New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-05-07
Macedonia Lyceulm.

~. u, is growing and elevating institution
among the colored citizens of the First Dis
trict. At their meeting on the Goth ult.,
several interesting essays were read, and
speeches made. Mr.. Frederick Douglass, Jr.
being present, was introduced, and spoke
substantially as follows:
-ur. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:
While slavery and oppression were raging
throughout the Southern States, the colored
people Of the North were not asleep. They
were up and doing, holding conventions and
public meetings, cons family agitating the
public mind in behalf of freedom for their
brethren, and qy their constant and untiring
work they moulded a sentiment against the
extens ion of slavery. The colored people of
the North touched the hearts of the whites
by describing the horrors of slavery, and
constantly keeping up their steady fire against
the damnable institution that has left its
mark fresh upon our memories to-day; though
many of us fail to realize the unlimited deg
radiation the institution of slavery has placed
upon us, maay seem to think that because
public sentiment has become more ia vorable
to ms than in days of old, we ought to be sat-
isfied without battling for the removal of all
the wrongs we are now forced to endure. /
mention this to show that there are those
among US who fail to see our real con-
dition.
Long before the war, there were no less
than four parties in the Northern States,
composed Of both black and white people,
aiming at the abolition Of slavery.
First The Garrsonians, or the Ameri-
can Anti-Slavery Society.
Second - The Anti-Garrsonians, or the
American and Foreign Anti-Slayery So
ciety.
Third - The Free Soil Party
Fourth = The Liberty Party, Or Gerrit
Smith school of Abolitionists.
The first-named society had for its motto:
" No Union with Shareholders" If this
motto had been carried out it would have
dissolved the Union and left the slave and
his master TO fight their own battles in their
own way, which would have been the aban-
donment of the great idea with which that
society started.
The third-namel party aimed to relieve the
Federal Government from all responsibility
for slavery, Its motto was, " Slavery, To-
cal Liberty, National" The objection to
this party was, it left the slave in his letters
in the legal possession of his master,
and did not grapple with the question Of
emancipation in the States.
The fourth division of the anti-slavery
46o Il
body of citizens, mainly in the State of New
York, but had sympathzers all over thy
North. 1t made clean sweep of slavere
everywhere. 1t denied that the Constitu-
ton Of the United States was pro-slavery
instrument and asserted the power and
duty of the governmental abolish slavery
in every State in the Union. Strictly speak
ing, this was the only party in the country
which was an abolition party. The mission
of the Garrisonians ended with the dissolu-
ton of the Union - that Of the Free Soil
party ended with the relief of the Federal
Government from all responsibility for
slavery; but the Liberty party, By ITS
POSITION AND DOCTRINES, and by its
antecedents, was PLEDGED to continue the
struggle so long as bondman in his chains
remained to weep. The great battle of
Freedom was foughton its platform under the
motto of ."No Slavery for Man under the
hole Heavens"
TO the men of the Liberty Party we are
in a great measure indebted to-day for the
rights we enjoy, for they were abused by the
press of the country, abused by the people,
and many times rotten-egged, mobbed, and
beaten, and in many cases an advertise
ment of an anti-slavery meeting was a
signal for violence.
Yet these brave men stood. Why did
they stand? Because they felt the force Of
an everything power in their hearts, telling
them that they were RIGHT. Inspired by
this, they were armed with the iron argument
of certain success.
These men and many others had great
principle to advocate, which was worth more
to them than wealth, or self-aggrandizement,
for many of them were poor, and still remain
poor. The only object they had in view was
the liberation Of the slave and down-trodden:
These laborers for the right judged men not
from moneycd point of view, but from their
principles which are of far more to man.
Some of our former opprcssors ask us to
forget the past, but these men seem to lose
sight of the fact that though a nation may be
born in day, it can mature only III CEN
turtles, though the letters on the limbs
can be broken in an instant, the letters on
the soul can wear off only in the ages.
Degraded, mentally, morally, and physi-
cally, oppression ground into the very
bones of a people by ages of unremittlng
bondage, will not depart from that people in
the course even of many generations. How
can we forget when we are reminded OF our
condition every day and every hour OF our
lives by the outrages which are constantly
perpetrated upon us.
We can't put our children to trades, we
can't ride in first-class car, we can get
nothing to eat if we are hungry without pick
ing special place Of accommodation we
can't send our children to the nearest school
unless that school is a colored school we
can't 60 to the nearest church unless the
church is colored, without being placed in a
special corner provided for colored persons;
and by numerous other rights withheld, we
are made to feel very sensibly that we are
still degraded. Though we have been eman-
cipated and borne arms in defence OF our
country, these wrongs we are forced to re-
member; and, should we ever forget the past
we can never forget the men who took SO
noble part in moulding a sentiment which
enables us to enjoy the rights we possess to-