New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-07-02
A Race Question.

Under the thin guise of chronological in
guiry the New York World exhibits its cure
less antipathy to the colored race while dis
cussng "The Negro Congress" The entire
substance of the article appears in the open
ing sentence. Its this: "Of the six negroes
in Congress, but one has excited any notice
during the session which has Just closed
Elliott, of South Carolina, and he only be
cause of single speech which was supposed
| to be remarkable because it did emanate from
negro" The World would learn some
| thing, and proposes to begin with this Con
sros sional phan onaonon, and othoro of q like
nature. "What," philosophcally asks oul
New York contemporary, "are we to learn
from this failure Shall We put it together
with the failure of the negro youths at West
Point and the inconspicuous positions reached
by negroes who have entered the learned
professions, and conclude that the race as a
whole is incapable of rising above the intel
lectual average which has characterized il
since it has been known in history" 1t de-
ponds altogether on what we set out to learn
whether it will be that of which the Wo,let
speaks, or whether we shall conclude that,
given few years, or at most a few genera
tons of liberty, equal rights, responsibility
and culture, the negro race will rise to the
average of the whites. There are a great
many people who will always spell negro
with tive gs." No triumph, however
brilliant, which may be won by member OF
that race in any field, however honorable
and exalted, will ever induce these people to
correct their photography in the particular
referred to. But these persons are compare
lively unntluential and unimportant. Their
own imbecility and stupidity dooms them to
a degree OF degradation compared with which
the position of the black man is ON high
level. The more evil and censurable class is
composed of men who have enjoyed the
advantages of an education in a University
like that of Rochester, had instruction from
such men as DR.. Anderson, never are guilty
OF an error of photography, and edit papers
like the New York World.
TO characterize Elliott's speech as one
(which is supposed to be.remarkable because
it did emanate from negro" Is dsingenu-
Gus in the highest degree. Whoever the
writer in the World may be he knows enough
to recognize the merits of that speech, and
if he knows that both the speech in the
House and the address in Boston by Mr.
Elliott, were performances of an unusually
fine character, whether we consider their sub
ject matter or their composition, while the
speakers delivery is STYLED as of high order
No speeches made during the session oil
Congress just closed, if we except one posi-
bly, by Senator Jones, and one by William
Walter Phelps, ATTRACTED such general atten-
ton and received such hearty approval as
that by MIR. Elliott. To say that the colored
race will fail in public life is to contradict the
testimony Of careful observers who have
carefully Investigated the subject in the
South. The accomplished and candid writer
OF 1.-The Great South" papers for Scribner's
Monthly, while deploring the decentralization
which has ensued upon the too sudden as.
sumption of State duties and responsibilities
by the newly-enfranchised race, saws in sub.
stance, that the cOlored men in Southern
Legislatures have displayed remarkable
aptitude for parliamentary discussion. They
are ready debaters, and easily become skill.
ed in threading the mazes of parliamentary
rules and presidents. In mental peculiari.
ties and aptitudes the race may differ from
the white, just as the Gallo differs from the
Ieutonic, or, to go further back, the Mongo-
liam from the Caucasian. Perhaps the negro
will not display that cold, designing, con-
structive form OF craftsmanship that charac-
terlzes the Anglo Saxon race. His is a
warmer, more impass stoned, and more impuls.
i've temperament, and while inferior to white
men in constructive craftsmanship, he ma
yet in this country become famous in more
brilliant and popular, if not more useful field
The vivid fancy, the active imagination. and
the fluent speech of the orator are peculiarly
his possessions, and when he shall be liber.
ated from the restraints that have fettered
him hitherto, and shall have enioyed the
benefits of few generations of culture. it is
more than possible that the greatest Ameri-
can orator, poet and novelist will have a
black skin.-Rochezter Express.