The Washington bee., 1889-01-19
LANGSTON'S SPEECH.
THE GREAT LEADER SPEAKS.

IdE dhEAI LEADER SPEAKS,
The following extracts are from
the speech of Honorable
John Mercer Langston, delivered
on the occasion of the Emancipa-
ton celebration in New York at
Cooper Institute.
Ladies and gentlemen: First of
all, my friends, l am thankful that
| am a colored man, and l coDgrat-
ulate yeu, fellow. .cOuntrymen, that
BENJAMIN Harrison will very soon
enter upon his duties as President
of the United States. Applause.
When he shall become our Chief
Executive, not only the good peo
pie in New York will feel the safe
ty of our laws, but those who live
on the other side of the Potomac
River will live without tear of ma
lice or dread. We will all live un-
der the vine and fig tree of peace
then, for in Harrison we see a pro-
tector who will give us all the pro-
lection that the Constitution of our
country guarantees--a man who
will protect US because we are A
merican citizens, although our hair
is short and onr faces sOoty.
WE ARE ALL WHITE.
1t is a fact that according to
American law we are all white, We
are all black. American laws new
er distinguished a man by the col
or of his skin nor the texture of
his hair. Not in the declaration
of Independence, the Constitution
or any great State paper of this ma
ton is the word "white" used as
characteristic Of citizenship where
it is either defined or defended. 1t
is an old democratic idea that
ought to have been exploded long
ago, that this is white mans
country and a white mans govern
ment. This is really black mans
country and a black mans govern.
ment, for in the olden days the
black man shed his blood to defend
and perpetuate the American Con-
stitution. No man can buy his
| place in country or buy his stand
ing forever SO we'll as by the she'd
ding of blood.
We have got this old idea that
this is a white mans government
started upon us again. 1t used to
be preached to US before the war.
| Cries 'sThat so."1 At one time
1 was going from my home in the
Northern part Of the Ohio toward
thf ddeeRteeEE9att deeRteE at hf frSsnd Stafe of mine who
said:
"Now, sir, where are you going !?
l suppose you are going down to
the central portions of the State to
make speeches in favor of negro
suffrage. Don't you know that the
word white is specifically men,
toned in the Constitution in the
enfranchising clause, thereby smut.
ting out forever the mulattO and
negro from representation in the
government?
"Sir" said l to my democratic
friend, can you put your fin
ger on the word white in the con-
stitution-that is, in the clause to
which you refer for shall furnish
you now with that document? ?"
81 can," said he.
''Then, sir, you shall do it," and
L stepped to my carpet sack for l
was carpetbagger in that State
| applause land took out the Con-
stitution, certified to as to dotting
ing of every "i" and the crossing of
every st" by James Buchanan,
once Secretary of State of this
government, and bearing the great
seal, the impress of our national
sovereignty on it's face.
"Take this, Colonel,"I I said, "and,
if you please, put your finger on
the word white for me.n
He took my document, and wip.
ing his glasses and adjusting them,
commenced with the word "we,"
and ran his finger along every
line of the document, not then pos.
sessing the thirteenth, fourteenth
and ifthteenth amendments and
when he had reached the last word
OF the very last amendment he
said:
TAKE YOUR DOCTRINE.
"Not yet," said I, "because 1
want you to show me the word
white"