New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-01-15

subjected to an examination as to the mum
Der Of kinks in his hair or the exact shade O
his skin. If he wends his way around Cape
Horn, whether he be in Valparaiso or San
tiago whether in the plaza of Lima or tho
Day OF Caliao; whether in Acapulco or Ma
zatlan, his manhood is still respected. Yet
in land dedicated to freedom and pledged
to the assertion and maintenance of human
rights his feelings are daily outraged, and his
is black. 'O ~
Smarting under this injustice he has an
pealed to the representatives of that Govern
ment which owes him protection in return for
his allegiance. His case has been fairly
presented before that august body that rep
resents the supreme legislative authority of
MS country. Opposed to him, men of learn
ing, OF renown, and of long experience in
public affairs have appeared, while. in the
main, his advocates could boast of no such
distinguishing characteristics.
Conscious, nevertheless, of the business of
his cause, and relying upon Providence and
trusting to the fairness and justice of the true
American heart, he is encouraged in the hope
that when the issue shall have been fully
made up, and the question submitted to Con-
gress for its final decision, the verdict of the
peoples representatives will be i'm favor of
equal protection of the laws to all classes of
American citizens.
We do not demand too much of our country
when we ask that law be made the same for
all, that privileges and immunites be accorded
alike to all and that the motto of the English
Magma Charta, which has been regarded as
the heritage Of American freemen, "Nulli
vendemus, multi negabimus, aut dfiere mus,
Justitian vel rectum," shall be made to apply
to all.
During the last Presidential contest, in the
conventions at Cincinnati, at Baltimore, and
at Philadelphia, the candidates for the peo-
pes suiirages were pledged not only to the
recognition but to the enforcement of the
civil rights of all classes of citizens of the Re-
public. Upon that distinct issue they went
before the people. Standing upon platform
which emphatically demanded the guarantee
OF equal civil rights to all, without regard to
race or color or previous condition of servi-
tude, the Republican party triumphantly
elected its candidates.
Upon that platform the Republican party
increased its majority from fOrty-three to
nearly two-thirds of the membership of the
largest legislative body that has ever vet been
assembled in this country.
Upon that platform the great chieftain, our
present Chief Magistrate, was triumphantly
reelected by both largely increased popular
and electoral majoritics.
true to his own generous, noble nature,
and faithful to his pledges to the nation that
had twice testified to their confidence in his
patriotism and exalted virtues, not only did
he renew his obligations in regard to civil
rights in his inaugural, but in his first annual
message to the present Congress he COM
mended to that body the erasurc by the hand
OF the nation of the last line of State laws
which denied to any person within their juris-
diction the equal protection of the laws, and
the abrOgrtiOn of every State custom that de-
privcd any ctizcu of his civil rights on ac-
count of race, color, or previous condition Of
servitudc.
Whatever may be the opinion of Others,
1 prefer to believe that Congress will do its
whole duty. Iprefer to believe that the ma
tional power that rescued us from the dark
ness of slavery and opened to our view the
sunshine of freedom will not be withdraw UNI
til we shall, with our white fellOw-citizens,
be permitted to bask in the meridian splcn-
doris of the unquenchable light of civil as
we'll as political liberty.
To the Chritian men and women of the
land who stood faithfully by us in the hours
of our most direful cXtremities and who re-
membered us in the days of our weakness
we shall ever be grateful; to that great
statesman and philantropist, Charles Sum-
ncr, whom God has endowed SO largely with
those noble impulses of the heart which
have pre-eminently distinguished him as the
champion Of the oppressed, we shall ever be
grateful so long as God shall preserve to us
that reason which distinguishes mankind
from the rest of His handiwork, and so long
as our hearts shall thrOb within us.
To the American nation we shall in the flu
ture, as in the past, be grateful for the great
boon of freedom that has been accorded us,
and for the yestiture of citizenship with
which we are clothed.
We ask our fcllow-citizens of the DOM
inant race to respect our manhood, to guar
antee us equality of public and civil rights,
to assure to us, by national enacment, the
equal protection of the laws, and VIC shall
ever readily and willingly contribute what
ever of brain, muscle and energy we may
possess in maintaining the honor and adj
vancing the material and industrial interests
of our country.
We ask only what is just and right-the
removal of unjust prejudices, and full pro-
lection against outrages. We pledge them
that we have no other desire than to make
their civilization our civilization and their in
situations our institutions. Other short adj
dresses were delivered by Hons. j. r. Lynch,
of Mississippi; r. II. Cain, of South Carolina,
and j. II. Rainey, of South Carolina; after
which the assembly dispersed.
Some years ago fat fellow asked Sir
Frances Burdett, while in Parliament, for
some position saying "Don't you remember
me? / use to be a page? swell" respond
al Cir Erouooo Ssvo,, have GROWN into Il