The Washington bee., 1888-04-21

civil service, is like other reforms
that have been inangrated by the
democratic party. We can look
for nothing under this administra.
tiOn, therefore let us not be led
into delusions that a reward
awaits Us or that the next demo-
cratic administration will be an i'm.
provement on the present one.
Existing condition of affairs de-
mand that We shonld be united
and divided when necessity de-
mands it, and follow our leaders
az the Irish follow Parnell and
Gladstone, and if the people OF
Virginia will do their duty they
will have in the next Congress the
Negro Gladstone of America and
the pride of the Nation. Therefore
be it
RESOLVED, That we the citizens
OF the District of Columbia on the
26th anniversary of the Emancipa-
tlon of Slaves in the District of
Columbia, do and hereby agree to
unite as people for the welfare
OF ourselves and posterity.
RESOLVED, further That we con-
demn the present system of the
District Government as unameri-
Can and unconstitutional.
RESOLVED, further, That our
Industrialde departments in the public
schools are Disseminated against
and an immediate discontinuence
is asked.
RESOLVED, further, That the
Blair educational bill and the Dis
trict suffrage bill are endorsed and
should become a law.
RESOLVED, further, That Hon,
John Sherman is the unanimous
choice of the Negro, for President
of the United States and Hon.
John Mercer Langston our repre-.
sentative for Congress from the
4th Virginia District.
RESOLVED, further, That street
parades on the anniversaries of the
Emancipation, are Injurious, ex
pensive and disgracefnl to the
colored people of this city, and
that the Executive Committee
shall continue to use all honorable
means to persuade the people to
dispense with them.
The presiding officer Can't.
Wall, before introducing the
orator Hon. John Mercer Lang
ston, made brief aud pointed ad-
dress.
Hon. JOHN MERCER LANasroN
on berg introduced said:
Mr. PRESIDENT LADIES AND
GENrLEMEN: MIR Wall spoke of
having known me before the war.
and says that he speaks from his
personal knowledge, with respect
to myself and my biography, long
before the emancipation procla-
nation was announced iu this
c"untry-long before action was
had by Congress abolisnlng slay,
cry IN this ter itory. He does
not mean 80 much to refer to nv
age, l take it, as he means to refer
to the fact that he himself lived
acted, and was prosecuted for
his opinions even When we were
together in the tree s'ate of OHIO.
When We prophesIed all the things
tnat you enjoy today, and hoped
to live to see the day when a
white man could be free in this
country, to say nothing about the
negro's freedom; for at the time
to which he refers there was not
within the length and breadth of
this entire country single man-I
a single "oman-to enjoy any
thing like complete American
freedom. The slave oligarchy had
taken enClre possession of your
and among the last things |
that [ recollect to have witnessed |
In the case of the president of this
meeting, and of several very d:s-
white fellow citizens
OF your p 'esident, then resi-
dents OF the state of Ohio-d,s-
tlnguished men in the pulpit, at
the bar, in national and state
politics--is the fact that he was
in the Jail of Cleve>
and, Ohio, and held there for
many days, simply charged with
having done unto another, an
Americ IN citizen. what he would
l we had that American citizen do
or him under like circumstance 8,
lie simply aided and abetted in
he escape OF a fugitive slave, when
hat fugitive slave bad been IL
egalIy arrested and was illegally