Huntsville gazette., 1884-02-02
Douglass Marriage.
The .old Man Eloquent" talks about

The sold Man Eloquent" talks about
his queer choice Of a White wife.
WAsH1GroS, D. c., Jan. 25.-The Wash
ineton Post will tomorrow have the fol-
lowing When Fred Douglass appeared
in the parlor of his residence, Friday night
in response to reporters call he did not
appear in the least disturbed by excitement
which his marriage had occasioned. II
don't see why there should be any COM
nent" said he. ''It is certainly not an
event of public moment. I have simply
exercised the rights which the laws accord
to every citizen, and am astonished that
a city so large as consider Washington to
be should become at once SO small 1t
seems that the newspapers would present
to the eye of public curiosity and to those,
too, which every man holds most dear and
sacred, the affairs of the family. What
would you have me say? I can give no
explanation. can make no apology.
The opinion has been expressed that the
colored people. who look TO you as lead
er, will consider your position in the light
of your present action as equivocal.
Il do not presume to be leader" am
swered Douglass. .but if have advocated
the cause of the colored people, it is not
because l am negro, but because am
man. The same impulse which would
move me to jump int the. water to save
white child from drowning causes me to
espouse of the trodden and oppressed
wherever l find them. Mr.. Lincoln and
Sumner were leaders of the colored people
far greater than I, an humble citizen, can
ever hope to be. What effect then, can the
affairs of my private life have upon my
principles of justice want for the COLI
ored people equal rights and advantages OF
citizenship and for those objects | am still
working just as earnestly and shall contin-
ne to do so until the end'
1T is said that yoar action reflects unfa-
vorably upon the women OF the colored
race, and will consequently have ruinons
effect upon your political future p
Il have no political aspirations. I am
getting well along in years now. and l
wish only to live quietly and peaceably,
doing all the good l can. All this excitt~
ment, then, is caused by a marriage Of a
woman few shades lighter than myself
If had married black woman, there
would have been nothing said about it,
Vat ha nv in oop,nlayinno IA
have been the same. am not an African,
as may be seen from my features and hair,
and it is equally easy to discern that | am
not Caucasian. There are many colored
ladies of my acquaintance who are as good
as l, and who are a great deal better educa-
ted yet in affairs of this nature who is 10
decide the why and wherefore / have
been associated with the lady who has be-
come my wife for some time past. / came
to know her well and was pleased with her,
and she, hope, with me. 81 conceive"
division Of races. God Almighty made
but one race. adopt the theory that in
time the varieties of races will be blended
into one. Let us look back when the white
and the black people were distinct in this
country. IL $50 years there has been grown
up million of intermediate, And this
will cantinue. You may say that Frederick
Douglass considers himself a member of
the one race which exists.
Douglass said that the disparity in ages
had been exaggerated The lady has at
tained her forty-sixth year.