Daily Republican., 1884-01-29
A Talk with Fred Douglass.

When Mr.. Douglass appeared In the
parlor of his residence, beyond Union
town, Saturday night, In response to a
reporters card that had been sent tt
him, he did not appear in the least dis
turOed by the excitement which his
marriage had occasioned.
81 don't see why there should be any
comment" he said. 1t is certainly
not an event of public moment. have
simply exercised the right which the
laws accord TO every citizen, and | am
astonshed that city so large as | con
sidered Washington to be should at
once become 30 small. 1t seems that
the newspapers would present to the
eye of public curiosity my private af-
fairs, and those, too, which every man
holds most dear and sacred, the affairs
of the family. What would you have
me say? | can give II" explanation. |
can make no apology
"The opinion has been expressed that
the cOlOred people, who look to YOU as
leader, will consider yollr position,
in the light Of your present action, as
equivocal."
81 do not presume to be leader" /"
answered Mr. Douglass, bat if have
advocated the cause Of the Colored
people it is not because am negro,
but because | am a man The same
impulse which would move me to Jump
into the water to save q white child
from drowning causes me to espOuse
the cause of the dOwntrodden and OPP
pressed wherever find them. Mr..
Lincoln and Mr.. Sumner were leaders
of the colored people far greater than |,
an humble citizsn, can ever hope to be.
They were both white men. What
effect, then, can the affairs Of my pri-
vate life have upon my principles of
Justice? / want for the colored people
equal rights and advantages OF citizen
ship, and for those objects | am still
working just as earnestly and shall
continue 10 do 80 until the end"
1T is said that your action reflects
unfavorably upon the women of the
colored race, ,and will nsequ-nt'y have
a ru nous effect upon your political
future"
81 have no political aspirations |
am getting vel along il years now, and
wish only TO live quietly and peace
ably, doing all the good | can. All this
excitement, then, is caused by marriage
with u Woman d few shades lighter than |
myself. If | had married a black |
woman, there would have been nothing |
said about it. Yet the disparity in our
would have been the same. !
| am not an African, as may be seen |
from my features and hair, and.i is
equally easy to discern that am not a
Caucasian. There are many c0lored |
ladies' of my acquaintance who are as
good as I and who are great deal bet
ter educated, yet, in affairs of this
nature, who is to decide the why and
wherefore. have been associated with
the lady who has become my wife for
some time past l came to know her
we'll and was pleased with her, and she,
| hope, with me-"
conceive" said he in conclusion,
!" that there is no division of races God
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 black aud the white
people were distinct in this country.
In two hundred and fifty years there
have grown up n million ofintermediate.
And this will continue. You may say
that Frederick Douglass considers him
self member Of the one race that ex-
lists"
Mr.. Douglass stated that the dispari-
ty In ages had been exaggerated. The
lady has attained her fOrty-sixh year.