Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-05-11
At the inaugural

color to the hint At the inaugural ceremonies the colored people were plain ly told that they were regarded as in- truders and that their absence was a thing very much to be desired. When colored men sought to impress on Presi- dent Harrison that it would be a grace full thing to recognize their services by placing a colored man in his cabinet, they were rebuked in a manner that they have not since succeeded in pardoning. And few days since William Murrell, the colored editor of the Trumpet, an organ published at Jersey City in the interest of the col ored race, called at the white house and told the president very plainly, though politely, just what his people are think ing. He gave the president to under stand that there is already among the 'colored people sort of foot race to get into the democratic party first, and that if this Birmingham movement repre- sented the ideas of the administration in regard to the colored people the time was not far distant when colored repub- icans could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The only satisfaction he re- ceived from President Harrison was that the colored people must do as Frederick Douglass has advised, be patient. To this frigid advice Mir Murrell's reply was elo- quent. "So we have been," said he. "for
 
 impatient. We want some of the good things of life as we go along. And, MT President, Frederick Douglass does not know the eolored people of the south. He cannot speak for the colored ipeople generally. Here in Washington Fred erick Douglass seems to fill both eyes. But you know there are other colored leaders beside him, and the best of them will tell you that this Birmingham movement will not do." But MT Murrell taunting reply that he and his people must be patient. Is it any wonder that the colored people should rise in revolt against this continued servitude ill which their political masters of the re- publican party seek to keep them?
 It is an encouraging sign that the negroes are beginning to assert their rights. For twenty years they have blindly followed the lead of the republicans, voting with out intelligence or knowledge of men or issues and suffering at any effort to open their eyes to the continued abuses showered on them by the party that profited from their blind allegiance. The motive that prompted their enfranchise ment was the selfish one of gain, which mingled not with even the highway mans custom of sharing the plunder with those who helped him in his raid. An occasional crust has been thrown to the colored republicans in the way of a janitorship or all-work-and- no pay membership of some political commit tee, but as to getting anything like a proportional share of the fruits of vic- tory which they have helped to win they seem to be as far from it as they were advance beyond their present condition until they rise up in their might and compel recog milton from their political masters. Sc long as they blindly follow the lead of selfish politicians, so long as they are willing to follow President Harrison's counsel to be patient, just so long may they expect to be kicked out the back door when they look for political ad- vancement or recognition from the party that has pinned the badge of political slavery upon them. If they want the supremest right that belong to Ameri- can citizenship-the right to seek polit- ical favor at the hands of their fellow citizens-they must learn to think for themselves, to study political independ- ence, to acknowledge no political owner ship, to go with whatever party and whatever policy promise most for them.
 We hope to see the colored blood grow redder on the political moon, for we would have them secure larger share of the things that belong to them.