The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1883-03-31

himself worthy of the civil and polit-
ical rights conferred upon him. What
about this?
A.-They judge the colored man
TO severely. The eolored people of
the United States have improved as
much as any people in the world un-
der like disabilities. / believe that
the ballot is an educator and is work.
ing marvellous changes for the adj
vancement of the colored race. You
must remember they commenced
lower down the scale of social life
than any class of people to whom the
ballot was ever given in this country.
There were comparatively few edu-
Gated men among them. Now you
see a general thirst for knowledge
and advancement. / think it safe to
say that there are to-day ten times as
many educated colored people as
there were on Emancipation Day,
and they are everywhere making
immense efforts to elevate their con-
dition still more. When the eman-
cipation question came upon us at
the close of the war there was moth
ing to be done but to supplement free
dom With the suffrage, and thus ena-
BILE the former slave to protect and
care for himself with the freeman's
best weapon, and I am frank to say
that my expectations have been fully
realized. OF course l anticipated
that they would commit errors.
They have sometimes submitted to
the nomination of bad leadership:
they have been deceived and used by
designing men to accomplish person
al and discredible ends in some Sec
tions but, in the main, think they
have done we'll and made substantial
progress, and looking now back over
the nineteen years since l voted for
the thirteenth constitutional amend.
ment, which abolished slavery, do
not hesitate to say that if l were call
ed upon to reconsider. that vote /
should cast it as l did in 1864. 1
think it was the part of wisdom as
well as humanity to manumit the
colored man, give him the ballot,
with all other rights of citizenship,
and then start him upon the race of
life with no accountability except
to his own conscience, the law and
his God. | never have been asham-
ed of what | did for the emancipa-
ton of the colored race. 1t was only
the other night that looked over the
familiar faces of the men who voted
for the thirteenth amendment, and l
felt proud that my face appeared
among them.
Gen. Creswell was shown an article
from Baltimore newspaper charg-
ing that Senator German was prepar-
ing a bolt against the regular Demo-
cratic nominations next fall, with a
view of making Mr.. Stevenson Arch
er an Independent candidate for Gov.
ernOr, some friend of Senator Cor
man for comptroller, and Mr.. Cres-
well, after reading the article, smiled
and said that he had not seen it be-
fore. He further said that he knew
nothing whatever of Sen. Germans
views or policy. but that all insin-
uations of any combination between
Senator German and himself we're
wholly without a shadow of fOunda-
ton. He had never discussed any Do-
litical question with Sen. German in
hislife, nor does heremember exchang-
ing more than a passing salutation
with him during this entire winter,
except on one occasion, near the close
of the session, when he (Creswell)
stopped the Senator on the street to
congratulate him upon what he con-
ceived to be a very able and adroit
speech which the Senator had leliy-
cred the day before on the tariff ques-
ton in the Senate, and which attract
ed the attention of almost every
Maryland man in Washington at the
time. 1.-THE conversation" he said,
''on that occasion lasted not exceed
ing halt minute. Senator German
merely acknowledging the compile
ment and passing on" Mr.. Cres--
we'll then resumed: "The intimation
that any arrangement between Sena-
tor German and myself has been
made IS so absurd that it scarcely
needs an answer, and l have only
said this much because you saw fit to
bring it to my attention. Revert
ing to the subject of politics in Mary
land, want to say one thing in adj
dition-that have no one to present
as candidate for any office. All
want is that the party shall nominate
its best men, to the end that we may
effect Republican, triumph if posi-
BILE in the State, leaving the party it,
self to apportion the fruits of victory
in the fairest and most liberal spirit.