National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-04-17

| VI Nlt ulhtoNeTl Ol inc y lnklnNnt Dl tDiuinDub
and the adoption of the constitutlon of the
| United States Is an acknowledgements and an
| nttestation of the higher civilization that has,
in their Judgment, come here with the abOll.
| lion OF slavery They no longer dread the gaze
| OF civilized men. Thoy no lOugor fear lest
| word Of liberty should fall into the ear of q
| trembling captive und awaken his manhood.
| They are no longer required to defend with
| their lips whht they must have condemned I'm
their hearts; When the calling chain dropped
from the limbs of the slave the mantle of
| shame dropped from the brOws of their masters.
| The emancipation Of tho one was the deliver
anoe OF the other so that this day. in fact, be-
| longs TO the one rs truly rs II belongs to the
other, though II is len To us alone to keep II in
memory
II is usual on occasions Of this kind. not
only TO set forth, as | have In some measure
done, what has been gained by the abolition of
strumentalites which contributed TO this grand
| result. IL this were my first appearance be.
fore you on similar anniversaries, / should feel
| IL entirely proper TO do so now, but having dis.
charged this duty faithfully and fully in sew.
eral former addresses there Is no special reason
| for repetition of II In this instance. In one
OF those addresses i specially endenvored to
tracc, and did tracewith more orless success the
history of the earliest utierances of anti slavery
sentiments In this country and iu England.
| described the rise, progress, and final triumph
| OF the abolition movementin both countries.
nave in no case omitted to do Justice TO the
| noble band OF men and women who espoused
| the cause of the slave I'm the early days OF its
| weakness, and when 70 do so was to make
1
| Nilest abuse have held up their example Of
| yirtuous selEsacrfce to the admiration and
imitati9n Of all who would serve the human
family in its march from bnrburism to higher
state OF civilization. In my Judgment there
| never was band of reformors more unselhsh,
more consistent with thelr. principles, more
ardent In their devotion to any cause than
were these early antl-slavery men and women
OF this country.
The charge is sometimes made that the
| coloTed people are ungrdtcful TO their beneflc-
tors. In my Judgment no charge could bo
| more. unjust. In whatever else they have
tailed they have ever shown q laudablo sonss
ot gratitude. The names OF William Lloyd
| Garrison, Wendell Phillips John r. Hale,
Charles Sumner, Gerritt Smith. Abrahnm Lin.
coin, Ulysses S. Grant, and host of others are
never pronounced by us but with sentiments of
| high appreciation and sincere gratitude
| Of course, cannot deny that there aro those
amongst us, who, either thoughtlessly or sci.
| hshly. or both dare to deny their obligations
| TO the. great Republican party and It's leaders.
| They Insist upon II that freedom came to them
| only as an acl OF military necessity. They see
| in II no sentiment OF Justice, no moral prefer.
ence. They profess TO sec no difference be.
| tween the Republican party and the Demo.
| cratic party, and insist that one party has no
| more claim TO their support than tne other.
Such men are about rs ready TO join one party
MS the other. Perhaps they even lean n little
| more to the Democratic than TO the Republl-
can party. admit that were they fair repre-
| sentauves of the colored people of the
United States the charge of ingratitudc
| might be very easily sustained But,
|
ments of the colorcd people, but greatly and1l.
| grantly misreprosent them. The colored people
| do see difference between the two parties, as
| broad as the moral universe and as palpable
| rs the difference between tho character OF
| Moses and that OF Pharaoh. For one / never
| viii forget that every concession OF liberty
| made to the colored people of the United States
| has come to them through the action of the
| Republican party and that all the opposition
nude to those concessions has come from the
| Democratic party. Any colored man who
| either denies this nndpayOrq 1ienn IN
that party and bellttle their concessions by at
tributing them entirely 10 selfish and cowardly
motives brands himself as unjust, uncharlta-
bic, and ungrateful. The blindness of such
men is very surprising. Do they not see that
! in denying their obligations to the Republican
| party they only invite the scorn and contempt
| stand that they are advertising themselves as
base political ingratesl DO they not know that
| they nre giving notice to the Democratic party
conciliate-that they will be as unjust and un.
grateiulto that party for any concessions from 1t
lican party for what that party has done?
But, fellow citizens, while gratefully re-
member the important services OF the Repub.
iican party in emaneipating and enfranchisins
the eolored people of the United States, do
sadly incomplete. We are yet, as people,
only half free: Thepromisc of libertyremain5
mniuliilled. we stand to-day only in the twi.
light Of American, liberty; The sunbeams of
perfect day are still behind the mountains, aud
the mission of the Republican party will not
be ended until the persons, the property, and
the ballot OF the colored man shall be as well
protected in every state of the American Union
as are such rights in the case of the white
man. The Republican party isnot perfect. It
Is cautious even to the point OF umidity; but it
Is, nevertheless the best political force aud
friend we have.
Aud now return to the point ut which
commenced these remarks have spoken to
you of the adoption Of tho constitution OF the
United States end of the national progress and
prosperity under that instrument; ! have called
your attention to the noble objects announced
in the preamble of the constitution. did not
stop then and there to inquire how far those
objects, so solemnly proclaimed to the world
aud so often, sworn TO, have been attained, or
70 point out how far they have been practically
disregarded and abandoned by the government
ordained to practically carry them out. now
undertake 70 say that neither the constitution
OF l7S9 nor the constitution as amended since
the war is the law Of the land That constitu.
ton has been slain In tho house of its friends.
80 lar as ne ,S eoiored people Of the country are
sham, rope OF sand, Dead sea apple. fair
without and foul within, keeping the promise
TO the eye ana breaking It to the heart. Tho
federal government, so far as weAre concerned,
has abdicated its functions and abandoned the
objects for which the constitution was framed
and adopted, and for this | arralgn itat the bar
Of public opinion, both OF our own country and
that ofthe civilized world. / am here to tell the
truth and to tell It without fearor favor and the
truth Is that neither the Republican party nor
the Democratic party has yet complied with
the solemn oath, taken by their respective
representatives., to support the Constitution,
and execute the laws enacted under It's pro-
visions. They have promised us law, and
abandoned US to anarchy; they have promised
protection and given us violence; they have
promised prom & @ us iish and and given us US as q serpent
sworn TO realize to the best of their ability, Is
the establishment OF Justice. This is one Of
the six fundamental objects for which the con.
stitution was ordainedi but when, where, and
how has any attempt been made by the fed
eral government TO enforce or establish Justice
In any one of thelate slayeholding states1 Has
any one Of our Republican Presidents since
Grant, earnestly endeavored TO establish JUS
tice In the south2 According to the highest
legal authorities, justice is TIE perpetual dis
cess oflaw, protection to his person, his prop.
erty, and his political rights "Due process Of
law" has a definite and legal meaning It
jury Of ones peers, and before an impartial
Judge il means that the accused shall be
6ronght face to face with III his aocusers; that he
fense. and that he shall have the assistance of
counsel; II means that, preceding his trial. he
shall be safe In the custody Of the govern.
ment, ana that no harm shall come 10 MIN for
any alleged ofiense TIL he Is fairly tried, con.
victed. and sentenced by the court. This pro-
lection is given othe vilest white criminal In
the land. He cannot be convicted while there
is even a reasonable doubt In the minds OF the
jury as to his guilt. But 10 the colored man
accused Of crime in the southern states, q diff
ieIent RUE IL nlInosteVeryWnere appllcd, WITH
him. TO be accused Is to be convicted. The
court in which he is tried Is a lynohing mob.
This mob takes the place Of due process of
law" of judge, jury, witness and counsel. 1t
does not come TO ascertain the guilt or iuno
cence of the accused, but TO hang, shoot, stab,
burn, or whip him TO death. Neither courts,
jaiIs nor nafshals are allowed TO protect him.
Every day brings us tidings OF these outrages
will not stop to detail individual instances.
Their name Is legion. Everybody knows thRt
what say Is true, and that no power Is en-,
ployed by the government TO prevent this law.
less violence. Yet our chief magistrates and
other officers, Democratic and Republican,
continue to go through the solemn InOclSery,
tho empty form of swearing by the name Of
Almighty God that they will execute the laws
and the constitutions that they will establish