New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-10-23
What are we Doing !

Are the colored people Of the country thor
oughly aroused and actively at work for the
realization of the full freedom that will come
of the recognition of their equality before the
law, and of equality in the enjoyment of pub
lie rights? The question Of our complete en-
reimbursement has been agitated for the last
two years by the Hon. Chas. Sumner and
others. What we desire is to see something
Of that old abolition enthusiasm that filled
the land in the decade bounded by 1850 and
1850. In that time, all over the free States,
aHti-slavery societies were to be found in ev
cry community anti-slavery orators, anti
slavery writers, ant-slavery papers, anti
slavery politicians, anti-slavery freedom-lOv
ing people everywhere north of Mason and
Dixon's line fighting, debating, writing, and
lecturing keeping the great cause constantly
before the people with an earnestness and
devotion unprecedented ia this country in the
advocacy of any other principle. To-day
the negro has a cause for which he must la
Dor as persistently, Us dcvotedly, and with
as much self.denial as the abolitionists la
bored for his freedom. We have just enough
freedom to give us the privilege of working
for larger and complete liberty. The danger
with us is Of our becoming selfish and forget
ting that we have a cause to struggle for and
feeling that our duty is only to ourselves in
dividually. We are in danger Of becoming
deluded with the idea that being American
citizens we have no interests as colorcd peo-
pie TO promote, that we have no separate
cause, and all that we have to do is TO go
ahead, each FOR himself, forgetting that we
are still dealt with as race, judged as race
and not as individuals, and that we must rise
or fall as q race.
II is OF no consequence TO argue that the
judging OF American citizens by race, color,
&C., is wrong. We are comp elled TO accept
the fact, and il bchOovcs Us to 20 TO work
and build up our race. First, We require and
must have the one great essential TO eflcc-
tual working, viz union. We must be uni
ted in pushing the work for our own eleya-
ton. We are measurably free we need to
be wholly so. Our friends are laboring for
our complete freedom. Do we help as we
ought? Do we back them up by exhibiting
our desire for the elevation they seek for us
Do We support our papers that plead our
cause and struggle hard 10 keep before the
country our demand for Justice. Are the coll
ored people holding conventions, meetings,
&c, throughout the country, as they should,
for the agitation of the question of the recog-
milton Of their Equality before the Iawo
The great question OF Equality before the
Law requires agitation and demand for its
settlement from the voters of the country.
The agitation can be more successfully made
than was the anti-slavcry agitation of the Pc
Rod above mentioned Now the people are
prepared for such questions. No slavery ex-
lists, larger area of the nation is open To free
speech, great party is successful largely be-
cause of the votes of those who will be inn
mediately benefited by the recognition of
manhood aud citizenship rights without dis.
tinctlon of race, color, &c, all Of which is
decidedly favorable to tue agitation Of this
great question Of justice.
The New NATIONAL ERA AND CITIZEN |
has, with what ability it could control, la |
bored for the great cause of Equality before |
the Law, though not assisted by the colored
people as such an organ should be, it has |
never failed to remember that we have cause !
fSr which to struggle.
An effective way TO assist in the work for
the cause of equal rights is for its friends,
e6lored or white, to d-lrge Congress with