Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-08-28


who are just now in nappy affiliation
with yourself to place Horace Greeley
in the Presidential chairi True.
n there is still, throughout the country,
a strong prelude ce against social
equality irrespective of color; but
this is steadily yielding, and in many
cases has ceased to oper-te. The
special time TO express sympathy for
the ''infinite wrongs" of the cOlored
race was when they had few to inter-
fere for their deliverance from the
auction block and the slave cOffle,
from the slave drivers CORY lash
from CALLING yokes and tcrturing
thumb screws, from the fangs of
pursuing bloodhounds, from the
clutches Of prowling kidnappers, from
inconceivable agonies at the burning
I, stake; and when to remember those
; in bonds as bound with them" led
r anywhere else than to the high places
of the country. And / always deeply
regret, too, las / am quite sure you
now dO) that for so many years after
} the commencement of the struggle to
effect that deliverance, when the
elements were melting with fervent
heat, and mObocratic violence for the
suppression of anti-slavery discussion
was everywhere prevalent, not eX-
cepting in your own native city, you
took no active part in that conflict,
attending no anti-slavery gatherings.
gave no visible sign of a lively inter-
est in its success, for the first time
bearing your public testimony against
slavery in opposing the annexation
of Texas. When elected to the United
States Senate. in 1851, you set nearly
eight months in that body speech
less in respect to the fugitive slave
bill, eliciting strong remOnstrances
against your protracted silence, seeing
that, as the successor of Mr.. Webster,
YOUR election was regarded as an i'm
portant gain to the cause of impartial
freedom. Your silence was the more
inexplicable, and furnished just cause
for uneasiness, because in a speech
made by you before going to WASH
ington, you said: 1.-THE subject will
not admit of postponement or hesita-
ton. 1t is the subject of subjects.
From this time forward it will be
entertained by Congress; it will be, |
as it were, one of the orders Of the |
day; it cannot be passed over or for
gotten. We demand, first and fore
most, the instant repeal of the Fugi- |
tive Slave BILL" You took your seat
in the Senate December !, 1851, it was /
not until the 9th of July, 1852, that
you rose to advocate that repeal, /
4 apologetieally prefacing your remarks
by saying: Had 1 attempted this
duty at an earlier day, it might have
been said that as q new conner and
! INEXPERIENCED in this scene, without
deliberation, hastily, rashly, reckless
! ly, 1 pushed this question before the
country" Surely, no true friend of
humanity would have made such
fling, and the possible sneers of Its
enemies were not deserving a n o
menC's consideration. Besides, the
discussion had been going on
throughout the land ever since the
passage of the Fugitive Slave bill, SO
that to talk of pushing the question
upon the public attention was mis-
application of language.
Nevertheless, once putting your
hand to the plow, you did not look
back; once breaking the painful
silence, you have not ceased to speak,
with great boldness and rare
eloqnence, for the complete enfran-
chisement of the eolored race; nor
have 1 failed to stand by you through (
evil report and through good report, ;
cheering you on, and both in public
and in private vindicating you from
the unjust acts of your pro-slavery
traducers. My reference TO the early {
days of anti slavery trials is not to {
tear from your brow one of the laurels
with which it is so honorably bound;
but then-to make your influence
potential NTH the coLored electors to
secure their Uotes for, Mr. Greeley 8
Greeley's organ, the Tribune, un- s
truthfully proclaims you to have been 6
''the foremost enemy of human {
slavery when 'abolitionist' was a {
term Of reproach from one end of the {
country to the other''-''the best and !
wisest friend OF the freedman in the !
trying years since emancipation"-l I
"loved and trusted by the colored {
race above all other men in America" S
Justice requires that the deception {
should be exposed, and the whole t
truth told. In nothing of courage g
and vigilance, of zeal and fidelity in a
securing equal rights for the colOred '
race, has your respected cO-Senator, '
Henry Wilson, been outstripped by a
you and no member of Congress has Il
done more for him. Nay, long years
before you were seen or known in y
to slavery, he was actively C
engaged in the noble strife, under the b
banner of immediate and uncondi- b
ticnal emancipation. During thirty r
six years of public life he has made {
the freedom of the race, so long Z
and trodden down, para v
mount to all political considerations s.
Instead of persistently stunning anti n
slavery meetings, he was a frequent s.
attendant upon them, and frequently
participated in their proceedings
Now that he has been deservedly
by the Republican party
for the Vice Presidency of the United
States, and if elected, may possibly in -
the turn of events be the acting Pres II u
ident, it should be a matter of grati- y =
tude on the part of colOred voters to y
give him their united suffrages. As q q
be is a Massachusetts, Senator like y
yourself, has been a warm personal =
friend and cOadjutOr, and stood up i'
in your defence when 4,
bloody violence sought your life, l "
think it is discreditable to you that u
you have not only evinced no satis- "
faction with the choice OF the Repub- =
ican party in this particular, but -
have treated it as unworthy of recOg- =, "
1ition. To make this slight the more VI
you have taken pains TO =;
aulogize his political rival for the =
Vice Presidency, GratZ Brown, as ~
1ne whom you "hsve known for "
years as most determined abolition u
st !" It is an immensely exaggera- T,
ed claim. Put hundred men like =
iratZ Brown into one scale and ~ ~
Henry Wilson into the other, for >,
service rendered, and for y
elisble friendship for our colOred -
and they would kick the y, -
,eam. There is no comparison to be ~
made between these candidates as to ~ ~
he trustworthiness or meritOrious ~ ~
character. The nomination of one SO
openly pronounced on all the leading re
movements of the age as HI
Henry Wilson is a crushing reply to ~ ~
he hollow charge that the Republican r.
,arty is without a mission and given -
o corruption. +;
Having at last decided to support
dr. Greeley, (why did you linger so n
Dng, in view of his extraordinary n
'irtues and admirable Presidential q,
qualifications you naturally pro- h,
eed to make the most of him. l. Ia,
He was born to poverty" So were to