Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-09-22
The COlOreI People and the Repub-
llcan Party.


The colorcd people OF New England
arc waking up TO the fact that they do
not belong to the Republican party ana
the do not propose to be used mnch
longer for the special purpose ot giving
the Republican party performance IN
the affairs of the Republic. Inc city Oh
Newport. X. L., has citizen. Mr.; Geo.
Il. Downing, one OF the most INTEL gent
colored men of the country. who puo-
fishes his views in the providence
Or. ID Journal, and boldly takes the
position that the Republican party owes
fully as much TO the colored people as
the cOlortd peop'e owe to 1t, and thai,
rs there is at issue between the two
great parties no question in which the
colored man is specially interested. he
is at liberty to JOIN whichever one his
present circumstances show to be best
a spOsed toward him, irrespective OF
any sentiment of gratitude for past
favors. Mr.. Downing maintains that
whatever help was given to the negro
by 1.-THE Republican party was given for
the paTty's own ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and
profit. and not for any philanthropic de-
sire to free the slaves" Undoubtedly
Mr.. Downing's view OF the subject is
correct. Doubtless there were men in
the Republican party who wanted the
slaves emancipated, but the great mass
of the Republican party were not inn
bued with any such sentiment With
them emancipat on was war measure
and not peace nor humanity matter
The Union was on one side and slavery
on the other side. If the Union could
be saved by getting rid of slavery.
amen. If the Union could be saved
without gett NO rid OF slavery, amen
again. Is that so? In letter written
by Abraham Lincoln August %, 1862,
to Horace Greeley. tho President said:
% would save the Union. / would
save IL the shortest way under the Con-
stitution. The sooner the National
authority can be restored, the Eearer the
Union will be the Union as 10 UdS. If
there be those who would not SGre the
Union unless they could at the same
time saUe slavery, do not agree with
them. II there be those who would not
sdrc the Union un'ess they could at the
same time destroy slavery. do not
agree with them. My paramount OBJ
ject in this struggle is to save the Union,
and is not either to save or destroy
slavery. If 1 could save the Union
UtkhO u freeing any slave would do it;
and ii could save il by freeing all the
slaves | would do It.; and if could do
It by freeing some and leaving others
alone l would do that. What 1 do
about slavery and the colOred race do
because believe it helps TO save this
Tn on, End what forbear. forbear be-
l Il L "A
save the Union"
Such is the language of the great
leader Of the Republican party. Eman-
cipation for the good of the slave,
emancipation in the cause of humanity;
emancipation, owing To the crime and
curse OF slavery, ion no part of the
Republican idea. 1t was emancipation
for the 81 walton of the Union. Every
thing turned upon the Union. nothing
upon the well-being of the slave. 1t IS
no surprising, therefore. that intelli-
gent colored men have come to the con-
clusion that they owe the Republican
party nothing, and that the X ,publican
party does owe the colored people much
in point OF supremacy. everything.
il is we'll said that without the negro
vote not one branch of the Nat DUAL
Government would be under Republic
an control. The slim ma critics in both
Houses of Congress depend upon the
cOlOred voters SO entirely that an even
division OF these voters between the two
great parties would have left far
larger balance on the Democrat, side
than now exists in favor of the Repub-
licans. I'm the White House sits n Pres
ident elected by the faithful devotion
OF the colored people TO a phantom ben.
efactoL whose real form was long ago
laid in the grave with Lincoln, Greeley
and Sumner" Intelligent colored men
are everywhere beginning TO realize the
fraud of Republican professions of love
Tor the colo cd people. and they are
breaking away from its embrace, and the
dat is not SAINT when the Republican
party will find out that the colored people
fully comprehending its mean treachery
and false pro 'essions, will turn from il
with loathing. State Sentinel