Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-26
Douglass, Plea for HI. Peoplc.

HIS ADDRESS TO THE LOUISVILLE CoNyENrIoy-HE
DEFINES THE CAUSES OF THE DEGR ADATIoN OF
THE coLoRED PEOPLE, AND PREsCRIBEs A REM.
EDY-A DEMAND FOR POLITICAL PREPERMsNr
The feature OF the proceedings OF the national
colored convention at Louisville yesterday was the
address OF the president, Mr.. Fred. Douglass.
When Mr.. Douglass came into the hall I'm the
morning he found very large audience, many
white persons having come In to hear his address.
ON the stage beside leading colored people. sat
cabinet; Gen. James A Eakin, U. 8 A., retire and
number or other prominent whites. Mr. Doug.
lass, who spoke for two hours was listened to with
great interest, and received generous applause
AT the conclusion OF the speech ft was unani.
mousiy adopted as the address OF the convention,
and ordered to be sent to Congress He was sar.
caStlcally severe upon the government, and Incl.
dentally so upon the republican party
A AcoLoRED NAN FOR THE VICE PRESIDENCY OR A
PLACE IN THE CABINET
Mr.. Douglass said In his speech: snow that we
are free men we must, like free men, take the
rens in our own hands and compel the world to re-
ceive us as their equals This city, metropolitan
In size cosmopolitan In ideas, is still not free and
liberal enough in Its opinions to receive US as
equals In its public buildings and hotels This IS
why We are now sitting In national convention.
We have been given numerous platforms, but we
are still In the same condition. What we want is
not wordsIidle eplthets In our praise-put ac.
tion. We have never been helped, but assistance
comes from all sides to help us In our downward
course. II we come as cart drivers or servants we
statesmen, the color line Is raised. The colored
man belongs to an oppressed and abject race in
the United States. The trades unions refuse him
admission and mechanics refuse him an ap-
prentice. Our business is To organize for our
rights and for the redress or our wrongs.
Some say We should not hold
this convention, for it menaces the
republican party. Parties are made for men. and
not men for parties. II parties do right, stand by
them. but when they do not uphold the principles
laid down In their platforms, down with them.
Follow no party blindly. We have learned how
to talk, and let US speak for ourselves
about civil rights. The stamping out OF
the black republicans OF the south has been done
In the face OF the republican party. This conven-
tion should lmplore Congress for the rstoration OF
Justice and for the abolition OF this most detesta-
BILE state OF affairs The New York Evening Post
makes great mistake when II says: BE modest;
you have been but twenty years out OF bondage
These Ohce-holders are afraid OF our aspirations.
We do aspire and will continue TO do So We
shall never cease being a despised and excluded
class so long as we are shut out from political
preferment We cannot ignore the fact that to
this is to be attributed the degradation OF our
race. Elevate one OF our class 10 the Vice Presi.
dency or TO q position in the Cabinet and our
equality shall have been established"
After Mr. Douglass concluded a committee on
organization was appointed by states, and other
committees were appointed. At the evening ses-
sion the meeting was addressed by Prof. ID. O
Straker, OF South Carolina, and by Fred Doug lass