Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-17
THE NEGRO PROBLEM.
Frederick Douglass Says There is No
Such Thing.

But, HE SAYS, THERE Is AN AMERICAN PROBLEM
| A CHARACTERISTIC ADDRESS BIZ THE CoLoRED
| oRAToR-RELATIoNs OF The RAcEs-NEw DAM
| GERS WHICH THREATEN THE NEGRO.
Fred Douglass delivered one Of his charac-
teristic addresses last evening at the Metropoli-
tan A. NJ. E. church. The theme was suggested
| by the anniversary Of emancipation in the Dis
| trict and the large audience, who had come to-
gether at the invitation of the Bethel Literary
! and Historical association followed with close
attention the words of this popular orator of
| the colored race. Mr.. Douglass confined him.
self closely to his manuscript, but at times
| leaving the written page, he elaborated some
idea with a burst of his old-time eloquencef
He thought that the time for noisy street
demonstrations on the emancipation anniver-
sary was past. 1t is not the past, but the
present and future that most concerns the col
ored race. Without wishing to awaken undue
alarm he gave it, as his opinion that at no
period since the abolition OF slavery in the Dis
trict have the
MORAL, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL SURROUNDINGS
of the colored people of the country been more
solemn or foreboding. At no time, he ex-
claimed, in the history of the conflict between
slavery and freedom has the character Of the
negro, as man, been made the subject of a
fiercer and more serious discussion than dur
ing the past and present year. The strong
point made against the negro Is that no two
peoples so different in race and color can live
together in the same country on level of
equal political and civil rights. The speaker
characterized this as the revival of the old
slave-holding Calhoun and McDuffie doctrine,
which cOnfronts the colored people to-day as
sternly as it did forty years ago. Then it was
employed as the sure defense of slavery, now it
is employed as
JUSTIFICATION OF FRAUD AND VIOLENCE
by which colored men are Invested of their
citizenship and robbed of their constitutional
rights in the solid south. This talk about the
colored people. the speaker said, implies that
the negro is regarded as diseased member of
the body polite. He thought that when the
American people became convinced that they
have gone too far in recognizing the rights of
the negro they will find some way to abridge
these rights. They will forget the services of
the negro in the war, his loyalty to the repub-
lie, the enInity of the old slave-holding class.
All this convinced him, he said that the recon-
struction of our national institutions upon a
basis OF liberty, justice, and equality is not yet
accepted as final settlement of
THE NEGRos RELATIONS TO THE GOVERNMENT
He denied that there was any such thing as
negro problem now before the American peo-
pie. 1t is not what the negro is, or what he has
been, or what he may be, but the real question
is whether American institutions can be made
to include and protect alike and forever all
American citizens in their rights. All that is
asked for the negro to-day is that the nation
shall fulfill toward him its own recognized and
imposed obligations His protest now is against
being cheated by cunningly-devised judicial
decisions, by frauds upon the ballOt-box, or by
BRUTAL VIOLENCE OF RED-sHIRTED REBELS.
Mr.. Douglass then went on to speak of what
the negro can do toward the solution of this
American, not negro, problem. He spoke of
the necessity of combating the old-time preju-
dice which still fingers in the mind against the
negro. He protested against the error which
has become somewhat prevalent of late of
stimulating and cultlvating a feeling called
race pride. For his part he saw no superiority
or inferiority IN race or color. Neither are the
choice of men. 1t is the gift of God Almighty
If the sun has tanned our skin and curled our
hair let the sun be proud of its achievement,
although it is trouble enough sometimes in the
combinS. He thought the entire
ASSUMPTION OF RACE PRIDE
was ridiculous. 1t was what man has accom-
plished not his family or his color or race, that
counts. He protested against the idea that
union among the colored people was all essen
white race. The ice of the river may be strong
enough to bear the weight of a man. but would
break through under the weight of an elephant
The negro is the elephant in this country
When people isolate themselves the common
benefit of association with those whose advan-
tages have been superior are lost. The policy
should be to unite with the great mass of the
American people. He spoke of the claim made
that colored people should support newspapers
conducted by cOlOred men because the editors
are colored. Whether colored editor should
receive support, said the speaker, depends en-
tirely on the character of his work. He spoke
of the
ALARM WHICH WAS FELT
by the negro in the south at the election of
Mr.. Cleveland. Now, he said, upon the &C
cession of a republican President the alarm in
the south has been transferred from the cabin
to the mansion. He referred to the representa-
tons made by southern leaders to President
Hayes. and said that the same policy was being
pursued in the case of President Harrison. He
did not believe that the little brOad-headed
man in the White Hoase would be deluded bv
all this specious talk of the effect of giving
office to southerners and thus forming a white
mans party in the south. In conclusion he
expressed confidence in the ultimate triumph
of justice in the case of the colored citizens =