New-York tribune., 1872-08-30
THE NEGRO VOTE.
WHO ARE THE FRIENDS OF THE BLACKs'
Ak ANSWER TO MR. FREDERICK DOUGLASS.

sssed 20 vour colored felowcitzens" has surprised
many OF your true who for years past nave s
pathzed with you in your efforts 70 "ehenV SoO' i'0o
who have reoced in every testimonial OF respect raid
90 o,r ,loc,ual and moral worth, and who have felt
inSivsant AZ every insult which You have from time TO
nc cpcountered To such of your friends your letter
has sven pan because OF yonr personal influence with
or noope aud because they know that anY advice of
yours, waetAer wise uuwisc will have great weight
ri,s fhen This consideration should Inspire you with
rfornd sense Of your responsibility for any counsel
you may give
No Great political issues are involved in jhc present
Presidential canvass Tue two platforms are IN sub
stance cn,csl. Both proffor to your people all that
they or yoUr friends could desire. II anything were
wanting 60 the fun equality of rights to all ct
zens Of he United States without distinction of race or
color, it would have been supplied by Mt Summers
"Cvn ghts bnl which failed to pass the last session
of Congress.
On the question OF amnesty, the two parties diher;
one would have IL "in sort and Imitation" wme the
other would proclaim It full and free to ALL Wnie one
party adopts the noble words, "Pde up the ashes'
extnsush the flames, abolish the hate" Of the cVi war;
the other rsetting the has ceased, would sun Eh
the flames Of hate, in HApe'S Woe6y JoH"d' "
Cirii-atioa and, by disgracefu caiicature seek 10
pour contempt upon these golden words of Christian
sta,esman 10 not awaken feeling Of regret th'I
Won assmfate with those vino thus outrage CHRISTIAN
morals in their blind zeal for party triumph
You have read history in vain il you have not learned
that equality OF cvil rights especially between dLerent
castes or races of uuder government, can be
maintained only by conciliaton and mutual kindness;
and you have too much intelligence not to know that
clannsbncss with your people in the South ana blind
devotion partisan rule is aught with danger TO their
rigdts It unguaded expression OF yours Wheh'
in your letter, you said 1--WE hold the balance OF power
in America" In the light OF history you ought TO know
that 4lCcJ OF your race, holding, as you seem eAu'
ugly 70 say, "tne balance Of power" in the midst Oh
4QO0c91 Of different race, whose political differences
would Yield the stronger affiliations OF race occupy
periious position Between the upper and neither mill
stone la the fierce conflicts of party they would he
In d,nQ,r or being ground powder If any portion OF
the citizens o. the United states should heartily indorSe
the Grand words, Pile up the ashes. exunsuish the
flames abolish hate is that portion OF our people
who have Just emerged from human bondage; and yOu
could u0c per;ut say, IN any way better employ
your commanding talents than by intoxicating TINS I'M
pOr,aut lesson.
The issue in the present canvass is narrowed down al
most 20 one Of personality, Which candidate viii
most faithfully sustain the common PLATFORM No one
prctends that Gen. Grant ever an abohuOnst, or
anti-Savcry and the logical sequence OF those
great events which abolished Slavery were viewed by
MIN aud other distinguished generals only through the
medium of military expedcucy He shared fully in the
sentiment tlat the prosecuted 10 save the
Union Snd not to free the slave 1t long time be-
fore the doom bondage, written by the nnger
of God upon tho wall. could be interpreted by him in
any other light. The whole country had TO be educated
mn to the acceptauee Of MI summers doctrine Of mans
equality before the law" and more slowly TO
tina; elevation than TIE military men OF the country
Fremont and few other kindred spirits understood tho
grand problem and acted upon their CONVICTIONS but it
cost them their places
Who were tho educators OF the public during the tran
stion state from bondage to freedoml Was it Gen.
Grant that you look upon him as the guardian OF
your rshts} Have you heard or read of one ex-
preston OF his Of cordial sympathy with the enran-
chsed slave duung the warg You remark, We of the
SOnth have been liberated by the direct agency OF the
Republican par,y." Admit that its mission, as
taught by the stately gongs OF an Overruing Proyi-
dence, Gen. Grant ever member OF that party, OF
did cast vote in its favor before he was Sc
ected on account Of his military services, the most
available candidate FOR the Presidencyl On the other
hand, who have bcel FROM It's origin, its most able,
prominent champions II not Msssrs. sumner and
Greecyg
How inconsistent. then. for you to denounce Mr..
Greeley your letter your worst enemy who did all
in Lis power 10 ESTABLISH tie Republic which had slavery
for its chief cornerstone, and 90 stgmatze Mr.. sum
ner "aUyce and counsel as insidOus and dangerous.
In tbs darkest hours of the Republic he was your friend
An thr resources of his grand intellect, his profound
learning and his matches eloquence, were cOnsccrated
TO The Liberation and elevation Of your people This de-
nuncl-io0 therefore, with i'll grace from you.
Modesy least not sense OF gratitude to the bene-
factor Of your race should have caused you to weigh
well tie import your language, used in aspersng his
character "IEsdiousl Is there anything Of craft
treachcry in Nr Summers eter3 On the other hand il
Is opeu manly and sincere, and couched in words the
most ilhte-dte freedman understand Mr.. Summers
voice before the during its continuance and even
since its close has been heard amid the din OF party
strife and distinct, pleading for the perfect en-
franchisemcnt Of your people The silly pretense of
small politicians and scurrilOus editors that he has
blurred his record which placed him in the front rank Of
Christian statesmen and phanthrOpists and over
10 your enemies is beneath contempt and especially un-
worthy your notice But let Mr.. Sumner pass lie needs
no euOgy. and fears detracOn As Webster said OF
Massachusetts,, his record for the past is secure.
You denouuce Mr.. Greeley as your worst enemy, and
declare that had he been President instead Of Mr. LIN
coin your race would have been doomed to a worse
bondage han before and that he did all in his power to
bring about that result in the establishment of South
ern Republic. l utterly astOnished at this reckless
perverson Of history The only significance Of this re-
mark that it uttered by you. Did not appear
over your signature il would be regarded libel upon
yOar character That Mr. Greeley deprecated the horrors
of civil does honor TO his head and heart that he
both avoid and terminate it cred
liable 20 every impulse Of his nature; that he held the
abstract right Of secession is doubt true; and who tnat
has read the st Of the Declaration of Independ
ence does notl Yet he admitted that the majority
Of the people Of the South in favor OF that deer
resort and he therefore never justified the seees-
sion Of the southernp States That he never
favored or advocated Slavery In any form
shape none knows better than yourself. 1t is
no doubt true that at time he wouldhave ransomed
your whole race for S4OOOOO ito be paid only loyal
nastersl a SUN small comparison with the
expended in the continuance of the war; saying nothing
the sacrifice OF hundreds OF thousands Ot precious
lives Mr. Greeley was in advance OF MS cOmpeers.
Even Mr. Lincoln slowly, but surely mp 70 the plane
OF his immortal Proclamation OF Freedom. UP 10 1865,
he was willing to save tho Union either with without
Slavery Gen Halleck by military order IN February,
1862 expelled the eOntrabands from his lines and Gen.