The daily gazette., 1874-08-25
From The Reading Eagle.
Coiorcd People as. the Repnb-
EcUD TUrty.

1.-THE EQUAL RIGHTS LEAGUE SESSION YES
TEEDAY-A CHARACTERISTIC SPEECH
AN IMPORTANT REsoLu TIoN DIS
cUssED-TIIE ARGUMENTS A.
GAINsr REPRESENTATION.
The local report of the general proceed
ings of the Equal Rights League of Penn
sylvania which assembled in this city yes
terday, appears elsewhere in to-days
EAGLE. Those in attendance were the
representative men of the intelligence
and advancement of the colored people
OF the Commonwealth. After the trans
action OF general business, Mr.. Edward
Keys OF Waverly, made a speech taking
the Republican party to task. The follow
ing is an abstract:
2 lie said they had come here to further
INSIST upon the rights guaranteed to them
| by the Constitution and Congress being
given to them, We have been deserted
by our friends or pretented friends. The
freedom OF the colored people is only Il
| nominal thing. We insist upon the Re
publican party; upon our friends in both
parties, giving us free and impartial
| rights. We need these rights for hotel,
school and railroad purposes. The Re
publlcans, at least the Republican or
gan OF our county, Lizerne, say that we
the Civil Rights Bill we will gain more
privileges than the whites. The speaker
contended that the colored people had
not the rights spoken of, and cited an in
stance IN his own case, where but yester-
day he was shown Il smoking car to sit in
although he did not desire to smoke, by
q railroad brakeman, He said his con
stitucncy would stand by the action of
The League. He said 1t was hard to de-
nnI ylan hn l.l, I
not denounce the whole party for the de-
linqucncies OF u few. We ask for an equal
footing, that is all, and we ask that our
Republican friends give us this. The
speaker concluded by saying that he ana
his people asked for this us a right.
In n series of resolutions the Auditor
and the Surveyor General were endorsed
but Governor llartranft was not alluded
to. In conversation with several of the
leading delegates an EAGLE reporter was
informed that the League was not exact
ly u political organization but had been
called into existence for the advancement
education and refinement of the colorcd
people. And that because Gov. IIartranft
was not endorsed it was no reason why
the colorcd people We're not friendly to
him.
The resolution providing for the election
OF delegates 10 send to the Republican State
Convention at Harrisburg to-day excited
considerable discussion. Prominent among
the gentlemen opposing this were Messrs
Aaron l.. Still and j. b. Stratton, OF this city.
These gentlemen arc citizens of marked in
telligehce, and have given this question n
very extensive consideration. They opposed
The resolution principally on the ground that
they had no desire TO create n separate and
distinct organization out of Tho league, and
send delegation there of colored men who
would bo compelled in all probability to
stand outside and plead for an admission
and after being admitted, to be in the Con
vcntion without Il voice. Then again it
not bc said that tho entire colored population
of the state is Republican, and to create del
egatcs for such purpose might possibly be
constr ucted into false representations. The
opposition to the resolution further stated
that in the years gone by such resolution
was not necessary, for then the Republican
party at large in their delegate selections,
took up colored men with them and placed
them side by side with the white Republicans
in open convention and with equal rights
and equal voices. This, now, was different
The colorcd man had been forgotten. The
opposing delegates attributed the cause part
iy TO tho neutrality-suspicious. OF the colored
people on the one side and the exclusiycness
of tho Republican elect on the other. The
opposition to the resolution was ably sustain
ell and it was referred back and not acted on.
These points are represented separately in
ing among the colCrod people of pcnnsylva-
MIA. The League contcmpiatcsadjo journment
this afternoon.