The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1872-09-12

| vast LnrOnG, lew COlOIeu men.
say to these men to-day-I say to
all men of their race-I say to the
anti.slavery men of Wayne county
to the anti-slayery men of Indiana
to the anti.slavery men of the whole
oountry-aye, and to the anti-slave,
ny men of the world--thaS no man
in America has been truer to the in
terests of the black of this nation
than has General Grant during these
last seven years. Loud and contin-
ued cheers geFEE.E ESZA e. -
say here to-day what l know. -
have been an anti-slavery man for
thirty seven years. ! have spoken
for their cause, beginning thirty -six
years ago this very month. II have
written for it. | have trayersed
l thousands and tens Of thousands Of
miles have labored in the Legisla-
ture of my State, in Congress, before
the people, in the public press, eve
rywhere, for the freedom, the eleva-
ton, the equality of the oolored race
in the United States. And now,
gentlemen, want to say to you'll
want to say to you lovers of liber-
ty here-that in 1868, when General
Grant was with his army down on
the Mississippi river, in face of reb-
ell legions, he wrote letter to per.
sonal friend of mine, that was plac-
ed in my hands, in which he made
this declaration (: 81 was never an
anti-slayery man. Inever examined
the question before, but now am
satisfied that the colored race should
be emancipated before the close of
the war. / am satisfied it would be
misfortune to the country if the
war should selose without emanci-
patton" .---.---sr
| That was General Grants posi-
ton. How did he come to believe
it? He was a General in the war.
He saw, felt and realized that eman-
cipation was the duty Of the nation.
He took his position on the side of
emancipation. He maintained it
with that infexibility and fidelity
with which he generally adheres to
convictions. Loud and continued
cheers.
During the same time he was in
favor of putting black men into the
armies Of the United States to fight
the battles of the country. l was
the Chairman of the Military Conn
mittee of the Senate during the
war. In that Committee originated
nearly all the legislation of the war.
Before that committee came, during
the war, fourteen thousand nomina-
tons for officers. / had an oppor-
tunlty to know something Of the Ca
pacity, the character, the services,
the convictions of the men engaged
in the armies and maintaining the
cause of the country, and say to
you here to-day, that General Grant
was in favor of putting in the field,
of arming, and putting on solid ba-
sis, the colored men of this country
to fight it's battles.
Well, gentlemen, when the war
olosed-when we passed the recon.
struction measures through Congress
General Grant was in favor of the
Reconstruction Bill that bill that
gave the suffrage to 100000 black
men in the rebel States. / say what
/ know to be true, when declare to
you, to day, that he was in favor of
that great measure. a.
After the election of 1868, Gener-
al Grant believed we ought to pass
constitutional amendment securing
to this colored race the right of SUIT
frage. The Fifteenth Amendment
had his hearty support. / may al
most say here to-day that no living
man had SO much to do with origin
ating and passing through Congress
the Fifteenth Amendment as Gener-
al Grant. know whereof / affirm.
He told me himself that it would
settle the question of suffrage, and
settle it forever. That if it was put
in the Constitution of the country
! there it would remain, for there new
er would be power enough to take it
out of the Constitution. Cheers
and cries cf "good."l In the winter
of 1869, while we were struggling in
both houses to pass that amendment
General Grant, having been elected
President, with all the influence and
power that position gave him, visi-
ted Senators, and visited Represen-
tatives, urging them to carry thro'
that great measure, and thus secure
to the colored race, forever, in Amer
lea, the right OF suffrage.
Now, gentlemen, tell you here
to-day that 1t was to the influence of
General Grant more than to that of
any other man, or set of men, in Con-
gress, or outside of Congress-, that
the measure passed through Con-
gress whent did. He became Pres
ident on the 4th of March, 1869,
and say to you that the whole pow.
err of his Administration was legiti.
mately used to influence our friends
throughout the country, and in all
the States to carry through and con-
sumate that great measure of reform.
Icheers.] And l say to the colored
race to-day, l say it to all of them,
from here to the banks of the Rio
Grande, that to General Grant more
than any other man under God, are
they indebted for their Fifteenth
Amendment, that secures their
rights forevermore.
GRANT THK PROTECTOR OF LOYAL
lists.
But, gentlemen, Istop not here.
You will remember that in 1868,
hundreds of Republicans down in
| Louisiana were hunted down, and
slain like dogs hundreds of them
were murdered and that Louisiana
was carried for Horatio Seymour by
the violence of his supporters in that
State. You will remember that in
1869 and 1870, there came to US evil
dence that there were political or
CARNATIONS in the South that they
were committing murders and crimes
that not only disgraced our country
but dishonored human nature. The
Government was in full possession of
these facts. The Gov eminent look
ed to the Southern States-to the
reconstructed States-to put down
those lawless bands of murderers, to
vindicate the law, and to protect the
people of the South. But the Gov
eminent looked in vain. 1t was
proven by actual trial that wherever
attempts were made to arrest these
wicked, bad men, that some Of their
number found friends among the jur-