National Republican., 1883-01-02


lowed the arms Of the confederate army.
Until this day the mighty conflict between
the north and tho south appeared to the eye
Of the civilized world, as destitute Of moral
qualities. Until this day the sympathies of
tho world were largely in favor of the south
ern rebellion, Until this day the man of
sable hue had no country and no glory.
Until this day he was not permitted to lift n
sword, 20 carry gun, or wear the
United States uniform. Until this day
the armies of the republic fought the
rebels in fettors, for they fought for slavery
as we'll as for the union. Until this day we
presented the spectacle Of that weakness, in
decision aud blindness which builds up with
one hand while it tears down with the other.
Until this day we fought the rebels with only
one hand, while we chained and pinioned the
other behind u.s. on this day twenty years
ago, thanks to Abraham Lincoln and the
great statesmen by whom he was supported,
this spell Of blasted hopes and despair, this
spell of Inconsistency and weakness, was
broken and our government became con-
sisteut, logical and strong for from this hour
slavery was doomed, liberty made certain and
the union established.
We do well TO commemorate this day. IL was
the first gray streak of morning after a
long and troubled night Of all abounding
horrors
The future as well as tho past claims con-
sideration on this day. Freedom has brought
duties responsibilities, and created expecta-
tions which must be fulfilled. There is no
Disgusting the fact that the price of liberty is
eternal vigilance, and If we maintain our
high estate in this republic, we must be some
thing more than drttwood in stream. We
must keep pace with tho nation in all that
Foes 20 make n nation great, glorious, and
free. Natural equality We have long pleaded,
and righteOusly, but now that the fetters are
or we must he able to plead practical equality,
equality of industry, equality of morality,
| equality Of education, equality of wealth,
| equality of general attainments. hardly
need say here that TO all this there are form
idable obstacles and ddiscouragements; that we
| have entered the race of civilization at an
! immense disadvantage is manifest to tho can
| did Judgment Of all mon. No people ever en-
| tered the portals of freedom under circum-
stances more unpropitous than the American
| freedmen. They were flung overheard on an
unknown sea in the midst of storm, without
planls, ropes oars or life preservers, and told
! they must swim or perish They were with
out money, without friends, without shell
ter and without bread. The land
which they had watered with their
tears, enriched with their blood, titled with
their hard hands, was owned by their enc
mics They were told to leave their old quar-
| ters and seek food and shelter elsewhere In
view of this condition Of things the marvel is
not so much that they have made little prog
ress, but that they arc not cxterminatcd. l
regret to observe that even colored men are
heard to deny that any improvement has
taken place in their condition during the last
twenty years. How they can do this / am
utterly unable TO see. Twenty years ago
there was perhaps not single school house
for colored children in the southern states.
Now there are 100000 colored children regu-
larly attending school in those states,
That fact, which does not stand Alone is
sufficient to refute all the gloomy stories of
a.. h. NF fhn NAlA AHRI
freedmen of the south. The trouble with
these croakers is that they do not consider
the point of the freedmen's departure. They
know the heights which they have still to
reach, but do not measure the depths from
which they have come.
Twenty years, though long time in the
life of an individual, il but moment in the
life of nation, and no final iudment can be
predicated of facts transpiring within that
limited period.
For one, can say in conclusion that moth
ing has occurred within these twenty years
which has dimmed my hopes or caused me to
doubt that the emancipated people of this
country will avail themselves of their oppor-
tunities, and by enterprise, industry inven-
tion, discovery, and manly character vindi-
cate the confidence of their friends, and put
TO silence and to shame the gloomy predic-
tions of all their enemies
There was u great outburst of applause as
address and il was some moments before quiet
was restored sufficiently TO allow the speak
ing to proceed.
HON. JOHN II. LYNCH,
of Mississippi, spoke concerning "the colored
men in the south" He told of the progress
made by his people in the south during the
past twenty years, and predicted that before
another twenty years shall have rolled by the
cOlored men will have attained the statue OF
full manhood. They weTemere children when
the war was over, but they have been grow
ing in intellectual worth and influence. They
are acquiring property and adapting them
selves TO the requirements of their improved
condition. They are taking increasing pride
in their advancement and are paying moro
attention to the duties Of intelligent citizen
ship than ever before. He saw much to give
him substantial ground for the hope and the
conviction that we are approaching the dawn
of new and bright era for the colored resi-
dents in the late slave states.
HON. JOHN p. GREEN,
member of the Ohio legislature, gave his
views of the "Colored man as u legislator"
and Dr. h. Il. Tanner read q siX-minutes essay
on the "Negro Press" Five minutes of the
time was taken up in q protest against the
use of the word colOred," as the designation
of q class of citizens of the republic He
claimed that the appcllation was rank inius-
tice to q million and quarter of voters. The
uOClOf WlLleSScu Wlln unulSBulhtu plcuSuTc
the rapid growth of negro journalism and was
constrained to think this one of the most
hopeful signs of the times.
MIR. GEORGE W. WILLIAMS,
Of Ohio, author of the lately completed "His-
tory of the Negro Race in America" n work
which will be widely read, sketched briefly
the record of the NEGRO author" and
prOphesied that within the next quarter
of century the colored people would
have ne recognized place in the litera-
ture Of the world, The concluding pas
sage of his speech was brilliant piece
of word painting, tho passionate outburst OF
an enlranchised mind bursting through a
shell of darkness into the full blaze of mag
nifcent possibilities. His glowing words, so
full of hope and sentiment, carried his audi
ence by storm, and he had scarcely taken his
scat ere he was surrounded by men eager Ia
grasp him by the hand aud congratulate him
A HALF A DOZEN ADDITIONAL ToAsrs
were on the programme, including the follow
ing "The Negros adherence to the Republi'
crn party response by Prof X. Il. Greener
Independence in journalism" response by r.
Thomas Fortune, of New York; 'lhe color
line" response by Prof James VI. Gregory, ol
Howard University; "rhe exodus from the
south" response by Hon. Robert Smalls Of
South Carolina; "Co-opcrative association, by
Judge Lee, The speaking was not finished
until late hour.
l The Day In Norfolk.