Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-08-15

was associated with them socially on
equal terms; treated in all respects as
well as the best And for the first time
in the history of the American navy, a
colored citizen of the United States
walked the quarter deck of an Ameri-
can frigate-the accepted equal OF its
Communicates pected and hOnOred by
all on board
Third-During the stay of the COM
missioners at the Dominican capital Mr..
Douglass lived in their house and sat at
| their table, There was nothing strange
| in this, for each of the commissioners
was an abolitionistlo long before Mr.. Sum-
ner was; there was no sacrifice ill it, Tor
never was guest more agreeable. All
present must have felt that whatever
| honor there was in the matter was con-
| ferred by Mr.. Douglass. Social, genial,
refined in culture, noble in purpose, he
had from the first the respect of all thus
| associated with him. The manly utter
ances of the accomplished editorial cor
respondent of the World bore testimony
to this at the time.
Fourth-After the landing of the COM
missioners at Charleston, Mr.. Douglass
constantly occupied the same convey
ance and sat at the same table with
them. At one or two places in the
South, there were some manifestations
of feeling against this, but these were
not allowed to change MIR. Douglass pO-
sition in the slightest degree.
Embarked upon the Potomac steam
er-the commissioners having seated
themselves for dinner at the public ia
ble-found that Mr.. Douglass was not
with them. On inquiry they learned
that he had been refused admittance to
the dining room on account Of his color.
Having demonstrated invain against this
outrage, the commissioners and all i'm
mediately connected with them, imme-
diately left the table before dish was
served them, and although they had been
without food since early in the morning,
they remained fasting until their arrival
at Washington late in the evening. The
instructive feeling was that to do other
wise would be to sanction an eXeCrable
infringement upon the rights Of fell
low citizen.
This is the transaction of which Mr..
Sumner speaks when he says that Mr..
Douglass was ''thrust forth" from the
commissioners table. No choice of Ian
guage could be more unfortunate By
this mode of statement has the idea been
spread that Mr.. Douglass was 'thrust
forth, " with the permission or sanction
of his associates. Nothing could be
more wide of the fact One point just
here which throws much light on some
questions now before your people. When
we demonstrated with the chief func-
tionary on the boat, he was supported
in his outrage apparently by all the
Southern men present They were long
and loud in argument, and the general
chorus, in which they all joined, was,
that they would not submit to this ''in-
reference with their rights" in forcing
a negro on their society.
The saae men are now ClamOrOus
against the administration, whose main
sin in theireyes is that it has carried out
the laws made to protect the cOlOred men
of the South, and it seems somewhat
OminOus that the loudest shrieks of these
baffled Oppressors are now, as then,
against the sO-callcd 'jnterffrence lcjt6
their rights." What this means my ex-
perience that day taught me. 1t meant
then interference with the right to keep
the colOred man pariah what does
the same cry,in the same mouths mean
3lOa0?
Fifth-On arriving at Washington the
duties of Mr. Douglass and Gen. Sigel
were ended. The former had submitted
a very careful report based upon his in
vestigations among theicOlOred emigTants
from the United States, settled in vari-
parts of the Dsminican republic; the
latter had investigated and reported up
on the need and possibilities of fortify-
ing SANTANA bay and other important posi-
tons on the standard with these re-
ports their duties ended After so long
an absence they were naturally anxious
to reach their families and friends, and
they finally separated from the commits
sioners on the very night of their arri-
val in Washington, with the most kindly
feelings on both sides. The commissions
ers with their secretary remained to fin
ish their report. Having called to pay
their respects to the president, they were
invited to dine with him. Had Mr.
Douglass or Gen. Sigel been present |
have no doubt they would have been in
cluded in the invitatiOn-fOr no Ameri-
can chief manistrate had ever more eff
fectually cast to the winds all prejudice
against color than Gen Grant inh his se3cc
ton and whole treatment of eminent
colOred citizens.
Members Of the commission had also
been honored with invitations to Mr.
Summers home and table. Mr.. Doug
lass did not meet them there, but it had
never occurred that his absence was any
more the result of the prejudice in one
case than in the other.
Such, sir, is the simple history of the
transactions on which these. charges are
based; to you and to candid cOlOred citi-
zens generally, | leave them for judy
ment.
| do not write to persuade yourself.
You know Benjamin F. Wade and Sam
uel G. Howe too well, in the times that
tried mems souls, to believe that they
would allow Mr.. Douglass to be thrust
forthS' from their table Neither need |
speak for myself to you, for we have
lived in the same city since my boyhood,
and your ample story of an escaped
slave, made me an abOlitiOnist when
family and friends held the name in hor-
ror. But | write because last night a
colOred man asked me regarding the
story. Up to that moment | had not |
dreamed that statements so obviously
dictated by partisan bitterness could be
believed by any person, especially since
Mr.. Douglass had refuted them, but |
send these words to you to aid in dis
abusing any minds still affected by these
unjust charges. | remain, dear sir,
Very respectfully and truly yours,
ANDREW d. WHITE.