Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1872-08-08

dence declares the equality Of men.
This terrible transaction, which no.
body can defend, is among the ante.
cedents of President Grant, from
which you can judge how much the
colored race can rely on his "heartfelt
sympathy"
Nor can it be forgotten that, short,
ly afterward, on the return Of the
commission from this island, the Hon
Frederick Douglass, the colored ora.
tor, accomplished in manners as il
eloquence, was thrust away from tho
company Of the commissioners at the
common table Of the mail packet or
the Potomac, almost within sight OF
the executive mansion, simply on ac'
count Of his color. But the President
at whose invitation he had joined the
commission, never uttered a word in
condemnation of this exclusion, and
when entertaining the returned com.
missioners at dinner, carefully omit
ted Mr.. Douglass, who was in Wash.
ington at the time, and thus repeated
the indignity.
Other things might be mentioned
as showing the sympathies Of the
president, but | cannot forget the civ.
il rights bill, which is. the capstone OF
that equality before the law to which
all are entitled, without distinction OF
color. President Grant, who could
lobby so assiduously for his San Do
mingo scheme, full of wrong to the
colored race, could do nothing fol
them at home. Fearing a long seS-
sion Of Congress, it was discouraged
constantly, and colored people every
where hung upon the debate, but there
was no word Of "heartfelt sympathy
from the president. AT last, just be-
fore the meeting Of the convention he
addressed a letter to a meeting Of col
ored fellow citizens in Washington
called to advance this cause, where he
avoided this question by declaring
himself in favor Of 'lhe exercise OF
those rights to which every citizen
should be justly entitled" leaving it
whether colored people are
justly entitled to the rights insured
by the pending bill. Horace Greeley
has been already assailed by an i'm
practicable democrat as being friend
ly to this bill, but nobody has lisped
a word against President Grant on
this account.
Among his antecedents | deem it
my duty to mention the little capacity
OF industry Of the president in protect
ing the colored people and in assur-
ING peace at the South. Nobody can
doubt that a small portion Of the ef-
fort and earnest will, even without the
lobbying, so freely given to the San
Domingo scheme, would have averted
these kulllux outrages which we de-
plore, so that there would have been
no pretense for further legislation by
Congress. But he was disabled both
by character and the drawback Of his
own conduct. After violating the
constitution and international law to
insult the black republic, and in set
ting an example of INSTRUMENTATION,
he was not in a position to rebuke
law breakers.
Secondly, passing from antecedents
| come to the present condition of the
two candidates, which is the subject
of your next inquiry. If in any for
nal particulars the two are on an
equality, yet, in all substantial re-
spects, the obvious advantage is with
Horace Greeley. Each was nominat-
ed by republican convention, one at
Cincinnati and the other at Philadel-
phia. SO in this respect they may
seem to be on an equality, but it will
not fail to be observed that the con-
vention at Cincinnati was composed
of able and acknowledged republicans,
many Of whom have acted with the
party since its first formation, who.
without previous organization, came
together at the cry of reform and pu-
rity in the government, while, on the
other hand, the convention at Phila-
delphia was composed Of delegates
chosen largely under the influence OF
office-holders, who assembled to sus-
tain what is known as Grantism,
meaning the personal government and
personal pretensions Of President
Grant, involving nepotism, repayment
Of gifts by official patronage, neglect
Of public duty, absenteeism, military
rule, disregard of the constitution and
the laws, with general unftness and
indignity to the colored race; all
of which is so unrepublican as to
make its support impossible for true
Therefore the conven-
ton at Philadelphia, though calling
itself republican, was less republican
than that at Cincinnati. The two
platforms, as far rs concerns especial
ly the colored race, are alike in sub
stance, but that at Cincinnati is eX-
pressed in terms most worthy Of equal
rights. 1t states and claims-''We
recognise the equality of all men be-
fore the law and hold that it is the
duty of the government in its dealings
with the people to mete out equal and
exact justice to all, Of whatever ma
race, color or persuasion,
religious or political. In other re-
spects the platform of Cincinnati is
the most republican, inasmuch as it
sets itself against those unrepublican
abuses which have been nursed by the
president into pernlcious activity.