The national leader., 1889-04-27

Will U6 bH6 SOrIOW anu QlSdppOluGu0uI
if some measure shall not be devised
under this Republican administration
to arrest the arm of lawieSS violence
and prove to these simple people that
there Is a difference between the Re.
publican party and the Democratic
party.
Some of you may remember that In
my celebration address four years ago
| took occasion to express my satisfac-
tlOn with the inaugural utterances of
Hon. Grover Cleveland, and, although
have been much criticised for what l
then said, have no word Of that
commentator to retract or qualify. /
thought we'll of Mr.. CIeveland's words
then and think we'll of them now.
| What I said was this, ''No better
words have dropped from the east por-
ticO of the capital since the days of
Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses 8.
Grant" did not say, as some of my
critics found it necessary to allege, that
Mr.. Cleveland had uttered better
words than either Lincoln or Grant.
You will also remember that, while l
commended the language of Mr..
Cleveland, strongly doubted his abil-
ity to live up to the sentiments he then
and there expressed, and that doubt
has been fully and sadly justified.
During all the four years of his admin
istration, after having solemnly sworn
to support and enforce the constitution
of the United States, he said no word
and did not act, expressed no desire to
arrest the hand of violence, to stay the
effusion of innocent blood, or vindi-
cate In any manner the negro's consti-
tutional right to vote. He could
almost hazard a war with England to
protect our fishermen; he could send
two ships of war to Hayti to protect an
American filhbuster, but not one word
or blow to protect colored citizens
against
SOUTHERN AssAssINS AND MURD-
ERERS.
While I commended the words of
Mr.. Cleveland, [ knew the party and
not Mr.. Cleveland would determine
the character of his administration.
Well, now the American people have
returned the Republican party to
power, and the question is, what it
will do? 1t has great prestige. a
glorious record. 1t is the party that
carried on the war against treason and
rebellion. It IS the party that saved
the Union, abolished slavery, amended
| the constitution. made the coIOred man
a soldier, citizen, and a legal voter
In view of this splendid record there
ought to be no doubt or fear as to the
course of this present administration.
/ EY1f 10 no fhnnnhf-
full. For dozen years or more the
Republican party has seemed in mea-
sure paralyZed in the presence of high
handed fraud and brutal violence to-
ward its newly-made citizens. The
question now is. Will it regain its
former health, activity and power?
Will it be as true to It's friends in the
south as the Democratic party has been
to its friends in that section, or will it
sacrifice its friends to cOnciliate it's
enemies2 1 have seen this last alter
native suggested as the possible out
come of this administration, but 1
stamp with unmitlgated scOrn and
contempt all such intlmatiOns. know
General Harrison, and believe in Gen.
eral Harrison. l know his Cabinet
and believe in Its members. and no
power can make me believe that this
administration will not step to the
verge of it's constitutional power to
protect the rights guaranteed by the
Constitution. Not only the Negro,
but all honest men, north and south,
must hold the Republican party in
contempt, If it tails to do its whole
duty at this point. The Republican
party has made the cOlored man free,
and the Republican party must make
him secure in his freedom, or abandon
its pretensions.
1t was once said by Abraham Lin
coin that this republic, could not long
endure half slave and half free, and
the same may be said with even more
truth of the black citizens OF this
country. They cannot remain half
slave and half free. They must be
one thing or the other.
And this brings me to consider the
alternative now presented between
slavery and freedom in this country.
From my outlook 1 am free to affirm
that [ see nothing for the negro Of the
south but a condition of absolute
freedom or of absolute slavery. I see
no half way place for him. One or
the other of these conditions is to solve
the sO-called negro problem. There
are forces at work in each OF these di-
rections, and for the present, that
which aims at the reinstatement Of
the negro seems to have the advantage.
Let it be remembered that the labor of
the negro is his only capital. Take
this from him and he dies from star
walton. The present mode of obtain
ing his labor in the south gives his old
master class a complete mastery over
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