St. Paul daily globe., 1892-06-06
COLOREO MANS PLEA
Judge Tourgee Addresses a
Mass Meeting at Market
Hall.
He Airs His WeIl-KnoWn
Views on the COlored
Question,
And Incidentally Gives the
Two Political Parties a
Roast.
The Colored Citizens De-
mand of the Republican
Convention.

The colored citizens have come to
| final and definite political conclusion,
and they have decided to make one last
and imperative demand of the Repub-
| lican party at the national convention
| this week. This was developed at the
civil rights meeting in market hall last
evening. There was large attendance,
and quite sprinkllng of white people.
| The purport of the gathering came out
when Frederick l.. McGhee was intro
duced. He made stirring speech that
aroused prOdigiouS wave of enthuS-
iaSm, and then introduced this resolu-
ton and it went through with whoop:
Resolved. That the c0lOred delegates to
the national Republican convention. and we
here assembled especially demand, of the ma
uOnal convention respectful hearing ana
consideration of the matters presented and
contained in the memorial of the National
Civil Rights association. and that the colored
delegates stand upon such u declaration of
rights as The last guarantee which they can
accept at the hands of the Republican party.
The memorial will be presented to
the convention in the earlier hours by
the cOlOred delegates. and it will he
espoused by Albion W. Tourgee, of
Chicago, who was the orator at last
nights meeting. Mr.. TOurgee is the
president of the National Citizens
Rights association. William A. Hazel,
the secretary of the Minnesota civil
rights committee, presided at the Mar
ket hail meeting last evening to give
MIR. McGhee an opportunity TO present
his resolution. Mr.. Hazel delivered a
eulOgy upon the memory of Wendell
Phillips, and then he declared that
Wendell Phillips is not dead. for he
liyes-his spirit lives-but it is called by
another name. 1t is called Albion w.
Tourgee, and here lie introduced the
eloquent speaker and writer, who is
engaged in crusade for the colored
men of the country.
TOurgee's Talk.
Mr.. Tourgee prefaced his address
with the explanation that he does not
belong to the civil rights committee,
but the National Citizens Rights aSSO-
citation. In other words, he amplified,
he represented fixed purpose, that by
law and through law,'to enforce the
rights of every citizen in the United
States. He proceeded to declare that
the cOiOred man is not alone deprived
of his rights and complete freedom, and
the speaker went eXhaustively through
the events and conditions that led to
the civil war and the incidents of the
struggle so familiar to every American.
He alleged that what is called Ameri-
can slavery was for Christianity to keep
in forced illegitimacy 100000 people,
and this was denounced as the most
cursed degradation that the world has
ever seen.
Mr.. Tourgee said that in the War of
In 81,
North were permitted 10 fight for. the
freedom of the whites, and that the
whites consented to allow such colored
men their own freedom thereafter. - -
-'The Northern man." he said, with
fervOr, twas determined to be free if he
lost every nigger he had; but the South
ern man was determined to save his
niggers, even if he lost his own life Ill
saving them.
II am not speaking in discredit of the
Republican party, for it is long way
better than the Democratic party, but
If the Republican party actually real
ICES where it is. it's sitting on the in,
yerted apex of its cowardice."
Alphabetically the speaker suggested
that it may be matter of Incompetent
sion, and he soiemnly called upon black
and white to arouse the party to con-
SciousnesS. Then followed an arraign-
ment of the Democratic party. and the
claim was set up that the speaker him
self is not
A Free Man,
but he hoped to die free. however. He
said he could not go into the Southern
states and assert his opinions without
placing himself in more imminent peril
than any peril he faced OH the battle
field in the War of the Rebellion. For
that reason he did not consider himself
free. The Democrat Of the South, he
asserted, may come UP North and
talk for tariff or for free trade,
and he is the only free man of the coun-
try. He can go South and say ANYTHING
he pleaseS so long as he does not tell
the truth, and he has no inclination to
do that. There is not son of dead
soldier that dares stand by the grave
and freely proclaim to the masses that
freely assemble to hear him those
principles for which his father died"
This surprising declaration elected
white contingent in the audience.
Mr.. Tourgee demanded the immutable
and inalienable right as a Republican
to go into Alabama and Mississippi TO
declare for citizens rights,and he called
upon everybody to come and march at
his side to more perfect libarty.
Taking up another phase of the argu-
ment, Judge TOurgee cried out against
lynch law. His language was full of
force and fire. He said that Chicago
preacher had uttered the sentiment
from his pulpit. when negro had been
burned at the stake, that this act was
necessary for the protection and pres
ervation of Christianity.
"When that man declared that
Christianity needs the DEVILS services"
cried the orator. ito keep it upright, lie
| ought to have call to pulpit in hell,
for there he could not preach to Gods
people and everybody would say amen"
1t was then asserted that there had
been as many colOred men lynched and
killed by whites during the past twenty
seven years Sthere had been days in
all those years. and yet only four men
had been punished for it. "and had
| the pleasure" said he with evident
relish. 'Of sentencing one of them"
If a cOlOred man is killed in the South
| it is looked upon 10 more seriously than
| if it were dog; but if, in quarrel in a
| settlement in which the white man is
| compelling the black to pay 80 cents
| pound for bacon that had cost but three
cents, the cOlored man simply slaps the
white man with his open hand, then his
| fate is doomed!