Huntsville gazette., 1883-09-29

days, which brought freedom, education,
enfranchisement. Referring TO the
causes leading to the Convention he said:
s'No reasonable man would ever object to
white men holding National convention
were they in our condition and we IN theirs.
Examples are abundant where whites have
hated blacks, bordermen the Indians, the
negro the Chinese and vice versa. we
must move as people toward the goal OF
prosperity and education. Now that we
/ are free we must, like free men, take the
reins in our hands and compel the world
to receive us as their equals. This city,
| metropolitan in size, cosmopolitan in ideas,
! is still not free and liberal enough in opin-
! ions to receive US equals in public build
| ings 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 words, idle epithets in our praise,
| but action. We have never been helped,
1 but assistance comes from all sides to help
US in our downward course. If we come as
! cart-driverS or servants we are tolerated;
| but when we come as scholars or states
men the color line is raised. The
/ colored man is an oppressed and abject race
4 in the United States. Trade-unions refused
\ him admission; merchants refused him as
an apprentice, and even when he dies the
same old contempt and despite follows him,
he is spurned from the gates and compelled
| to seek resting place of his own If he
applies for admission to colleges, or aspires
to education and profession, the race.llne
| is again drawn. That is what we are here
for, to raise this line and make him the
equal of the whites. The cause lies more
in the diseased imagination Of the Ameri-
cans than i'll firm belief. We are here to
see to it that men of our color, accused of
| crime, shall have fair trial that all these
outrageous lynchings be stopped. Our busi-
ness is to organize for our rights and for
the redress of our wrongs. Some say that
we should not hold this convention, for it
menaces the Republican party. Parties
| made for men, and not men for parties My
hat was made for my head, not my head
for my hat. If parties do right stand by
them, but when they do not uphold their
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. Every
man is the sole proprietor and lord of his
own house, but when any place is opened
for the public everybody recognized as
citizen by the law has right to enter. This
does not make men equal; talent and intel
ligence are always triumphant. When
speak to an intelligent man five minutes l
forget all about color. Now, about politi-
cal equality. 81 never was a politician. |
began my career as q pleader for the ag-
grandizement of my race, and | am not
afraid to tell what | think about all kinds
of equality. This stamping out of the black
Republicans of the South has been done in
!
convention should implore Congress for a
restoration of justice, and for the abolition
of this most detestable state of affairs.
Make the Constitution practically what it
is theoretically, and there will be an end to
all this filth of the ballotbox and to all
injustice Of color line. The New York
Eueling Post makes great mistake when
it says, "Be modest-you have been
but twenty years out of bond
age" These office-holders are
aspire, and will continue to do so. We
have heard the voice of Jacob and felt the
hand of Esau. We shall never cease to be
a despised and excluded class as long as
we are shut ont from political preferment.
All can not ignore the fact that to this is to
be attributed the degradation of our race.
Elevate one of our class to the Vice-Presi-
dency or to a position in the Cabinet and
our equality shall have been established.
We are not prepared as yet, but let us as
pire to those positions which we can f1ll.
We hold it self-evident that a nation made
up of all varieties should not be governed
by one class. Where there is ruling class
there is subject class, and when the day
comes when this Nation is governed by one
class it ceases to be a Government of the
people, for the people and by the people,"
The above is but bare outline of long
and eloquent address, spoken with an
earnestness which showed the faith Of the
speaker in the destiny of his people. The
applause was generous enough to suit the
most eXacting.
AT the conclusion, delegates from Louis
lana moved that the address be adopted as
the address of the Convention and sent to
Congress. Several amendments were
moved and rejected, and the original
motion was almost unanimously adopted.
Then came scene of confusion. On mo-
tion to appoint committee on further or
ganization, South Carolina and Louisiana
fought each other almost in an unparlla-
mentary way. For hours the dispute went
on, a ceaseless stream of valueless talk
Holland, Of Washington, presided IN Doug
lass stead, and vainly sought to bring or
der out of chaos. Finally, call of States
was had and the Committee on Organlza-
, ton appointed by States. Itresulted, after
another long delay, in the selection OF the
! following Vice-Presidents Geo. Washing
ton, Alabama; S. j. Hollingsworth, Arkan-
sas j. B. McGinnis, Delaware; W. c. Chase,
! District of Columbia; w. A. Pledger,
Georgia; W. T. Scott, Illinois,; Rev. DR.. >.
Werer, Indiana; Alfred Fairfax, Kansas;
Henry Scraff, Kentucky; t. 5. Martinez,
Louisiana; A. V. Cooper, Maryland; W. X.
Gamble, Nebraska; G.. H. Ruffin, Massa-
chusetts; c. H. Tandy, Missouri; z. z.
Sterret, Minnesota; Congressman J. L.
O'Hara, North Carolina; Sam. j. Tousen,
Ohio; H. Price Williams, Pennsylvania;
, H. L. Shrewsbury, South Carolina: W. ID.
, Young, Tennessee; Mack Henson, Texas;
G.. NJ. Arnold, Virginia; G. W. Hollinger,
: West Virginia; J. w. Birney, Wisconsin.
Secretary, J. NJ. Gregory; Assistants, L.
Y. Holland, A. S. Richardson, q. ii. Clark
} and w. G. Robinson.
Committees on civil rights, education,
resolutions, and an address were appointed,
to report tomorrow, and the Convention
: took recess.
At the evening session the Convention
listened to impassioned speeches from
Prof. ID. A. Straker, Of South Carolina,
and Frederick Douglass, on matters Of gem
, eral interest to the colored race. Douglass
gave interesting details of events during
the discussion of the Presidential question
prior to the inauguration Of Hayes. NO
business was attempted, beyond tne Z, &C
ceptance Of an invitation to attend the Ex-
position, which had been extended by the
, general management.
Adjourned to meet at 10 a. m. tomorrow.
Killed by ColIiding Freight Trains.