Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-09-14
FRED DOUGLASS.
An Interesting Interview With the
COlOreH Lender.


WASHINGTON, September PA New
| York World correspondent called on Mr..
| Douglass this afternoon at Uniontown
Hill.
''AIr. Douglass" asked the correspond
| ent, what do you think win be done at
the coming convention of colored men at
| Louisville ?'
at will be pretty hard to tell what this
| convention will do" he answered. "Of
course it cannot ignore politics entirely,
| for now that the colored man is citizen,
voter and a taxpayer the question of
| politics and the party that is to govern the
| country in which he lives is one OF vital
interest to him as well as to any other citi-
| zen. Still it is not the intention to make
| it political convention"
"What is its main object?"
"The advancement of the condition of
the colored race. The laws, as they stand
are all right enough. If they were en-
forced they would give us all the privil-
| eyes that we require. What we want is
the more thorough enforcement of the
| laws in the South, so the colored citizen
| may enjoy the privileges that the consti-
! tuition and laws confer upon him. We
want the right to vote unmoested, to have
| the jury privileges the law gives us, and
we want better educational privileges.
We want an honest days wages for an
honest days work, so that our citizens
| may gain for themselves homes and intel
ligence and self-respect, and the respect of
the country and the world"
"Then you viii not ask that any new
| laws shall be enactedY'
"No; we shall merely growl because
| those that We have are not enforced"
DO you really think that this is the
case ?'
''The fact that we are in the majority bv
from 10000 or $4,000 in several States OF
the South, and yet get nothing in any of
them, shows that there must be some
truth in the frequently published state
ments that the colored man is denied the
elective franchise"
"But if the convention is to be growl
as you term it, it must growl at the Repub-
lean party, and must have some politi-
cal effect"
eyes, it will probably have some effect
imagine that it will ALLEVIATE some voters
from the Republican party, but not large
number There will probably be some
pretty loud complaints and a loud cry for
more offices. There iS trouble in our
kitchen and Oliver Twist wants more, and
this fact will have its effect upon the vot-
ers of the party
"What percentage of the cslored vote
will it take away from the Republican
party?'
"That is pretty hard to estimate. don't
think the percentage will be sufficiently
large to make any material change in the
relations of the two parties, though it is
undoubtedly true that the colored element
now holds The balance of power between
the two parties"
"What percentage OF the colored vote is
now Democratic ?"
Somewhere from five to ten per cent.
probably not over five per cent. as a whole,
though in some of the Southern States it
is greater. III Georgia, for instance pre-
sumo ten per cent. or mora of the colorcd
vote is Democratic. There arc ciPcuIn-
stances under which it would be much
larger"
"What circumstances Mr. Douglass ~
"W6ll, the nomination of Ben Butler by
the Democrats. If Ben Butler was nomi-
mated by the Democrats, or by any other
party, he would carry heavy vote among
the colored people Of the South. Ben was
the hero of New Orleans, you know, and
it was he that invented the term contra
band of war; The colored peopls of the
South think very highly OF him for. this
and for the advice he has given them
since. He could get vote in the South
that no other Democrat could. His nomi-
nation would mako the South solid for the
Democrats beyond a pesadv6nture."
SIS there any probability that tho con-
vention will declare f0r him? 2"
''No, think not. don't think it will
declare for anybody, nor is il likely to de-
clare against the Republican party or I'm
favor Of the Democrats. If it makes any
declaration fey anybody, it will probably
be in favor OF Robset Lincoln"
''You have been charged, EIr. Douglass,
with calling .be convention in the interest