Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-12-04
MORNING. 1889

tons. The sudden emancipation Of
the slaves, tho bestowal of the suffrage
which soon followed, and the inability Of
the States where these new citizens were
chiefly found to be adequately pro-
vided with educational facilities, pre-
scented not only exceptional but unexam-
pied conditions. That the situation has
been much smeliorated there Is no doubt.
and the ability and interest of the
States have happily increased; but
9 great work remains to be done, and
l think the General Government should
lend its aid. As the suggestion OF q ma
tional grant in aid of education grows
chiefly out of the conditions and needs
OF the emancipated slave and his de-
scendants, the relief should as far as
possible, while necessarily proceeding
upon some general lines, be applied to
the need that suggested it. 1t is essen
tial, if much good is to be accomplished,
that the sympathy and active in
terest of the people of the
States should be enlisted, and that the
methods adopted should be such as to
stimulate and not to supplant local taxa
ton for school purposes. As one Con-
gress cannot bind q succeeding one in
such case, and as the efforts must in
some degree be experimental, 1 recon-
mend tia. any appropriation for the pur.
pose be go limited in annual amount, and
as to the time over which it is to extend
as will on the one hand give the local
school authorities an opportunity to
make the best use of the first years. al
lowance, and on the other deliver them
from temptation to unduly postpone the
assumption of the whole burden them
selves.
TIL cOLoRED PEOPLE
did not intrude themselves UPON Us; they
were brought here in chains, and held in
the communities where they are now
chiefly found by cruel slavery code.
Happily for both races, they are now
free. They have, from q standpoint of
ignorance and poverty-which was our
shame, not theirs-made a remarkable
advance in education and in the acouisi.
ton of property.
They have as people shown them
selves to be friendly and faithful people
toward the white race. They have their
representatives in the national GENE.
teries where grateful Government has
gathered the ashes of those who died in
its defense. They have furnished to our
regular army regiments that have won
the high praise of their COM
manding officers for courage and
soldierly qualities and for fidelity to
the enlistment oath. In civil life they
are the toilers of their communities,
making their full contribution to the
widening streams of prosperity which
their communities are receiving. Their
sudden withdrawal would stop produc-
ton and bring disorder in the household.
Generally, they do not desire to quit
their homes and their employers. They
resent the inter ference of the immigra-
ton agents who seek to etimulate such
desire, but, not 1ithstanding all this, in
many parts OF our country where the COL
ored population ia large, the people OF
that race are, by various devices, de.
prived of any effective exercise of their
political rights and of many of their civil
rights. The wrong does not expend it.
self upon those whose votes are sup.
pressed. Every constituency in the
Union is wronged.
CIVIL RIGHTS.
1t has been the hope of every patriot
that sense of justice and of respect for
the law would work gradual cure for
these fragrant evils. Surely no one sup
posed the present can be accepted as q
permanent condition. If it is said that
these communities must work out this
problem for themselves, We have a right
to ask whether they are at work upon it.
Do they suggest any solution? When
and under what conditions is the black
man to have free ballot? When is
he, in fact, to have those full civil
rights which have so long been his in
law? When is that equality of in
fuence which our form of government
has extended to secure to the electors to
be restored? This generation should
couragsously face this grave question
and not leave it as heritage of woe for
the next. Its consideration should pro.
ceec with candor, cslmness and great
patience upon the lines Of Justice and
humanity, not of prejudice and cruelty.
No question in our country can be arrest
except upon the firm base of justice and
law. 1 earnestly invoke the attention of
Congress to the consideration of such
measures, with its well-de6ned constitu-
tional powers, as will secure to all our
people free exercise of the right of
suffrage and every other civil right
under the Constitution and laws
of the United States. No evil, however
deplorable, can justify the assumption,
either on the part of the Executive or
Of Congress, of powers not granted, but
both will be highly blamable if ali the
powers granted are not wisely but firmly
used to correct these evils. Power to
take the whole direction and control of
the election of members of the House of
Representatives is clearly given to the
General Government. Partial and quail
fed supervision Of these elections is now
provided for by law, and in my opinion
this law may be strengthened and ex-
tended to secure on the whole better re-
suits than can be attained by law tax
ing all the processes of such elections
into Federal control. The colored man
should be protected in all of his relations
to the Federal Government, whether as
juror or witness in courts, an elector of
members of Congress or as peaceful
traveller on our interstate railways.
THE NERO liant MARINE.
There is nothing more Justly humiliat-
ing to the national pride and nothing
more hurting to the national prosperity
than the inferiority Of our merchant
marine compared with that of other ma
tions whose general resources, wealth
and sea-coast lines do not suggest any
reason for their supremacy on the
sea. It was not always go, and
our people are agreed, l think,
that it shall not continue to be so.
1t is not possible in this communication
to discuss the causes of the decay of our