The national leader., 1888-12-22
OUR ALEXANDRIA LETTER.

~4AA~0 A4NOAh4Af o. A%OOe SNf AOOOe
The Frederick Douglass Club and
Library Association held an interest
ing and important session at their
rooms, Wednesday evening. Mr..
Magnus L Robinson, Editor of the
NATIONAL LEADER, the President In
the chair, with Mr.. William A. Carter.
Editor of the Monthly Mercury. "and
correspondent Of the ''Washington
Bee" as Secretary. The roll was
called which showed a large increase
In membership. A committee was ap-
pointed to revise the Constitution. The
chair laid before the club the follow
ing letter:
CEDAR HILL.
ANACosTIA. d. c., Dec. 1888.
MAeNUs L. ROBINSON, EsQ-My
Dear Sir:-Accept my thanks to you
brary Association for the honor done
me by the name you have pleased to
give your pralsewOrthy enterprlze
hope to do nothing in the few
years / may have to live, to make
you ashamed of the name you have
given your Library Association. Again
thanks. Yours truly,
FREDERICK DOUGLASS.
at the conclusion of the reading Of the
letter, the club gave three cheers for
the Nestor of the Negro race. The
committee appointed on the observ-
ance of the celebration of the emanci-
patton Janury 1st, reported progress.
Mr.. Carter reported that hs was in re-
ceipt of letter from Prof. Solomon
6. Brown, of the Smithsonian Institu-
tion, accepting the clubs invitation as
Poet Laureate for the emancipation
celebration to be held at Alexandria.
Va, on the night of January 1st. 1899;
also letter from Mr.. l.. w. Pulies,
OF Kansas. accepting the invitation to
deliver the Emancipation GRAFTON. The
committee informed the club that they
would be able to report at next meet
ing the name of the Church where the
celebration would take place. Invita-
tions were ordered to be sent to the
city pastors and to the various clubs OF
this city, and Washington, and to the
Hon. Frederick Douglass, Senator B.
K. Bruce, Col. r. G.. Ingersoli. Hon.
David A. Windsor, Senator w. w.
Evarts. Hon. Warner Miller, Rev. w.
B. Derrick, D. D., General Benjamin
Harrison. Senator John Sherman. Hon.
Park Agnew, Hon. L. w. Corbett.
Hon. Lewis Mckenzie, Rev. r. 81.
Robinson, Mr.. Christopher, ]. Perry,
Editor OF the Philadelphia Tribune"
Mr.. F. Douglass, Jr,. Associate Editor
Of the NATIONAL LEADER, Senator
P. Sawyer. and others.
A member arose and asked the presl-
dent to answer the following question
which was propounded to him by a
white citizen to-day: "Why do you
celebrate the Emancipation proclama.
tiOnP 1t has has never attracted the
attention of your people IN this cityP
Editor Magnus L. Robinson In re-
sponse said: Because President Lin
coin in his memorable proclamation of
Septem ber %, 1862, and Jan. 1st. 1863,
said: /. Abraham Lincoln, President
of the United States of America and
COmmander-ln-Chief of the Army and
Navy thereof, do hereby proclaim and
declare that OH the first day of January
in the year of our Lord, 1868, all per-
SONS held within any State or designa-
ted part of State, the people whereof.
shall be in rebellion against the United
States, shall be thence forward AND
FOREVER FREEl
That is why we will meet on the
night of January 1st, for the purpose
of celebrating the 26:h anniversary Of
our deliverance from American slavery
by the stroke of the pen Of an Amerl-
can President, who in thus giving
freedom to the negro, gave it also to
proclamation the then Chief Magis-
trate of the Nation performed a great
act of justice to four and a half mil
lions of bondmen, who had been forced
into involuntary servitude, subjected
to the most barbarous and cruel treat
ment, outraged In every conceivable
form and finally turned adrift without
education, without money, without
any conception of morality or virtue.
There is no parallel In all history to
equal this brutal and bloody record
this foul and hell black crime Of
American slavery.
Then why should we not assemble on
that day to give voice to our feelings
and praise the ''bridge that carried US
over the river safely" and above all
to render thanks to ALMIGHTY GOD,
who hath delivered US from the hands
of the Philistines, who hath brought US
out from the land of bondage. In the
struggle to establish the Banner of
Liberty upon the ruins OF revolution
and rebellion, the negro came bravely
to the rescue with two hundred thous-
and of the flower of the race to put
down an insurrection and to establish
forever this nation upon the eternal
foundation of Truth, Justice and Lib
erty. Let us not forget our own heroes.
living and dead, who faced death III
that awful struggle with the heroism
of the brave men who fell at Thermop-
yl9 and Marathon. Better soldiers
were never better led than the Black
Phalanx at Port Hudson, Fort Pillow,
Milliken's Bend, Petersburg and a
hundred other places made memorable
by their courageous struggles for lib
erty aud independence. Let us not
assume that to the white men North or
South belongs ALL the credit aud glory
for the triumphant results of the late
war. Its true history has not yet been
written American prejudice has sue.