New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-01-23


The audience that greeted Frederick Doug
lass last night at the Temple was not as large
as it ought to have been. The reputation o,
the speaker and the subject treated snouia
have filed that hall to Overlooking. As ]
was. the audience was respectable IN pom. OF
number, the hall being two-thiFds iui,. INC
interest awakened by the distinguished speak
or called forth frequent applause; ~
Hon. Enos Clarke introduced MT; DouS-
lass 10 the audience, and on the platform
with him sat General John Mcneil, WIN.
Robinson. &. l.. dc R7ndcmlc, ana others.
Mr.. Douglass spoke substantially as ioiiows:
Among that vast group o' ISLANDS known rs
tie West Indies, adjacent 10 tic american
continent. and, by ncighborhood AT ieast, en-
ti!rd 10 share its institutions and destiny
almost touching our shores away
from the coast Of Florida far into the broad
Atla,iic. ringing the Gulf Of Mexico and the
i,luc Caribbean sea, as with a wreath OF fra
.,rant tror.cal iiiIits ana flowers. chiefly oc-
,upiod by -ee,ored people, dominated by two
Governments, both republican in form yet
both dcspotic and military in fact: liayti on
tie west. with a population OF seven or eight
hundred ;housand and ten thousand square
miles q. territory; Dominica on the cast,
with a population Of one hundred and listy
thousand, and TWENTY-FIVE thousand square
~ Ireland, and capable OF sustaining popu-
!.,ip. a great deal larger; between the seven
,rcnih and twentieth lines of latitude, six
DAYS from New York, three days from Key
West. stands the beautiful island of Santo
II amigo, the subject OF my lecture this even
iYg and the subject OF much controversy III
certain quarters.
LAYS POLITICS ASIDE.
I. l.. ms IN, trnat 4 bn
subject in "A spirit Of political controversy or
Iarty feeling, and not altogether from pa
iriotc standpoint.
Putting aside the special political interest
with which events for the moment have in
vested ~aI.tn Domingo; putting aside the pro-
bounced amI sharply defined differences Of
opinion 10 hich the proposition to annex a
rart of il t. the United states has given rise
putting aside the eloquent and powerful OPP
position t. that measure by one OF the ma
lions ahlcs, and most trusted Senators on
The ofr hand and the carncs: support given
- !, at one time hv one of the nations most
cycn-mirdcl and trusted Presidents on the
other: whether we c ,nSider Santo Domingo
ceuTaI,h.,ally with reference To climate, soil,
productions, with commercial and other I'M |
p9rtant resources, or whether we consider II |
historicallv-a broader and higher ground
a. illustrating peculiar phases of human ma
,urc and social forces, and furnishing import
ant lessons of civilization, we shall find in
Santo Domingo enough to invite the Ameri-
can people to 4 more intimate acquaintance
with that country, if not to more intimate
relation than has hitherto subsisted between
them.
Ofcourse. like everything else in the world,
Santo Domingo may be viewed and will be
viewed from different sides, and policies will
he shaped towards that country from differ
eat motives high and generous, and
some low and selfish.
MANIFEST NATIONAL. PIRACY.
But not from the los, the selfish, the am
bilious. and rapaciou, side Of human nature,
that side which dreams only Of silver, gold,
and precious stones. which is pleased only
with wealth and powcr-chafes and rapines
at natural and necessary limitations of ma
'iDnal domain-which. in the name OF mani
fest destiny, often but another name for man
fest national piracy, would annex the whole
continent and adjacent islands to the United
States, without the Just rights and feeling of
other nations: but from that noblcr, better
and more poetic side OF our nature-that side
which allies man TO the Infinite, which in
some sense leads him to view the broad world
as his country and all mankind as his coun-
trymen, would ! have the American people
l
mine their policy concerning it.
This course may seem little too senti-
mental and transcendental for our sordid and
practical age and nation but for this reason
| am the more disposed to press it. "Will
il pay?' has become the almost sole test of
every measure and the pay must be in the
shape Of dollars, dimes, and cents, or il is no
pay al all.
Ii may, indeed be important to know what
Santo Domingo can do for us !; but it is vastly
more important 10 know what We can do,
and ought to do, for Santo Domingo. There
: but one safe path for individuals or for ma
tons-both are helped by helping others,
and both are hindcred by hndering others.
SUFFERING NATIONS,
There are countries, not less than indiyiI-
uals, which have sad stories totcll the world.
and To which the world has been, at times,
nobly disposed TO listen.
Poland, crushed and bleeding under the
heels OF despctic powers, uttered a shrek
which pierced the heart of the civilized world.
ho>suth turned all eyes and hearts 10 the
wounds Of his bleeding country; and for a
time made Us al liunsarians ireland keeps
u III chronic tears by her wall from across
Inc sea. france, when writing in the folds
81 'oIDie calamity, although the author
'HhSn, tACltcu Il generous |
'Fmpathy and drowned all reproach
invoke this generous sentiment for Santo |
domingo. No country is more bountifully |
blessed by nature or more wofully cursed by |
man; TO country is capable of greater SER |
wee TO the world, and there is none which |
serves II less. Standing on the verge of civ !
liizatloii, doubtful of her fate crimly debating
lie question whether she is TO be saved to
peace, order, or prosperity, or to fall away
tfouIh anarchy AT home and contempt and
neglect 10y her neighbors, into the measure
,e1s oepth oi ignorance, weakness, and bar
hatsm, that country has indeed a sad story
to tell and special claims upon the sympathy,
Al least, OF the American people.
oi what that story is IN all its details and
,ullness, can promise but G,,Ia IN . S;nnIn
lecture. From the nature of the occasion
and the limits Of the hour, l cannot do more
than hint lis character and echo in saabic
way something o; its import.
Interesting to Us for her wondorc,l o,5
easily accessible tropical resources har
splendid bays, and fertile valleys, She i aiso
deeply interesting for being the first Amnr;.
cin soil trodden by the white race.
FIRST THINGS.
~ virtue OF being first tbinos .snac;ou,,
When they are the beginning of orcot th;nas
when, a: in This case, they have onened