The Indianapolis leader. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1879-1890, 1880-07-24
THE ISSUES OF THE CAMPAIGN.
Address of Charles w. Bell Before the Col
ored Republican Club.

The cOlOred people of Cincinnati celebrated
the 4th enthusiastically, under the auspices of
the Cclored Republican Club. At mass-meet-
ing held in the afternoon, of which Mr.. Miller
w. Handy was chairman the following address
was delivered by Mr.. C. w. Bell. He said
Fellow-cIizens- think, somehow, that in
| these latter years the 4th of July must mean
more to our race than anybony else. We, too.
| have memories to recall OF the heroic old days
a century ago. The first man who fell in the
of the Revolution was black man, Crispus
| Attucks.
Colored soldiers fought and were slain side by
side with white soldiers all through the bloody
years that followed. This is matter OF history.
But these brave colored men fell Il ghtingfor the
-iieFties of the white man. Another war, still
more desperate, more bloody, had to be fought
| before the birthday OF our national independ-
| ence could pour any stream OF thanksgiving into
the hearts OF our people. That war came ana
went. 1t brought us all the immortal rights the
first revolution brought the white man IN
America. titizensllP. equally before tn os
happiness are as new and grand to us now as
| they were to the fathers one hundred years ago.
TINS is why say to-day that 1t seems TO me our
people must rejoice with greater gladDess than
| other men, TO whom these blessings are already
a century old. And while time lasts. indissolu,,
| bly, linked with rejoicing on this day Will
come another emotion. Do you wonder what
| that isi 1t will be a feeling OF deathless graft
| tade to the Republican party, the party that at
| last crowned the black man with the undylng
| wreath OF manhood that at last made it possible
for hlm to walk erect among men and say, IL,
| too, am an American citizen"
| The cOlOred maD ought to hold to the RepuDll-
| can party. He was the real author and father
| of it. Upon linn, as a cornerstone, its whole
| structure was built The slave power was ap-
parently never so powerful in this country as in
| 1855 and 1886. The whole North lay gagged
| aud bound before it. No man dared 10 lift up
! his voice against Ii in Congress. 1t would have
| been as much his life worth. In these
| days when the serpent OF slavery threatened to
| strange the whole republic in its folds, few
| heroic souls met aud organized the Republican
party. Stripped of all side issues, opposition TO
| slavery was the real meaning of this glorious
| party's first platform.
| The new party elected few members to Con-
| gress in the beginning Of its existence. John
| sherman. an Ohio man, whom some people over
| In Europe and elsewhere call the greatest H.
| nancier that ever lived, was one of them Ben
famine Wade, also an Ohio man, was another
man sent to Congress by the party that was
| founded upon the rights OF men; yet third
| one was Zachariah Chandler of Michigan.
Events were ripe for the mighty growth OF the
new party organization. In 1860 1t elected lis
| first President, Abraham Lincoln. From that
| day till now, twenty years. the Republican
party has ruled the destines of the nation.
During those wears it has 80 guided our State
| affairs that the world is filed with wonder at
| the marvellous progress of the United States
What has it done for US, my friendl Ahl what
| has il not done? 1t has been our pillar of cloud
| by day, and our pillar of fire by night, guiding
our people out of tine Egypt Of slavery into the
promised land of human liberty. From beasts
us men, clothed with all the rights of man.
When the colOred man turns his back on the
Republican party, it will be when he closes his
eyes ON all things earthly.
Lincoln, the good, the first Republican Presi-
dent, wrote the emancipation proclamation that
set us free. Then we were enlisted in the ran ks
of the Union army and made soldiers. That
| was the next step. After the war was ended
and the slave power crushed for ever. the ques-
ton was anxiOusly asked, what shall be done
with the negrOs The Republican party an
swered: Make citizen OF him; put the ballot
in his hand SO he can protect himself from has
former master. 1t was done, The constitution
of the United States was amended, and all race
distinctions were obiterated. Our government no
longer gave the lie TO the Declaration of IEde-
pendence, but proved by its works IL faith that
| all nen we're created equal To make this new
| ground firm and sure for all time, the Republic
should only be admitted to the Union on condi
| ton OF ratifying the amendments to the cUnsti-
tuition. It was the bitterest pill they ever swal-
lowed, these people whose sOcalled Vice-pres
dent. Alexander III. stephens, had proclaimed
slavery is the cornerstone of the Southern
COnfederacy." But they took the pill In course
| of time they will feel better over IL.
So through blood and tears and suffering the
| Union was built up again, this time far white
| structure without slave Ia its broad domain
To make assurance dOubly sure a Republican
Congress passed civiI-rights laws making il an
| offense to refuse cOlOred men admission TO pub
lie cOnyeyances IN travelling, or TO public build
| ings The laws were chiefly the work of that
| great and good Republican, Charles Sumner
The last thought of his lire was for the cOlOred
| man. Inc l;tSL WOTtlS Ills uttered Were
these: Take care of my civll-Fights BILL AT
ter at length the bill became law, there was
one man in New York city who earned the most
| lOyal gratitude the colored man can give by
protecting the rights of our people under its
| provisions. 1t met bitter opposition even IN the
North. for the old anti-negro spirit was still
rampant. White Democrats in good standing
swore TILL the air was blue that no hutnan power
| could make them obey 1t.
One or two tests were quickly brought up IL
| New York, where the caste spirit Strons
as anywere in the country. The first case, il
| mistaEenot WAS Il matter of permitting coloret
| persons to ride in street-cars Tie world ha,
moved so fast in ten years that it will seen
| strange to the younger people here that Their,
was a time when men and women were forbid
| den to travel in cars because they had "a darl
| skin. such was once the fact, though. Tavern
keepers, stage-driyers and other intellectual in
divduals with refined sensibilities, undertook I,
, | eject colOred persons from public houses anC
| convey ances, as in the hlgn Old days of slavery
The cOIOred people brought suit Against then
was arrayed all the salient that money eOule
buy. They were poor, and even public senti
ment was largely against them.
In the moment of their need, n defende
| stepped forward to champion their cause III,
worked for them with might and main stoot
up for them in court, and talked for them out
side of court Each time they gained their cas-,
triumphantly, aud from that day TO this tnei
! rights rs travellers have not been questioned in
New York.
Do you know who this good and true frient
TO our people was? Let me tell you. His nam,
is Chester A. Arthur and he is now the Repub
lcan candidate for Vice-presdent of the United
| States.
: SO the party which brought ont OF honda 2,
have stood by Us till at length we have wha
Thomas L. Bayard declares Is the grandest priv
, ilege country offers TO man, equality of op
! portunity" No man can ask more.
Democrats sometimes remark with a snee
, | that the Republican party is very fond of Tia,
, / coiored man and brother Theoretically but prac
! ticaIy II is not any more in love with him thar
the other party is. 1t dearly loves his vote
. they say, but when it comes TO giving him al
office the Republican can never say turkey" L
, the poor black man once.
Let us see how true this is Suppose we begir
| at Washington, the capital of the United States
You Will notice frequently on the streets aud a
public meetings IN that city a dignifed, noble
| looking old man, with snow white hair and beard
| His fine presence and intellectual face attrac
you much that you ask who he is You ar,
told that he is Frederick Douglass, United State
| Marshal for the District of Columbia, u coloret
man. He has held this Office during the pas
three years. Further, If you had strayed int,
the Senate wing OF the capiio few weeks ago
| you would have seen a live Negro,a very grace
full and gOodl0okng one, too. sitting in the ell a
OF the Vice-presdent OF the United States, pre-
, siding over the Senate as il TO the manner born
} | Ii was Senator Blanche h. Bruce of Mississippi