Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-11-14
COLoRED CITIZENS.
Their Vigorous Appeal TO Reason
and Humanity
TO Aid Than In Obtaining Their Lawful
Rights.
They Issue Q Call for the Organisation
OF q National Association.

WAsHINGroN, Nov. Is.
The Central Bureau OF Relief of Washing.
ton, composed Of colored men, have issued
an appeal TO the earnest advocate of the
equal exercise Of political and civil rights
for the colored American citizen" in which
they state the organization Was formed for
the purpose of cooperating with various or
CARNATIONS in this country for the purpose of
obtaining free and equal exercise Of political
and civil rights and privileges for colored
American ctizsns of the United States. ss
guaranteed by the constitution and laws of
this government. They call attent on to the
fact that in parts of this country colored
citizens are prevented. BY force and
fraud, from exercising the rights of
American citizeDa; their property wantonly
destroyed, and they made powerless to defend
or protect the sancti,y Of their families.
The appeal continues; This disgraceful
and barbarous condition Of affairs is assented
to, if not encouraged, by the local govern
ments Of those states. aud the general gov
ernment has for nineteen years failed to sp-
ply any redress or remedy against these in
human 0utrages upon its cOlored citizens. y"
Believing that the spirit of justice exists
among the American people and that public
sentiment condemns such acts Of barbarity,
support to all proper efforts to remedy these
wrongs. and belize wing united and continuous
effort by the colored people will help change
this condition Of affairs, this organization
earnestly appeals to all just and humsne citi-
zens, without regard to sex, age, creed or
political faith. to assist their effort to remove
this foul blot upon American civilization by
petitions to State Legislatures and Congress
for auch State and national legislation M will
remedy these wrongs. We ask the ministers
Of every church in this country to offer
on Thanksgiving Day special prayers
against these outrages and invoke Divine
influence upon the minds and hearts Of citi
ze' ., law makers, judges, and State execu-
tives, ~ will cause them to seriously reflect
that u continuance of these crimes is an
alarming menace to the safety of this gov
ernment The bureau has issued . call for
the national consentio, to be held in Wash
ingtOn, ID. c., the first Monday in February,
1890, to organize national association of
colored American citizens, by which the
united and continuous efforts will be made to
relieve them from the personal Outrages in
fiicted upon them in the Southern States,
and to obtain all the rights of American citi-
zens, which are now denied them in some
parts Of the country To ascertain the Op-
posing influences that retard the growth of
their educational, moral, and material inter
ests, and to invoke Congress to pass such
legislation as will enable the colored Ameri-
cans to exercise the right of franchise in the
Southern States without fear of molesta-
ton; to pass the Blair educational bill, and
to pass the bill to pay the depositors of the
Freedmen's Bank in full of the deposits.