New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-01-04
THURSDAY. JANUARY 4, 1872.
1872

Four years ago freedom in this nation was
not fact. True, slavery had been abolished by
amendment OF the Constitution the right to
buy and sell humanity was denied and the priv
lege prohibited by law but this was only step
on the road of progress tolberty, the potent blow
that was 10 strike loose the deadly embrace in
which barbarism was EMBEDDING the nation.
This left the nation far still from its foundation
principle which tolerstes no tyranny, no gov
eminent without the consent Of the governed,
no taxation without representation. The year
1869 gave the elective franchise to an emanci-
pated race, victims of oppression, beings to
whom had been denied every right, In whose
person humanity had been outraged and whose
oppressors had been rendered deinoniac in their
vain endeayor to overthrow the nation led on
by destiny to proclaim freedom throughout the
land. The abolition of slavery and the ac-
acknowledgement of the black mans right to a
voice in the government that controls the nation
in which be lives have greatly ameliorated his
condition, and during the past four years he
has made progress as gratifying to bis friends
az confounding to his enemies. Hampered and
hedged 10 by prejudice, as insane as it is pow
erful, the black man the slave Of few years
ago, With ell the disadvantages and oil the
opposition that demoniac rage could invent
and exert against him, has proven his manhood
and claim to the respect Of all friends of hu
mainly. Former years have seen the black
man liberated, enfranchised, elevated to seats
in our halls of legislation, and filling diplomatic
positions with credit. One after another have
the letters that bound him to level with the
brute been stricken off till now all that is left
freedom is the abolition by law of all the dis
tinctions and determinations that deny to him
rights and privileges enjoyed by other citizens.
To this end we invoke the aid Of the Republi-
can party now in power in this nation, the in.
Huence Of the nations Chief Magistrate, the
President of the United States, whose impress
sive words in his Inaugural Address rendered
important service in securing the ratification
Of the fifteenth amendment. Soon to come
again before the people for election President
GRANT can do nothing that will give him
stronger claim upon the colored voter of the
South than to give his influence to the enacting
OF law that will prevent the prescribing of a
Representative in Congress from the eolored
race by railroad companies. steamboat owners,
or hotel keepers. The coored voter demands
from all for whom he casts vote from Presi.
dent of the United States down, that they give
Of whatever influence or power they may have
to assistance in the demolition of every barrier
that blocks the way of their enjoyment of man
hoods rights. If full pardon is to be ex-
tended TO the rebels of the South by Congress,
we demand of the Republican party in Con-
gress and of the Administration that justice be
done to the black men who have ever been
loyal. We feel and know that the safety of
the party in the Southern States requires the
passage of just such law as the Supplement
tary Civil Rights Bill of Senator SUMMERS. The
work has been we'll begun by the Hon. CHARLES
SUMNER In the Senate Of the United States and
will be carried out il the Administration and
the Republican party are determined that the
year 1872 shall see all races and all colors in
this nation equal before the law.