Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1876-04-17
DAILY
LYON COUNTY TIMES.
Terms, 25 Cents per Week.
OFFICIAL PAPER OF LYON COUNTY.
The COlored Peoples Idol.

WASHINGTON, April 14.--The un-
yailing of the Lincoln statue in Lin
coin Square, in the eastern portion Of
the city, was the main feature of to-
DAVIS legal holiday. The colored
population were out in full force.
The procession was large, including
colored troops, Knights Templar,
Knights of St. Augustine, Sons of
Purity, Sons of Levi, Good Samari-
tans, Labor League and other uni
formed benevolent associations, ac-
companied by music. There was
previous to their arrival an immense
asscmblage at the park. The statue,
covered with flags, was the great OBJ
ject of interest. The first contribu-
ton to the statue fund was made the
morning after the assassination of
Lincoln by Charlotte Scott, a colored
woman of Marietta, Ohio. who gave
$50. The original cost of the monu-
ment, $4,000, and other incidental
expenses, have all been paid by sub
scriptions by the colored people.
The last Congress appropriated
$4,000 for the pedestal, and the statue
was allowed to pass the Custom
house free of duty. The statue,
which is of bronze, is of colossal
size, being twelve feet high, resting
on pedestal ten feet high. 1t repre-
se1ts Lincoln standing erect, with
the proclamation of emancipation in
his left hand, while his right hand is
outstretched over the kneeling figure
of II slave, from whose limbs the
shackles have just been freed. Upon
the base Of the monument is the
word Emancipation"
There were on the speakers stand
Pres ident Grant. members of the
Cabinet, Justice of the Supreme
Court, Foreign Ministers, Senators
and Representatives aud other per-
SOC of prominence. After music
by the marine band, Hail Colum-
bia," prayer and reading of the
.ep lancipation proclamation. Profes
scr Langston formally accepted the
st tue in behalf of the whole nation
81 nd then called upon President
irant to unveil it. Prolonged ap
plause greeted the words of the
speaker, and increased when the
President stepped to the front and
grasped the rope that was all raped
10 the flag yelling the statue. he
President gave one firm pull and
the starry banner glided down. ami
amid deafening cheers of the multi
tude, and playing of music and
booming of cannon, the beautiful
monument stood unveiled.
A poem was then read. composed
by Miss Caroline Ray (colored) of
New York.
Frederick Douglas was then intro
duced and delivered an Grafton, in
the course of which he said "Lin-
coins great mission was to accom-
plish two things: First, To save his
country from dismembership, and,
second, to free his country from the
great crime of slavery. To do one
or the other, or both, he must have
the earnest sympathy aud powerful
cooperation of his loyal fellow
countrymen. Without this his eff
forts must be vain and utterly fruit
less, and had he put the abolition of
slavery before the preservation Of the
Union, he would have inevitably
driven from him powerful class Of
American people and rendered resis-
tance to rebellion impossible. Viewed
from genuine abolition ground, Lin
coin seemed to-day cold, dull and
ind'fferen' but measuring him by
the sentiment of his country-a sen-
tlmcnt he was bound AS atatesman
to consult--he was swift, Jealous and
determined. Though Lincoln shared
the prgudices Of his white fellow
countrymen against the negro, it is
hardly necessary to say that in his
heart of hearts he losthed and hated
slavery. He was willing, while the
South was loyal, that it should have
Its pound of flesh, because he
,tho'lght it was nominated in the
oWid; but further than this no
.e'rthly power could make him CO."