The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-11-04
Garfield to the Colored Man.

MENTOR, Ohio, October 20.-A delegation
OF $50 colored men of Cleveland visited Gen
eral Garfield this afternoon. In response to an
address by their Chairman he said:
| GENTLEMEN: | have listened carefully to
what your speakers have said have noted
your manifestations of applause at the special
points of their remarks all the time, not now
while the speaking has been going on but the
time since the great struggle for equal rights
in this country eliminated in war. have
studied your problem with no little solicitude
1t was difficult problem, not for you only, but
for us, and equally difficult for the men who
lately held you in slavery, Of all the problems
| that any nation ever confronted, none was
ever more difficult than that of settling the
| great race question, which your existence upon
this continent brought to our people, and set
ting it on the basis of broad justice and equal
rights to all. 1t was tremendous trial OF the
faith Of the American people, a tremendous
trial OF the strength of our institutions. 1t
was not for your sake alone that the thought
ful men OF this country struck slavery and said
it must die, 1t was certainly good reason
why slavery ought to die-that it wronged
your race-but it was an equally good reason
why it should die because it was dangerous to
the peace and prosperity OF the white race and
to the stability OF the Republic. We are al
ways inclined to express too much sympathy
with the man who suffers wrong. That is
right. But we ought also to express anxious
sollcltude for the men who do the wrong, for
in one very important sense they are more to
be pitied than the victim. To protect them
from being wrongdoers, and shield your race
from suffering wrong, was the mighty problem
which was solved by the abolition OF slavery
NOW, fellow citizens, after the fierce struggle
the war, after Lincoln had given utterance
to the great thought that the centuries of sla-
very had committed SO great sin that with
out the shedding of blood there was no remis-
sion, and that our war was the bloody expira-
ton for that sin, even then when you were
free by the proclamation of Lincoln and by
the amended Constitution that gave you citi-
zenship, your problem was not solved. What
is freedom without the intelligence to use it
wisely? What is freedom without virtue and
intelligence combined to make it, not curse,
but blessing? You were not made free mere
ly to be allowed to vote, but in order to enjoy
an equality OF opportunity in the race of life
and to stand equal before the law. Permit no
man to praise you because you are black nor
wrong you because you are black. Let it be
understood that you are ready and willing to
work out your own material salvation by your
own energy, your own worth, your own labor
All that liberty can do tor you is to give you a
lair and equal chance within the limits of tn,
Constitution, and by the exercise of the proper
powers, it is the purpose of the best men on
this continent to give you this equal chance
and nothing more. congratulate you on the |
great advance which your race has already |
made under liberty. have seen your repre-
sentatiyes in Congress, one of them in the |
Senate, and | have seen them behave with |
such self-restraint, good sense, judgment,mo
esty and patriotism that IL Los -. me new |
nope that all their brethren will contnGo- TO !
climb up toward the light with every new OPP
portunity. | will not affect to be any more |
your friend than thousands of others do
not even pretend to be particularly your friend,
put only your friend, with all other just men,
on that basis and within those limitations.
Whatever can justly or fairly be done to as
sure to you an equality Of opportunity it will
always be my pleasure to do.