National Republican., 1883-10-20
THE OOLORED CITIZEN.
His Present Status, Relationships, and Duties
Considered by Hon. ]. M. Iangston.
The Decision of tho supreme Court May
ije Something So Bc Thankful For.

Tho Congregational church was crowded to
sun, cation last evening by the tlrong gath
cred 30 hear tho address Of Hon John NJ,
Inncston minister Of the United States ia
the Republic of Hayti, upon 'Thc Present
Status Of tho Colorod American Citizen; His
Relation ships aud His Duties" Tho stage
was occupied by Register Bruce, Hon Fred.
Douglass, Prof. Il. II. Grcener, Mcssrs. Wall,
Mathews and number of the distinguished
colored residents of the capital.
Tho lecturer was introduced by DIR. c. b
Purvis. After skctching the legal history of,
aud some of the more striking incidents in,
=, tho struggle for emancipation aud citizenship,
he proceeded substantially as follows: The
emancipation of the COlorcd people by tho
proclamation of President Lincoln had lifted
race of slaves into full citizenship. An
drew johnson secured tho ratification of the
thirteenth amendment, and for this his name
would go down in history. Then came the
need for fuller degree of citizenship
and tho fourteenth amendment made colorcd
men competent to mako contracts, liable t.
be bound by their contracts, Able to con.
tract with railways and innl5rcGpCrs. The
supreme court had advanced a good deal
but did not dare TO touch the act OF
1866. which was II civil rights law. The four
tecnth amendment made the ColorCd man q
where he resides, and authorizes congress tC
legislate to maintain this citizenship. 1t was
declaratory of the simplest rights, that man
could have the right to go upun the cars,
to enter hotels. &c. In Ohio, ia MassaChu.
sotts and in South Carolina this was tho law,
but how was it carried out? The cOlOrGd
man and his wife and daughter 30 on hoard
the cars; they are told 70 "go in there;' told
that the negroes all ride in the smoking cara.
lie says, $40; my wife is weak and sick; We
are clean, well behaved, and decent and have
paid for irst.ClHss seat" IL is no uSe.
Thcy must 60 there and suffer lest some one
should he offended. lie had met Clement
c. Clay in Alabama, and that tai
entcd senator of tho lalo confedcracy
had gone out Of his way to make
it possible for him TO rido in decent Cur
from Alabama to Chattanooga. The supreme
court of the United States said, wait, Mr..
Langston, until the states deprive you Of your
rights and then you shall have legislation to
relieve you." How long was the colorod man
to wait? Ho wanted now to travel like a
man 4; to be treated like an intelligent human
being, and in support of his rights to dc
this tho people had said that tho thirteenth,
fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were
to stand, and the senate had added its voice
TO make them imperishabe. Tho colorGd
men could thank the supreme court for two
or three things. First, for leaving this law,
this civil rights law, in forCo in the District
of Columbia and in the territories. Let the
colored men take a ride in the district so to
the district hotels, and pay round sums for
their own accommodation. How many of
them had avaled themselves of this ?
1t was absurd to think of. When a
colorcd man asked for civil rights
the great hue and cry went forth, he wants
social rights" What folly All the ,colored
man desired was his rights as a, a,ihan-tho
right to sue under the common law when he
is refused accommodation at a hotel or upon
railway train Let the civil rights bill
the eolorcd man is told to go il
"Jj;n Crow" carr Well! Who lives il
Washington? Col. Robert Ingersoll live
here, Richard T. Yerrick lives there, Judg
. Lawrence lives there, and 1T is only necessar.
to go to them and say, Let tho low vindi
cate u.s." This was the way white men me
these questions, and when a corporation
made q contract with a man, black or white
it was only necessary to call upon the law Il
demand from them payment for failure II
specifically perform it,
There was another thing to thank the su
preme court for. 1t would revivify tho re
publican party, and it would recover ever
from the last blow in Ohio, and march forward
to new victories under this new battle Cry
Equality before the law for all men," word
transplanted from the French by the grea
Massachusetts senator Sumner. Two grea
presidents of tho United States had passet
away by assassination, but the presence o
Lincoln. Sumner, Wilson, and Garfield wa
felt to-day to inspire and sustain all VIII
believed in liberty and justice. In conclusion
the speaker said he had lived through bOtl
the historical eras of the African race, and h
had never despaircd and had never lost con
tdence in the justice of his cause. 1t wa
only necessary for all of his race to keep thei
hearts stcadGast and to hold to the eternal righ
and the ultimate success ofliberty WIS assured
All were children of the state without an.
distinction of color or former condition. of
nation where the German was no longer
German, but an American CITIZEN where tn
African was no longer an African, but a
American citizen; whore all wer
gathered together rs brothers Mt one commo
table; all devoted to conservation of II commo
country, in the numo OF God, in the name
liberty, and in the name of right, under tn
best government that tho sun ever shOn
upon, and in the midst OF the richest and I'll
best land that God had vouchsafcd to IL
children of men,
Mr. Langston was warmly and onthusia
ticaly applauded throughout, and at I'll
conclusion of his address was occupied IL
nearly an hour in receiving the congratul
tions of many distinguished citizens WI
We're in the audience.
AGES OF ICE,