Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-01-07


clses In Union American M. e. Church.
The feelings of the colored citizens
found vent in addresses and songs
The most enjoyable part of the cele-
bration was at night, when the exer-
clses were held in Bethel A. M. E.
Church. An address by the Hon Fred
erick Douglass, ex-United States min
lister to Hayti, added greatly TO the in
teYest. The evenings programme was
taken up at 8. O'Clock, 40 minutes later
b than the time advertised. A clever
sized audience was present, but it was
less thanshe occasion demanded. One
third of those present were white. The
Rev. w. D.~Cook presided On the
front of the gallery were banners in
scribed as follows "Mental culture is
the food of humanity" Constitution
of the United States, fifteenth amend
ment, In this sign we place our trust"
"We hold these truths to be self-eyi-
dent, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain inalienabie rights and
that among these are life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness" an God we
trust" at is noble to die for ones
country" "Crispus Attacks, March 9th,
ITO, his was the first blood shed in the
dawn of the American revolution" By
request of the presiding officer Thomas
Bird, the Rev. L. 4. Parker, City Coun-
Gilman F. b. Cotton, the Rev. G. V.
Peterson, Robert Graves, City Treasurer
Joseph X. Adams, ID. B. Anderson, w.
Il. Grinnage, Daniel p. Hamilton, the
Rev. G. II. Washington, A. b. McPher,
son Johnson, w. ii. Miller, the Rev. ].
H. Rrirkhouca I Il JNtle,,, lVr,l,;,...
ton Hastings, the Rev. j. Simpson
Trotter, William Winston and the Rev.
l.. A. Purnell occupied seats on the
rostrum. Regrets were received from
United States Senator Anthony Higgins,
who telegraphed from Washing
ton that business there prevented
him attending the meeting, and
from Mayor Stansbuiy j. Wiley
the expected presiding officer, who
wrote that the serious illness Of his
another would not permit him to attend.
Following the singing of "My Coun-
try It's of Thee" invocation was made
by Mr.. Parker. After another chorus
had been sung Mr.. Cook read the eman-
cipation proclamation. This was fol-
lowed by another chorus and next the
regrets were read. Mr.. Cook called upon
Mr.. Hastings to introduce the orator OF
the evening, which he did briefly and
gracefully.
Mr., Douglass began his speech at 1886
o'clock and talked two hours exactly.
When he commenced the clock above
the platform registered "a minutes OF 8
and when he ceased it Indicated "a
minutes of IL. Notwithstanding the
length of his address he Lad the con
slant attention of the audience. He ex-
pressed thanks for the complimentary
introduction and said it gave him
pleasure to be present to assist in the
celebration. He explained that he was
aiNictim of the grip and that it had left
him without voice and extremely weak.
The determination to never disappointan
audience, he declared, brought him here
in his indisposition. After referring to
President Lincoln and his virtues he
spoke OF the Abolitionist meeting at
which news of the adjustment of
slavery was received and of
the joy with which the information was
obtained. Questions suggested to every
mind, he said, were what would be the
outcome of the emancipation of the col
ored race; would the colored people
work for themselves as they did for
their masters, and would they behave as
well? These questions, he thought, had
been answered. Fifty years ago we, the
north, asked what have we TO do with
slavery? The war answered that ques-
ton. The strife was not merely the
white mans fight. II was the fight of
the nation and Christianity. lie re-
membered the days when it was ncces-
sary to have the eagle on the negro's
buttons, to have musket in his hands
and knapsack on his shoulder. Not
until then, when we were melting
away under the fire and pesti-
lence of the rebellion, not until
the recruiting sergeant moved up
and down our streets from morning
until night, calling for men to go to the
front to fill the gap caused by con-
federate muskets and pestilence, then
Lincoln called and the colored people
responded nearly 100000 strong. The
tide has turned. What American is not
proud that the country is free from
slavery9 How has the negro come
along9 He must not be measured from
the heights the Caucasian has attained,
, but from the depths, No people has
mad less chance for progress than the
colored man. He was not freed by the
consent Of his owner. Never were
people let loose who were SO destitute.
He had been asked, he said, to give
some facts and thoughts about the
black republic, Hayti. lie had resided
there as United States minister and
consul-general. That sounds queer and
big, don't it, he asked with mingled sar-
casm and bitterness. Some had observed
that since his return he had not been
sufficiently reticent. He had gained the
Ill will of persons who thought he
talked too much. Tho New York
Tribune, which from Greeley had been
friend 10 him, thinks he has done
wrong. He would say to the Tribune its
grief and charges are not well founded.
He bad said nothing but what had been
said before. If the 1ribune's rebuke
should have come it should have been
when the white squadron was at Hayti,
fer ut that time the press was filled with
diplomatic secrets so-call5d and he was
held up to ridicule. His offence was
{ hat he refused to allow himself to be
made scapegoat.
\ From the beginning of our century
l until now, he asserted, Hayti and her
7 people have been very much in the
5thobghts of the Americans, very inter-
esung to politicians and statesmen. Aside
serum politics and commerce the country
Is strong and attractive. 1t was the first
country to be invaded by the Christian
Church and slavery, the fret where the
colored men fought and got liberty. The
Spanish Christians found in Hayti more
than million people and in less than
so years reduced them to to 100000.
The people of Hayti are interesting to
the colored people of the United. States
because of the link between them. Like