The Washington bee., 1886-11-13

an investigation has had no
more effect than the sound of To-
comotive at a distance. This is the
freedom the Negroes have enjoyed,
to an extent, in America, since
their Emancipation. / hope this
F.! will not be so i'm Cuba with the re-
cent 200 900 Negro slaves Emanci
pated. | therefore introduce the
orator, Col. Geo. w. Williams.
Col. Williams delivered the ora
ton of the evening, which was a
most able and eloquent discourse
He devoted considerable time to a
review of the history of Spain upon
the subject of slavery. Concluding
this review, he said: '.This hur-
ried glance at Spanish history may
aid in a study of the lessons of the
occasion. Mexico and the South
America republics. the offspring of
the Spanish crown, have succeeded
unde- the greatest difficulties in
Kidding themselves of slavery. The
statesman in thrse youthful nations
have long ago rt allied that slavery
in a republic is constant menace
to tree institutions, and have noted
that their growth and progress
have kept pace with the laws seek
ing extinction of human slavery.
All history, ancient and modern,
pagan and Christian, furnishes uni
form testimony against slavery.
The sum of all villanies, always a
curse but never blessing, it has
imposed more suffering upon man-
kind than any other evil since the
world began In concluding, he
said: ave have seen the end of
human bondage among Christian
nations and it will not be long ere
the evil Will be abandoned BY
heather nations. The great prob
lem OF to-day is that presented by
the breadwinners of the world. Dol
lars and cents are the facts under
lying all effort to civilize and chris
tlanize mankind. Mans body must
be made comfortable before he can
reason about his soul. They must
have the material conditions friend
ly to high culture before they can
intelligently deal with questions af-
fecting their spiritual welfare. 1t
is creditable to feed the hungry
and clOthe the poor, but it is Chris
tianity itself to render unto every
man what is justly his due. 1t is
one thing for a great state to ex-
punge slavery from its statute
books and to place thereon laws
extending to the people thus en-
franchised the rights of citizen
ship, but it is quite another and
different thing TO protect them in
the lawful exercise of these rights. |
The most RADICAL reconstructiOnist
III America cannot complain of the
character of national legislation i'm
favor OF the freedmen, but every
body knows that in most of the
southern states the rights OF the
Negro race are not only not accord |
ed to them but actually trOdden
bourbon despo!ism. Il x
''GOd grant that the r publican
party may believe more sincerely
III the doctrine of human rights,
and when it returns to power again,
us it surely wilt, make life, liberty, |
and the pursuit OF happiness llv-
i lug reality III every state and terri |
tory Ill the Union. The maleyO-
lent race feeling sill alive at the
south was recent y made disgust
lngly conspicuous in the city of
Richmond, where a mob of 5000 |
white citizens menaced the proceed
ingS OF lawful assembled con
vention of American laborprs be
cause Negro delegate occupied a
front seat in a public building.
But this feeling cannot long defy
the enlightened spirit of the nine
teenth century. for few more such |
violent paroxysms of negrophObia
and race malice will expire"
But wheather the enfranchised
Negroes OF southern U. s. get JUS /
tice done them or not, the emanci-
pated slaves of Cuba Will hence
forth find the shield of Spanish JUS
tlce over them and liberty will ev-
er more have to them significant
meaning and glorious reality. Once
Cuba sat as a dark spectre in the
midst of the deep blue waters of
the gulf. But now she shines i'm
the diadem Of liberty, and humani-
ty, the world over rejoice in her
birth to a new and better life. |
Once the moon of the Atlantic
ocean and the sigh of the gulf of
Mexico answered the pering cry
OF separated children and discon-
solated parents, but now they add !
their voice to the grand diapasOn
''forever free" which turns the la
mentatiOn of slaves into the exalta-
ton of frpeman Cuha adds nam |