The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1875-07-10
COLUMBIA, sc.
Saturday Morning, July 10, 1875.
Freedmen's Declaration of independence,
- A number of colored DooDle celebrated

- ~N"AAAOSA Va SOAOACu pcOplc CClcDIttLcC
independence day at Hillsdale, near
Washington city, on the 5th instant, and
had for orators two of the most celebrated
colored men in the Union-John NJ.
I.angston and Frederick Douglass. The
statements and sentiments Of these CO.
iorod leaders arc so significant, so ex-
pressive of the deep dissatisfaction of
the negro population with the hypocriti-
col Radicals that have SO misled them,
and so abused them, that we think it will
bo both interesting and instructive to
our readers to see the salient points
made by the orators. Langston led off,
He is professor in Howard College, in
Washington, and is nearly white, having
in his veins only enough of negro blood
to swear by, and yet enough to exclude
him from white society, which fixes his
fealty to tho black man; and hence he
talks as strongly in favor of the colored
people as though he were thorough
bred African. He is, nevertheless, q
very good speaker. His theme was
''sclf-respect'' and ''selfreliance" among
the colored people. He preached up
independence, tself-government," and
urged the repudiation of that of tho
white man, "the self-copstituted guar
dian Of the negro" Who he meant by
this "self-constituted guardian" was
plain. Langston assailed body of
"Congregationalist preachers" that met
at Atlanta, Ga, on the Goth of April lost,
and, he says, came to the conclusion
that the negro 'was q failure" and pro-
ceeded to tako charge of him rs incapa-
BILE of taking care of himself; and they
also proceeded to collect money for that
purpose, measure Langston considers
always of first importance in the action
of these ''self-constituted guardians. {"
These Congregationalists were of Repub-
lican persuasion. Langston says they
exclude negro representatives from their
deliberations, and he charges upon them
chat they have done great deal to de-
stroy the negroes self-respect and self
reliance. Langston said:
'sThe colored maa is always to be
made to feel his inferiority to the white
man. And besides all this, these white
men fill up their treasury by saying to
the giving public: The negro is O dan
gerous animal. He must be educated,
and we are the only persons in the coun-
try who can do it. We Congregational
lists have society for this work; we have
a college at Nashville, and schools all
over the South. Give us money, and
L. IL 81 T.
will take care of him
''Mr. President, an, here to enter q
solemn protest against the recent doings
of tho American Missionary Society. I
am here to-day to declare my independ-
ence and independence for all who are
my followers. The hour is come when
We must throw off this yoke Of oppres-
sion, and stand up for our rights rs free
men. Tho signs of the times demand
that we shall prove our fitness for all
the duties of citizenship.
1.-The same gentlemen who met in At
lanta have ut last succeeded in getting
tho Howard University into their hands
One of their number is elected presi-
dent. And thus the university that was
founded upon the hard-earncd money of
our fallen colored soldiers, and dedi-
Gated to the education of their children,
LUIS k'hSSetl luCO tIlc IlatuuS OI CuC greatest
proselyting society in the country. Like
Lincoln University, founded as school
for the education of our youth, who have
knocked in vain ut the doors of white
colleges, like Lincoln, also, it has de-
MED the men whom she has graduated,
or graduates from other and older insti-
tutions, to become tutors or professors
there.
"Fcllow-citizens, we will no longer
endure such indignities. We will no
longer consent to follow our interiors!
We will no longer send our children to
schools marred by men who, in conver-
sation, declare in elaborately written ad-
dresses that the negro is failure-in the
body polite, in religion, in school, and
in every department Of life. No; we
here and now declare ourselves full
and Independent people. Free to work,
free to think; in the church and in the
State, in the school and in the home.
And may the God Of our fathers help us
to keen this declaration inyiOlable. that