Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-08-28
THE OHIO DARKIES.
Proceedings of the ChiIlfcothe Con.
ventiOn-The Negroes Declare Their
MISREPRESENTATION Grants Man
Friday was Suppressed.


ventiOn-The Negroes Declare Their
INSTRUMENTATION Grants Man
Friday was Suppressed.
(. From the detailed account given by the
Cincinnati Commercial OF the State con-
ventlon of Ohio negroes at Chillicothe on
Aug. %, we condense the following salient
points:
In calling the convention to order, Peter
81. Clsrk, of Cincinnati, regretted that the
call had not included the colored man g
"friends" whether found in the Republican,
tie Reform or the Democratic party.
John Booker, of Columbus, on taking the
chair as Permanent President sad: We not
only ask but demand our rights from the
Republican party. We have been elevated
by political party, and it really seems that
We belong to them; they claim that we owe
them debt of gratitude that we can not
pay In time, and scarcely in eternity. They
have promised US rights which they have
withheld, aud as parties in this country are
very short-lived, we have some fears that
the Republican party will die and leave US
in the ditch. We are no longer
foot mats to be trodden on, for them to
wipe their feet on and then to be thrown
away when done with. l feel confident,
gentlemen, that the party lash will no longer
whip you into the traces.
The nature of the resolutions adopted, &C
cusing their Radical brethren Of being ex-
clusively a while mans party when it
comes to dividing the offices, have been
published in our telegraphic columns.
G. E. Bell, of Athens, wanted an addi-
tional resolution deno1nciug negro BARRIERS
who give any precedence to white customers
over those of their own color; but some
how this resolution didn't take-too many
BARRIERS present, perhaps.
At this point "Col" Bob Harlan, who
holds some so't of a rowing commission
from the government as SPECIAL Agent of
the Postofice Department, began series
of efforts to get ''the splendid administra-
ton of Gen. Grant' endorsed. One dele
gate said it would take them year to dis
cuss that matter. A motion to table Hsr-
lan's resolutions received ga unanimous
and tremendous ave." counterbalanced
however with ga tremendous unit who
voted nay" Harlan called for division,
but the Chairman choked him of.
A set speech from Peter 81. Clark follow
ed. Of the Republicans, he said: Through
the workings of that party we are free and
partially enfranchised. But W. deny that
these things wera done from any original
impulse prompting them to benefit US. Nor
do these things bind US to vote W tn it until
every white member shall have obtained Of
fee. Abraham Lincoln declared that il by
maintaining slavery he could preserve the
Union, then he would maintain slavery, and
he fairly expressed the motive of the party
of which rs was the illustrious head.
A favorite sentence with some of the early
champions of the party was this: "We will
preserve the virgin soil of the West from
the polluting step of the negro, bond or
Free" Abraham Lincoln issued his
famous proclamation of emancipation, bss-
ing it, as he declared, ii the document itse (,
upon military necessity.
Make tour with me- of the State of Ohio,
visiting the towns and counties controlled
by the Republican party. You will find
miles of road and street making and repair
ing miles of sewers being made and pipes
being laid, scores of bridges being built
Yet in all this work there is no room for
the colored laborer. Visit our State House
and Inspect every Office in the building, |
that of Governor, Secretary, Treasurer, |
Commissioner, and so on, and in not one |
does the shadow of a co.ored clerk fall |
upon the several white walls. The single |
thing to remind you of the colored man is
the painted lie, hanging in the rotunda, |
where the only frightened person in the |
boat with Perry is colored sailor.
Perhaps the party managers who can find no |
room on their lists of officers for colored |
men intend that rule of exclusion shall |
be adopted, by which no colored man shall |
be elected or appointed to Office in the white
States. OF course, then, no white man
should be elected or appointed to office in |
the black States
The next speaker was John Robinson, a
negro who seems to claim kin with the Pill
grim Fathers. He travelled a good deal,
and be frequently talked good deal before
they would allow him to eat at the first
table on board steamboats,. He was an
American citizen, and so was his father and |
grsndfstter. Indeed, he could trscs his
ancestry right back to Plymouth Rock, and |
he was bound TO have and erjoy the rights /
granted any other American citizen. Col |
ored citizeLs had been compelled to eat ia |
the kitchen long enough. For his part he |
would do so no longer.
The Convention closed with another ef- |
fort from Harlan to get Grant endorsed. |
They wouldn't allow him to speak, but he
exclaimed at the top of his voice: 81 want |
to show that this Convention is composed |
of soreheaded ofice-seekers. There is not |
a colored man in Cincinnati who has not |
been seeking office and has been disap-
pointed, and hence his soreheadedness. |
IGrest noise and Interruption "They are |
all soreheads; they want Office; l helped |
them; L signed their papers for them" |
The chair ruled him out of order as being !
disrespectful to the body, but Harlan in
sisted that it was the truth and ssif the Re- |
publican party were to give the colored peo-
pie all they asked for, it would be swamped
in twenty-tour hours" In the final vote
tab'ing the Administration resolutions, his
voice was the only one heard in the mega.
tive. 81
. .af D.