Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1880-03-27
THIRD EDITION.
FRED DOUGLASS.

ne THINKS OF GRANT LIZ Sne SOuti
, -The Condition and Future o
the southern People.
Fred. Douglass came up the Dslawar
, Railroad on the 9.15 train from Dove
this morning on his return to Whining
! ton. He lectured In the colored churc
t at Dover last night. In the gentleman
waiting room he grasped REPCBLIcA
reporter warmly by the hand, whe
the quill driver accosted him, and sail
that he did not wish to be interviewed
Marshal Douglass is large, well-forme'
man, and he bears his years something
like sixty-fve with wonderful lightness
although the hair that falls on his necl
is almost white and his beard is gray
His features have a kindly look an,
wear the impress Of marked in.elli
gencs, and his complexion is quite ligh
considering his race.
4 {" went down to Dover yesterday,
said Mr.. Douglass, ION the Invitation
of the Rev. Mr.. Holly to lecture in tn,
colorsd church. The lecture was sue
cess in the matter of attendance, the
large hall being well filed with many
colored people and fair sprinkling o
well-to-do whites. l was well treated
in Dover and like the place very much
"Nr. Douglass" remarked the re-
porter, "you have said that you did
not wish to be interviewed, but would
you have any objections TO telling me
few things about national matters
for instance about the choice Of the
southern people for the presidency and
matters OF that kind?"
ooh, well," he answered, with a
laugh, 81 always try to avoid news
paper publicity, but on such subject
l would have no objection to giving my
opinion. think the choice Of eight
out of every ten colored men in the
South is General Grant. There is q
unanimity of my race in favor of him.
Indeed they know very little Of any
other candidate, and look on Grant as
their deliver"
"Would the cry of third term dis
! suade them any p
every little. The third term to
them, considering the fact that the ex-
President has been out Of the presi-
dental chair and out Of the country,
and for period of four years has,wield-
cd no power or patronage, appears not
a third term at all, but a first term
again. Their support of General Grant
is due largely to the confidence they
have in him and the hope that in his
administration they will be better pro-
tected in the exercise Of their political
rights. You will not find that they
reason very clearly about this, and
their support is due somthipg to pres
tige. They know that while General
Grant was President he had at least q
desire and a purpose to uphold their
political rights"
"What do you think of General
Grants chances of nomination."
"My impression is that Pennsylva-
MIA and New York, the two great polit-
ical States, having made known their
desire to see Grant nominated, it seems
improbable that any other candidate
should be nominated"
"Who in your opinion stands next to
Grant, in the Presidential race on the
Republican side."
'Blaine has a considerable follow
ing, but think that Secretary Sher-
man has even larger support of the
more thoughtful of those who are not
friendly to the nomination of General
Grant"
"Mr. Douglass, what is the condition
of the colored people in the South com
pared with ten years ago?"
"The colored people in the Gulf
states are in a more depressed and
hopeless condition now than ten years
ago.for then they exercised pretty gen.
orally the elective franchise, which now
they do not. In more Northern states
their condition is steadily improving"
"ls there more promising prospect
for the future?"
''My belief is that the present condi
tion, the South over, must be looked
upon as transitional, and that freedom
among the colored people, being in its
intascy,is passing through its infantile
diseases. When the war was over
both races had much to overcome in
themselves to the changed
condition of things. The master.clas
could not soon Forget their former
and dominion over the blacks
and the suddenly emarcipated race
necessarily came into freedom with
crude notions of that which the change
had brought to them. Both races will
have to crawl before they walk. | be.
lleve that from this time TIE condition
OF both will steadily improve.
The exodus of the laborers of the
South will induce more JUS. and kind
ly disposition and treatment from the
land-owniDg class and this will bring
with it degree of c0ntentment and |,
happiness to the laboring people. Be-
sides this, since the dignity of the Ma
ton is now on the side OF freedom and /
progress, the people of the Confeder
ate States will adjust themselves to the
requirements of the nation, will
more and more terd to harmony and
and as Stephen A. Douglass
1sed to say, the plank must bend to the
ship, aud not the ship TO the plank. I
The Nation is on the side of Justice and
the states must become so. Time and
events, great Fighters of individuals
and nations, are bound to bring this
at last.'
Mr.. Douglass left for Washington on
the 1880 express.