true that the leaders of the
Democratic party adopt Mr.. Greeley and the
Cincinnati platform, for the sole purpose of
wrestling the political power from that party
which is the author Of every right conceded
| to the black man, North or South, and vest
ing it in that party which has always acted
upon the presumption that we had no rights
they were bound to respect.
I'd. If the political records Of our republic
speak the truth when they avow that the uni
form course of the Democratic party for nearly
| half q century has been one of opposition to
| every measure calculated to benefit the black
man, politically or socially, how can you, Mr..
Sumner, from the standpoint of true friend,
ask us to form a coalition with them, rather
than with our tried and true friends? You
say they have changed" Perhaps this is
true. You say by their fruits We shall know
them"
Sd. Then we inquire, have not the leaders
of the Democratic party, who are now loudesl
in their denunciation of the President, and
praise of Greeley, uniformly resisted the pas.
sage of all measures introduced by yourself