The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1880-08-24
CAPT. DODSON'S TALK.
A COLORED MANS SPEECH IN SAN
FRANCISCO.
SOME VERY TOUGH 'PossUM FOR THE RE
PUBLICAN PARTY TO CHEw-THE HAN
COCK CoLoRED CLUB ELECTRIFIED.

Hancock and English club of their own
and two weeks ago-soon after it was
started-the roll included rs members. AT
a recent meeting of the club, Capt. Beverly
Dodson, colored man, gave the boys "a
little talk" as he called it, and that little
talk contained so much truth, vigorously
and eloquently told, that it reused the lis
tenersto the greatest enthusiasm. In the
course of his remarks Capt. Dodson said
some things that it would be well for white
folks to hear and think over, and therefore
the Chronicle copies an extract from the
speech:
am aware that the Republican party
seems to think that the colored citizens Of
the whole country are in duty and in graft
tude bound to advocate, support and vote
for the candidates of that powerful organi-
cation. Leading Republican speakers and
the Republican organs all insist and keep
it before the people that the colored voter
who refuses to support that party and It's
candidates is an migrate. Why the Repub-
licans should thus stigmatize the colored
man, who, In his conscience, believes it his
duty to vote for the Democratic candidates,
cannot discern. To be an migrate is to re-
pay some great favor or obligation with IN
gratitude. Now, what great favor has the
Republican party ever done the colored
race which our race has not over and over
and over again abundantly repaid2 What
obligation is there resting upon the colored
race in this country, from the Republican
party, which we have not more than fairly
discharged know l shall be answered
by the Republicans that it was their party
which emancipated the colored race from
bondage and put the ballot in their hands
tor their own protection as free and equal
citizens of this great republic, In the
main this is true But let us consider the
whole case as it stands. To do this we
must 60 back to the beginning. 1t will
take US long way back; but no matter
how far back we must 60 all the way to get
at the root of the subject and to start right
Now, my good friends, in order
TO SET A PEOPLE FREE FROM BONDAGE
the fact must exist that they are in bond
age. How did it happen that the colored
race are in bondage! Who imposed bond
age upon the race in this country Goo
did not. II was the white man who did
Who were the white men that did this
grievous injustice and terrible outrage tc
our race in this country will tell you
as truthful history tells me. You will fine
the authentic statement in the works Of the
great New England historian, George Ban
croft. He tells us that for two hundred
years the colonists of New England cap
tured and sold the Indians they had dnv
en- from the lands they seized for them
selves into slavery in foreign lands. Ant
also we're they the first to institute, negro
slavery. II was Boston church going
merchant who first took slaves from Africi
TO New England, and it was Massachu
sett's ship which carried the poor African
into that colony to sell them as slaves
More than 200 years ago Boston merchants
opened the direct traffic in slaves from
Africa. And that was the beginning o
negro slavery in America. Then, wheI
the war Of American independence wa
gained, and the thirteen states prepared t
form the republic of the United States, tn
representatives OF Virginia and some state
in the convention that made the constitu
ton wanted to have the African slave trade
stopped, but the representatives from New
Hampshire and Massachusetts and Con
nectcut insisted that il should be KEEP
open for twenty years longer, until 1903
and they carried the day. The New Eng
| land states voted to continue the slave trad,
because their ships and their merchant
had the monopoly Of the trafiice all tc
themselves, and the New England people
got rich by taking rum from New England
and trading it for the slaves they sold t.
the people Of the south. 1t was by thi
infamous trade slavery was established
and kept up in the south And this is tn,