New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-03-18

AVOkl00Cf
ing and others. The following is the speech
of Hon. Frederick Douglass:
Fellow-citizens-I am not here to praise
or TO compassionate Governor Pinohback. |
He needs no eulogy. He needs NO compass
sion. His name and his fame were never
brighter than they are this day. In the
hearts of his people and in the hearts of the
noble and generous people OF the United
States he has higher and warmer place
than ever before.
True, he has been defeated; true, he has
been defeated by votes of the Republican
party; true, these vo:es came mainly from
New EDgland, but the hour Of his defeat 10
the hour Of his victory. He has proved to
the whole country the sino.rity of his con-
victions. He believed he had right to .
seat in the United States Senate, and from
first to last has ac'ed in accordance with
that conviction. From day to day, from
week to week, from month to month, and
from year to year-through three long
years-be has stood at the door Of the Sem
ate and knocked for admission, enduring oil
the while . storm of abuse moro fierce and
furious than ever beat upon the head of any
man in Q similar position. He has met this
storm with the firmness Of hero and the
serenity of . martyr. He has shown IN de-
feat the quality of certain success.
Mr.. Plnchback 10 denied his seat in tho
Senate, and has been subjected to Q rigid
enforcement of rule denying the privilege
of the floor, but very much mistake the
logic Of events If the country has heard the
last of Mr.. Piuchbsck.
When the clergy Of New England pefse-
cuted Theodore Parker they paved the way
iected John Quincy Adams to trial for the
right of petition, the old man eloquent
went home to his constituents and came
back stronger and more glorious than ever.
When Congress again attempted to dis
grace that fearless champion of freedom.
the late Joshua R. Giddings, the brave old
Western Reserve sent him back with an
overwhelming majority; and when Brooks
with his bludgeOn, backed by the Dem
ocratic party, eOught to drive Senator Sum-
ner from the Senate, the people of Masea-
chusetts thought he was just the man to be
sent there for life. / commend Mr.. Pinch
back to Louisiana, to her love of justice and
| fair play, and l shall be much mistaken if
she breaks the line Of these precedents.
Do you ask what think of the course
pursued by those honorable Republican
Senators who voted against the admission
| of Mr.. Pinckbacki Well, my friends, in
dealing with the conduct of my fellow men,
| l find myself growing in charity as grow
| in years; I am more and more disposed to
| find good motives for bad deeds, and to
make allowance for education and circum.
stances. nowadays have learned to dis
tineuish between conscious wrong doing
and unconscious wrong doing. These sem
ators may not have sinned consc'ous!y;
they think that they have done by Mr..
Pinchbsck precisely as they would have
done BY any white man who came to the
| door of the Senate with the same creden-
tials. I say they think so-yee, they think
90. But I am free to say that l do not
think any eueh thing. ! think that they
have acted from first to last under the in
fuence of mean and malignant prejudice
pervsded by this prejudice, and the marvel
| is not 90 much that seven Senators were un-
able to rise above it as that twenty nine
Senators were able to act it at defiance and
vote to seat Mr.. Plnchback.
Wonderfully tenasious is the faint of q
great moral wrong. The evil that men do
lives after them. Slavery is dead, but its
iudice, stretches broadly across our whole
country, and will do go for eome time yet
| to come. The American people are accus-
toned to seeing the black man at the back
door, and are filled with doubts when they
see him at the front door.
There are some things hard to do. 1t is
hard to convince . man against his will.
The thing has been often tried, but has sei.
dom succeeded. Equally true is it that
where there is q will there is way. If
those gentlemen had been in an absolutely
impartial state of mind they would, in my
Judgment, have voted, not with the Demo-
cratic party, but with their own party to
seat Mr.. Pinchback. In proof OF their free
dom from prejudice they point US to Sena-
TOR Bruce, Of Mississippi, and the fact is
| plausible Bnt one swallow does not make
q summer. Senator Bruce came to the door
of the Senate with an indisputable case.
There was no room for Individual molina.
| ton to sway one way or the other.
There was no question as to his right. No
Democrat discovered any flaw in his creden-
tials. Had there been the slightest techni-
cal imperfectiOD, or room for q single doubt,
there is reason to believe that the same fate
would have overtaken Senator Bruce
| which has Overtaken Mr.. Pinchback.
have no disposition to be censorious.
know it is hard for Turk to do justice to
Christian; hard for Christian to do JUS
tice to Jew; hard for an Englishman to do
Justice to an Irishman; hard for an Irish.
man to do Justice to an Englishman, and
We all know that it is hard for white
man to do justice to q black man.
am sorry that those seven Senators found
this achievement impossible to them.
After all, my friends, am not surprised
that seven men OF the Republican party
J were found in the needed hour to vote with
i the Democrats. have seen this thing be-
fore, and in time of greater excitement
than at present. There are always few
independent spirits in the Republican party
| who will 20 over to the Democrats whep
any question affecting the rights of colered
| men are concerned.
It was 40 in reconstruction timee. 1t was
go upon Mr.. Summers civil rights bill. 1,
| was so in the i'm peachment trial of Andrew
johnson, and it has been so now. Whether
it will ever be otherwise is solemn ques
tion for us to think upon and decide wisely
have already heard that some colored men
have decided to initiate the example3of the
seven Senators and vote with the Demo
cratic party.
For one, counsel no such course. The
Republican party is still the party of jus
tice and freedom. 1t is, relatively, the
black mans party. Compare them in thit
wise, the one is heaven and the other il
hell For one. I elLall stand by the party o.
Sumner and Lincoln. If jnstice and protec
tion is not obtained here do not look fol
it elsewhere. The logic which would make
us quit Q roof with seven small holes in il
in exchange for the open field and the pitt
less storm is not the logic for me. Som,
talk about dividing our votes between tn,
two parties has come to my notice of late
1t has not made much impression upon me
If We do this We may expect to fall; fo
between two sto0ls-you know the rest.
IL argued that such course would depriv,
tho Democratic party of all motive for keep
ing mp ito crusade against ~. Granting