The Washington bee., 1893-12-16
A TALK WITH FRED DOUGLASS
Misfortune of the Negro that the Sins
Of the Few Are Visited Upon
the Many.
From the Post.

From the Post.
Hon. Frederick Douglass, who was
the Haitian commissioner at the
Worlds Fair, has returned to his home,
Cedar Hill, Anacostia. In talk with
q reporter yesterday Mr.. Douglass
would not express an opinion on the
Hawaiian question, saying he thought
he ought to reserve it until the res nlu-
ton of Mr.. Hoar should find compli-
ance.
"Will Minister Smythe be able to con-
summate negotiations looking to the
acquirement of the Mole St. Nicholas?
81 am not informed" he said, "if the
government of the United States will
endeavor to acquire the Mole st. Mich
olas as coaling or naval station. There
is no telling what might be accom-
plished in certain contingencies such as
revolutions might bring about. But [
feel quite sure that under the present
administration the acquisition of the
Mole st. Nicholas is quite impossible. /"
Referring to the Haitian exhibit at
Chicago, he said: 81 express the opin-
ion of the thousands who visited the
Haitian pavilion when | say that her
participation in the Worlds Columbian
Exposition was highly creditable to that
republic Haiti was surprise to those
who visited her pavilion. The Ameri-
can people had been led to believe that
Haiti was barbarouS: that she was de-
scendmg deeper and deeper into bar
barism. When they say the pictures of
her towns and cities: the dwellings of
her people; the public building, such as
the bank of Port-au-P Prince, and the
great iron market house, and learned
as they did learn from me-of the addi-
tiops made to her educational forces,
the surprise and admiration increased.
. / think her exhibits tended very much
to raise the estimation in which colored
people generally are held"
Ibid colored people generally attend
the Fair?n
1.-The attendance of colored people as
spectators of the EpoSition was credlta-
Bile both in point of numbers and re-
spectability. They came there orderly,
well dressed, and made good appear
ance. | doubt not that more would
have attended had not there been an ap-
parent purpose to exclude them from
all honorable participation in the EX-
position itself, and had not the press
taken pains i'm advance to heap ridicule
upon their attendance.
When reminded that there was no
reference to the negro in the President s
message to Congress last Monday, Mr..
Douglass said that he had not read the
message, but if it were SO it were p OBJ
ably best for the negro.
"And why should he," he continued.
"He has had no protest against the
lynch law practices now prevailing In
the Southern states, and likely to be-
come epidemic
s'Do you think the lynching practices
threaten to become epidemlc?"
Eyes, tie tendency is to 1awleSSneSS
and anarchy in this country. There is
fear of irresponsible persons taking the
law into their own hands and endeavor-
ing to usurp the places of sherlffs, con-
stables, jurieS, judges, and determining
the guilt or innocence OF men without a
fair trial.
1.-The general charges that are made
against the negro, in the South especial
ly-the charge of assault upon white
women-has affected public opinion un-
favorably toward the race. 1t is the
misfortune of the negro that all pre-
sumptions are against him, and to be
charged with Grim in the South Is to
be pronounced guilty i'll advance.
Then, too, it is another misfortune to
the negro that the sins of the few are
visited upon the manv. When white
man commits a crime. he alone has to
suffer, but the sins of one negro, are
visited upon all negroes. Thus far l
do not see that our colo ed press has
done all it might do to defend the race
from this charge. For my own part, |
can say that 1 honestly believe the
charge against the Southern negroes is,
in most cases, trumped up. | shall,
however, take it upon myself at an
early date to give my views at length
on the subject here in Washington"