National Republican., 1875-07-29
HILLsDALE.
Interesting Corrsspondence Between Fred.
Douelass and His Colored Friends.


Interesting Correspondence Between Fred.
Douglass and His Colored Friends.
WASHINGTON, D. C, .,JulY s, 1875.
To the Editor Of the National Republicans:
SIR: The enclosed letters, with my reponse
will explain themselves. Please give them
place in your columns, and oolige,
Yours truly,
FRHD'K DOUGLASS.
Mr. j. A. EMERSON TO Mr.. DOUGLASS.
WASHINGTON, D. c., july 2s, 1875. y
DEAR SIR: have received several letters from
friends In the South on the subject Of the speech
delivered by you at Hiilsdale on the 9Th Of July
last.
that speech In newspapers are TO
and to create the Impression that your object was
TO recommend q "new departure" 70 the colored
people in the approaching Presidential campaign;
and this view Of II Is learn being industriously
circulated among those who always receive your
utterances with respect and confidence.
Under the circumstances tlet me urge You to
take an early opportunity to correct such
We may have great cause for discomfort and
dissatisfaction, and firmly resolve to exact q
different condition OF things in the future; but
every instinct of interest and honor suggests TO
US cur duty,to stand BY the Republican party.the
T Truly T yours, n s. '' ). A. EMERSON.
Mr.. F. @. BARBADoEs TO Mr.. DOUGLASS.
WAsHISGToN, d. c., July Is, 1875,
DEAR SIR: Your Speech at HilIsdsle on the 5th
instant has attracted much attention, and Is be-
ing fayorably quoted by the Democratic and In.
dependent press of the country-a fact significant
of evil These papers assert that you advised
the colored people in that speech to leave the
party nc iase aHa Sy va1 s9
who so largely enjoy the confidence and esteem Of
our people In every section Of this country, would
the race you SO faithfully and ably represent For
while there is great disappointment among US at
the partial defeat Of civil rights In the last Con-
Intelligent colored man feels las you so happily
expressedit at New Orleans) that the Republi-
can party is the ship-all outside is the sea.
Appreciating the importance Of your words
upon subjects affecting the rights and interests Of
your race, have taken the liberty of bringing
that thai | You give it your earliest attention. ss'''
have the honor to remain very respectfully
yours, F. q. BARBADoEs,
RESPONSE OF Mr.. DOUGLAS.
Ressre Eme "a and Barbados:
GRNTLKMEN: am not in tn5 habit of supple
menting my public speeches with explanatory
work. Great as is my want OF skill In the use OF
language and wonderfully active as is the press
to color twist and distort the panest colors from
their true meaning. have yet in my experience
found little need for multltudinous repetltions,
and have for the most part succeeded in making
myself t0leraDly we'll UNDERSTOOD. II may De my
vanity, but am not at all sure that my Hills
dale speech, as published in THE NATIONAL Re-
PUBLICAN Of the sth Of July, may not be left to
it in q particular way Will not abandon that
preference for anything ] can now say. There
are none so blind as those who will not see. The
due consideration, few people win read that
speech as a whole. Their judgments of its
character and scope will be made up, not from the
speech ITSELF but from stray sentences torn fro N
their connections, and capable Of bearing q de-
sired construction. This consideration, together
with your added Judgment that a miscellaneous
use is being made o. my words, leads me to de-
part from my usual course.
There is no truth, then, at the outset, no truth
advised cofored men to abandon the leaders of the
Republican party and to set up for themselves.
There was nothing In my words from which such
been apostle of isolation or Of separation from
the body Of American citizens. On the contrary,
have held, and now hold, that the more fully
great body Of the American people the better for
him, and the sooner the American people shall
and clansman the better. 1 have neither coun-
seled Isolation separation nor division of vote
between the Republican and Democratic parties.
and wisdom OF the Republican party, and deem it
my duty to call upon my brethren to come out of
IL, hope shall have the nerve to do IL openly
case leave pothing to be inferred. But in the
speech at Hillsdale no such idea was In my mind
and heart, and how anybody could honestly think
otherwise ! cannot imagine.
The time may, indeed, come when the colored
voters Of the country may wisely divide their votes
between the two great controlling political parties
This will be when the two great parties shall be-
come equally good or equally bad; when the
rights Of the colored race shall be as safe In the
nan hands 0i one party as ~ 0l me m Sa Sa
not yet come to pass. No colored man who reads
Democratic newspapers, listens. 70 the debates in
parties, or takes any note Of the rapIne and muir
der Of the colored race by white Democrats OF the
South, need be told that the time has not come to
quit the Republican party and to join the Demo
But my speech at HiIlsdaIe was not q political
speech in any Just sehse Of the word: Twas SPEAK.
parties. Properly interpreted, it is an appeal to
the American people to substitute the simple rule
of Justice for the rule of invidious charity fn their
treatment Of the negro-to give him his rights
rather than aims, to give him, not favor, but
fair play. Admitting the good intentions Of the
orsd ss1 sp P s D
was taken that these forms were generally cap
tSer otherwise empty purses: that tSs R%crcsD aso
Missionary Society, organized in part by colored
men, has at last not one colored man con-
University, built Of money due to the dead black
soldiers Of the Republic was likely to be used for
sectarian and selfish purposes.
The Freedman's savings bank was captured by
this hungry class very early. Howard university
with its millions Of property is going the same
way. A few days ago II had o colored man as its
president. He Is president no longer, and If TO
furnish speedy evidence Of the intention to root
out Of all high positions, in the Institution, all
colored men, and to put needy white men In their
places the executive committee have Just dis
charged Prof. MITCHELL of the college department,
to give place TO Prof. Bascom, q man who year
ago was looked upon as the slanderer Of the In
stitutioD. 1 say here and now, give the colored
man equal rights, give him the same cuances for
education in the educational institutions which
are given to the people Of all other nations, and
II he then fails to avail himself of their adyan-
tages then let him 20 down. If the black man
cannot live with fair chance In the race of life
then he has no right to live at all. At the same
time bate no jot Of the black mans claim upon
the white race for indemnity for the century Of
slavery to which he has been subjected.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS.