New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-09-12

the thronging memories of many long years
of labor in Congress and elsewhere that SEN
ator who, as our political monitor, promoted
many triumphs by marshaling the colored
voters of New England; one instance Of
whose inspiration now wells up in our men,
ory-that of colored voter, Henry Emery,
of Cambridge, who, thus promoted, insisted
upon leaving his sick bed that he might vote
for Hon. Arson Burlingame, and in few
hours breathed his last, satisfied with this
effort-his legacy to his colored brethren.
Such are among the wreaths OF honor we
place on the brow of our present Senator,
and count upon your votes accordingly for
the Vice Presidency of Hon. Henry Wilson.
Let us cherish the names of these patriots,
hailing them as stars which, now shining in
our horizon, will soon usher in glorious
dawn. BY following their precepts in our
intercourse with society we shall so water
and nourish the tree of American liberty that
our children's children may sport under its
shade and all pluck fruit from its bending
branches.
The passage of the resolutions excited
great applause.
A letter to President Grant, extolling his
past course and expressing hope for his re-
election, was then presented and discussed
by Frederick Douglass and others.
FRED. DOUGLASS ADDRESS.
Mr.. Douglass said:
Mr.. PRESIDENT: I regret somewhat this
call upon me at this time for speech. As
most of you are aware, L have been busy
prosecuting the political campaign during the
last three weeks in the State of Maine,
| speaking often twice day, travelling in all
weather, and at all times, and now, after
having ridden all night, feel untitled to re-
| ;,,o tot i
urgent call made upon me at this moment.
1t seems only few weeks, or at most a few
months ago, since 1 appeared in company
with William Lloyd Garrison, Francis Jack
son, Mr.. Quincy, and others of the distin-
guished citizens of this great city, for the
purpose of receiving
NELL,
Father Mathew, and GO,00O Irishmen calling
upon the American people to make them
selves consistent with the Declaration of In
dependence and put down slavery forever.
That is now, short as the time seems to me,
thirty years ago. Then the most sanguine
did not dare to hope to live to see the day
which we now see. | certainly did not dream
that it would ever be my privilege to address
in Faneuil Hall a convention of colored citi-
zens convened from all parts of New Eng
land for the purpose of canvassing the
policy of public men and public measures,
and to take part in the election of those men
and in the support of those measures. /
have appeared in Faneuil Hall quite often
sometimes as slave, sometimes as fugitive
slave, always as an advocate of human lib
erty. But this is the first time 1 have been
permitted to appear here in the somewhat
dignified, l may say almost
|
| CITIZEN.
[Applause.l Look where you will over this
wide, wide world of ours, and where is the
country which man has right to be so
proud of as this same Republic of ours ?
Where is there citizenship so desirable, so
exalted, endowed with more sublime attri-
butes than the citizenship of the United
States? Nowhere. We are the only peo-
pie in the world, with one or two exceptions,
that have devOlving upon us the duties OF
self-government. France has it not Eng
| land has it not in any such sense as we
have it; Austria, Russia, Prussia, no country
on the globe, has it to the same extent as we
have-this right, this duty of electing the
men and deciding upon the policy which
shall be pursued by the Government-and it
is only very lately since you aud in a ma
tional way had this right. You in Massa-
l
| it not. Thanks to the magnanimity of the
American people; thanks to the justice of
the American people; thanks to the thought,
courage, wisdom, and
PATRIOTISM EXERCISED BY coLoREp MEN
themselves in the tremendous struggle
through which this country has passed, we
now are citizens; we now have that liberty
in common with others, and have the right to
feel an interest in the welfare, permanencc,
and prosperity and glory of this Republic in
common with others. l am not New Eng
lander just now, but for the purpose Of ill.,
erty suppose 1 may call myself such; for a
man that goes in for the equal rights of man
he is my cOuntryman, my kinsman, my clans
man, my brother everywhere, and should be
held so to me in general. We are engaged,
| fellow-citizens, in very peculiar, sanguine
canvass, and the popularity of this cam
paign is this,
THAT WE HAVE TWO PARTIES AND ONE
PLATFORM,
two cats and one mouse-[ laughter THE
Democrats and Republicans. Judging from
the professions of these two parties, judging
| from the utterances of the candidates of these
| two parties, it might be somewhat difficult for
us to determine the path of duty; but hap
PLY for us, we are not left to find the path of
duty by such lights as are afforded by mere
platform and profession. We have some
other guide upon which we may rely in case
like this. There is such thing as history,
and history shows us the tendencies and fail
ures of movements. The social and political
movements of our time are no exceptions to
the rule. Left to mere profession of the
one Or the other party, we might as well
choose Horace Greeley as Ulysses S. Grant,
for Horace Greeley has said some good
things in his day and generation. l am not
here to deal in vituperation, invection, and
denunciation of Horace Greeley. Not at all.
l admit that it would give me pleasure to vote
for Horace Greeley,
IF 1 KNEW JUST WHICH GREELEY
my vote would elect. [Applause.] But
don't know. But say we are not left to the
professions of men and platforms of parties
to determine what is wise and what is best
in the canvass. These parties have their
history. We are to judge of them in the
light Of history, and apply to them the rules
of common sense. We know very well what
the Democratic party has done; we know
very we'll what the Republican party has
done. Weneed not 60 back far into history to
arrive at sound conclusions concerning them.
Take the Democratic party for the last thirty