Huntsville gazette., 1894-01-20
SATURDAY, JAN. 20, 1894
1NTHE RoE's DEFENSE.
The Cd Man Eloquent Pleads Fo'
HE Race at the Bar OF Pub
lie Opinion.

The following are extracts from
the able and mastery speech OF the
Hon. Fred Douglass, made Friday
night January 9, at the Metropoh-
ian American Methodist Episcopal
Church, Washington, D. c., on "The
Issues Of the Hour" which pertain
to the solution Of the $50 called, but
mis-called Negro Problem"
"rbe conta gion of Negro lynch
ing IS spreading and threatens to de-
stroy all respect for law and order in
all parts Of our county,
Times have changed and the Ne
eroe's ACCUSE rs have found it neces-
sary to change with them. The old
charges are no longer valid Honest
men no longer believe in, or have
respect for, the worn out stories OF
insurrection. They no longer be-
lieve that there is just ground to ap-
prehend Northern supremacy 1t Is
thought still necessary, however, to
murder the Negro, and hence we now
have to look into the face of more
shocking and blasting charge than
murder itself. 1t clouds the charac.
ter Of the Negro, il is fitted to drive
him from all sympathy and all fair
play, and all mercy. 1t places him
outside of the pale of law, and set
ties upon his shoulders mantle OF
wrath and fire that burns into his
very soul.
I am charged with defending Grim;
inals, | am not ashamed of that
charge. | dare contend for the coll
o,ed people of tho United States,
that they be given every safeguard
tor liberty and person that is guar>
anteed to other American citizens.
"The proposition to disfranchise
the colored voter Of the South y
| denounce as mean and cowardly
proposition, utterly unworthy of an
honest, truthful and grateful nation.
1t is proposition to sacrifice friends
in order to conciliate enc emies, to
surrender the constitu ii II to the late
rebels tor the lack of moral courage
to execute its provisions. The favor
with which this cowardly proposi>
ton of disfranchisement has been re
ceiyed has shaken my
faith in the nobility of the nation.
Another proposition is to colon :
ize the colored people of America in
Africa or somewhere else. Happily
the scheme is likely to be defeated,
both by its impo'icy and impractica>
bility.
''If the Am rican people could en-
dure the Negroes presence as slave
they ought certainly tie endure his
presence as a free man. If they
could endure him " hen he was igno-
rant, they might endure him now
that he is becoming intelligent.
"Such a crime against justice,
such a crime against gratitude, if
ever attempted, would certainly
bring dowu a Judgment which would
cause the earth to shudder.
Let the white people of the
North and South conquer their pre-
iudices. Let the great Northern
press and pulpit proclaim the gos~
pei of truth and Justice with refer
ence to the war now being made
upon the Negro. Let the American
people cultivate kindness and hu
manlty, let the oouth ABANDON the
system of mortgage labor and
cease to make the Negro a pauper
by paying him script for his labor.
"Let it give up the idea that it can
be free while maxi G the Negro a
slave. Let it cease putting new
wine into old bottles aad mending
old garments with new cloth. Let
the organic law of the land be hon
estly sustained and obeyed Let the
political parties cease TO patter in a
double sense. and let them live up to
their platform. Let the statesmen
of the country live up to their COM
victiOns.
apply your sublime and glorious
truths to the uaIion now before
you. Put away your race pr, jndice
Danish the idea that one class must
rule over another and your problem