National Republican., 1885-04-18

system which brought upon his country these
accumulated horrors.
Thu lesson of this national experience Is In J
place today, aud It would be well for this ma.
lion 10 study and learn IT, Look abroad
What rocks Europe to-day? What causes the
emperor Of all the llussiaS TO be uneasy on his
pillow What makes Austria trcmblc? Why
does England start up lrantcally al midnight
and search her prcmisCsl You know aud ]
Know That these countries have nggrleyed
classes among them, who have Just ground OF
complaint against their governments.
Now, icliow.oitizens, let me speak plainly.
This is an ag1 when men 10 to and fro In the
earth. and knowledge increases oppressed
peoples NIL over the world arc protesting with
earthquake emphasis against all forms of in
Justice, some by one means aud some By nn.
other. Examples. like certain diseases. are
contagious. Railroads steam navigation, elec
triC wires, newspapers, ana travelling ennis.
s1rics are abroad Can you be quite sure that
thr oppressed laboreTs In this country white
and cOlorcd will not some day make common
cause aud learn some OF the dangerous
modes Of protest against injustice adopted
In other cOuntrles2 | deal In no threats, for
myself or for any OF my Countrymen, and am
only for peaceful methods; but | say to all
oppresSors, Have a care how you gond and
imbrutc the cOlOred man of the south!' He Is
weak, but not pOwerlcss. He Is submissive to
wrongs, but not insensbe to his rights. He Is
hopeful but not incapable ofdespair. He can en-
dure, but oven TO hum may come atinC when he
shall think endurance has ceased to be virtue.
All the wor ID is school, and In II one lesson Is
luNl hbN utluH luuEul III ltlNtIH VI nv hhh
blood, aud that Is, the utter insecurity of life
and property In the presence OF an uggrieycd
class. This lesson can be learned by the igno.
rant as well as by the wise. Who can blame
tho negro II, when he is driven from the ballot
box, the iury-box, and the schOol.house. de-
MED equal rights on railroads aud steam.
bouts called out of his bed at midnight aud
whipped by regulators, compelled to live in
rags and wretchedness, and his wages kept
back by fraud, denied II fair trial when ac.
cuscd OF crime, he shall initiate the example
OF other oppressed classes and inyokss some
terrible explosive power as means of bring
ing his OpprCsSors to their senses, and making
them respect the claims Of justice. This would
| indeed be madness, but oppression Will make
even wise man mad.
It should not be forgotten that tho negro is
not what he was twenty years ago. Kossuth
once said that bnyonets think. The negro Is
beginning to think. Years ago book had rs
little to say to him and had Us little meaning
for him as a brick. II was then thing of
darkness and silence. Now It Is q thing Of
! light and speech. Education, the sheet ail-
Chor OF safety to society where liberty and JUS
| ticc are secure. is dangerous thing TO society
| in the presence of injustice and oppression.
pursue this thought no further A hint TO
the wise ought to be sufficient Let not my
words DO construed as a menace, but taken as
| ! mean them as a warning; not Interpreted as
inviting disaster, but considered as designed
| to avert disaster.
Fellow.eitizens, many things calculated
| to make us thoughtful have occurred since
| addressed you on on occasion like this, two
| years ago; but nothing has occurred which
ought TO make us more thoughtful than the re-
cent decision OF the Supreme Court OF the
| United States on the civil rights bill. That
| decision came upon the country like clap OF
| thunder from clear sky. II came without
| warning 1t was surprise to enemies and
bitter disappointment to friends. Had the
| bench been composed of Democratic judges
some such decision might have come upon us
without producing any very startling effect
| But the fact was otherwise. This blow was
| N
bench was composed of nine learned Republi-
can Judges, and of these nine honorable men
only one came to our help. mean Honorable
| Justice John NJ Harlan. He stood up for the
rights Of colored citizens as those rights arc
defined by tho fourteenth amendment Of the
constitution of the United States
1t was q magnificent spectacle, this grand
! representation of American Justice standing
alone, and the country will not soon forget IL.
! without meaning any disrespect to the Su.
preme Court, or rejecting upon the purity Of
| Its motives, | must say here, as l have said
elsewhere, aud shall say many times over If
my life Is spared, that that decision is the
most striking illustration have ever seen OF
how 1t is possible to keep alive the letter OF
the law and ut the same time stab its spirit TO
death. Portia strictly construed the law OF
| Venice for mercy and this rule OF construc-
| tlon has the approval OF all the ages, but the
| Supreme Court of the United States construed
American law against the weak and in the
| interest of prejudice and brutality. Never be-
fore was made so clear the meaning of Pauls
saying, "The letter killeth, but the spirit
| giveth life"
lam glad, and I know that you are glad,
that there was one man on that bench who
had the mind and heart to be as true to lib
erty in this its day, as was the old supreme
court of slavery in its day. While slavery
existed all presumptions were made in its
favor. The obvious intention Of the law pre-
vailed, but now the plain intention OF the law
has been strangled by the letter of the law.
The fourteenth amendment of the constitu.
ton was plainly intended to secure equal
rights to all citizens of the United States with
out regard TO race or color, and Congress was
authorized to carry out this provision by ap-
propriate legislation. But by this decision OF
the Supreme Court the fourteenth amendment
has been slain in the house of its friends.
have no doubt that that decision contributed
to the defeat OF the Republican party in the
late election. repeat, that decision may well
make colored men thoughtful.
Kentucky has done many evil things in her
time, but she has also done many great and
good things. She has recently given uB a law
by which equal educational advantages hav,
been extended to colored children. Long ag(
she gave US JamesG. BrDey, the first abolition
candidate for the presidency of the United
states former stakeholder, but one who
emancipated his slaves on his own motion;
genuine gentleman of the old school, and on'
TO be gratefully remembered by every irienC
OF liberty In this country. She has given II
Cassius N. Clay, the man who fought his wa!
TO freedom of speech on his native soil. sh'
has given us John G. Fee, the earnest and de
/ NhLtu tulltAlOT VI tue Utcullltll. NOl 10 lul
all. She has given us two of the largest heart
aud broadcst minds OF which our country caI
boast, men who had the courage OF their con
victions, and who dared at the peril of wha
men hold most dear, to be true to their con
victions. These strong men, one dead and thu
other living, are Abraham Lincoln and Joht
NJ Harlan. Abraham Lincoln is already en-
shrined in the hearts of the American people
mud Jusstce John NJ. Harlan will hold plao
beside him in the hearts OF his coun trymen.
You remember the public meeting held ii
Lincoln Hall, and the free expression OF opin
ion upon the unsoundness of the decision o
the Supreme Court on the civil rights bill
You will also remember that the ablest ant
boldest word there spoken was from the lip
Of Robert q. lngersoll, a man eyerywhor
spoken against as an nfdel and ablasphemer
Well, my friends, better be al intdel ana
so.called blasphemer than hypocrito VIII
steals the livery OF the court OF heaven Il
inddei though Mr.. Ingersoll may be called,
he never turned his back upon his colorec
brothers, ds did the evangelical Christians o
this city on the occasion of the late visit o
Mr.. Moody OF all the forms of negro hate IL
this world save me from that one which
clothes itself with the name of the lovinl
Jesus. who when on earth, especially identi
fled himself with the lowest classes OF suffer
. ing men, and the proof given OF his Messiah
, ship was that the poor had the Gospel preache'
unto them. The negro can so into the circus
the theater, the cars, and can be admitted
into the lectures of Mr.. Ingersoll, but canno
go into an Evangelical Christian meeting.
/ do not forget that on the occasion Of tn
civil rights meeting I have mentioned, on
evangelical Clergyman, Il real man Of God
gave TO the gospel trumpet certain sound
The religion Of Dr. John l.. Rankin, ike tb
love of his Redeemer, is not bounded by rae
: or color, but takes In the whole human fam
lily. No trller man than he ever assembled
| Washington pulpit.
In conclusion, let me say one word moro G
, the soul of the nation and of tho impOrtanc
of keeping II sensitive aud responsive TO tn
claims of truth, Justice, liberty, aud prOgres.
In speaking of the soul of the nation deal 4
no cant phraseOlOgy. / speak OF that my.
terious, invisible, impAlpable sOmethin
Z which underlies the life alike OF individual
, ana of nations, aud determines their characte
! aud destiny.
I II is the soul that makes nation great O
, small, noble or ignoble, weak or strong II
, the soul that oxalts 1t to happiness, or sinks