Evening star., 1897-03-31
AMENDMENT
Anniversary of Its Ratification Celebrated
in This City.
Addresses Before the Bethel Literary
Association-PrOf. j. NJ. Lang
ston ON Negro Rights.

celebrated last evening at Metropolitan A.
VI. f. Church, NJ street between 18th and
18th streets northwest, in the presence Of
large gathering.
The platform was occupied by Prof. John
NJ. Langston, the orator of the evening;
Judge NJ. w. Gibbs of Arkansas, President
l.. NJ. Hershaw of the Bethel Literary As
sociation. Prof. r. T. Greener, ex-Lieut.
Gov Pinchback of Louisiana and exRep-
resentative George ". Murray of South
Carolina.
After prayer by Rev. Mr.. Smith of Penn
sylvania Mr. Hershaw who presided, read
the fifteenth amendment and made short
speech, in the course of which he said II
may be right to deprive the negro men OF
the right TO vote in Mississippi and South
Carolina because they do not understand
certain abstruse problems, but 1t is not
right to Deprive them of the right to vote
because of their color.
He also urged his audience to ally them
selves with the cultured and educated OF
both races, stating that 1t was intelligent
and educated men who brought about great
reforms.
Miss Ida A. Gibbs read President Grants
proclamation issued March 30, 1870. an
nouncng the adoption of the fifteenth
amendment by twenty-nine out OF the then
thirty-seven states of the Union.
Mr.. LangstOn to Young Men.
President Hershaw in brief address
presented Mr.. Langston to the audience
Mr. Hershaw had dwelt particularly on the
fact that Mr. Langston was a warm friend
of Young men, and referring to that Mr..
Langston said in part: Il had rather nave
the good opinion of the young to the ef-
feet that i had helped him or her than
to have wagon load OF gold 10 me
there is luxury in helping young men.
when you say I have helped young
men you please me. and 1 want you to
permit me to help young men as long as l
live You may take the Senate and tne
House. and even the presidency or the
United States. and your pedestal VIII not
be as high as mine II l have the ioVe VI
the youth of this country"
After referring to the history or the
formation of the literary association under
whose auspices the anniversary was op-
served the speaker said: Under no cir
cumstances ought distinction to he made
between American citizens on the GROUND
of their complexion l remember great
convention which met at Roc chester. N. L..
many years ago to talk of what our status
was under the then laws of our country.
went there. How black were some OF the
delegates, and yet how great! How lgnt
some were and yet they were not greater!
How beautiful they all were in their devo-
ton to their countrymen and in their earn
estness to secure the rights to which we
were entitled; but II was at a great national
convention in 1864, at Syracuse, IN New
York that we first talked of our right to
vote.
OId-11me ..Black' Laws.
| Mr. Langston next spoke OF the black
| laws formerly in force In Ohio and In
| diana, and said that Gen. John A. Logan
once introduced bill into the Illinois leg
isature which had for Its object ,he SELL
| ing of colored men who should come into
the state to settle into slavery
He desired, he said, to impress upon the
association that the black man did his full
tIsf frn dom nf no
race. In every state their theme was,
Give me liberty or give me death. and
| religiously they held to it. MIR. Langston
| referred in extended terms TO the Dred
| Scott decision of Chief Justice Taney, and
| said so solid had become the sentiment at
| that time among the white people of the
| country against the negro that ii was al
| most impossible to move 1t.
Mr.. Langston argued that the adoption
| of the fifteenth amendment was not needed
| to give the negro the right to vote; that
| he had had really the right to do SO from
| the period of the time of the formation OF
| the government. and that this status was
! created in the Declaration of 1ndepen-
/ dence.
Mr. Langston created much merriment
| by telling about meeting held some years
| ago in Ohio, where he made a speech in
| favor OF giving the negro the right to vote
! and man in the audience rose and said,
/ Il say you shall not have the right to vote
| beoause you are so black. Il replied, I
| say you not vote because you have
| a red head My argument had as good
| foundation as my opponents"
| He urged the young men of the negro
race to aspire to any position in the gift
| of the people, even If 1t be the presidency
Of the United States, and brought down
| the house by word picture of the man
| ner in which colored men usually go to
| the White House to ask the President for
| an office.
We are timid" he continued ''as to our
| real condition. We must get over that.
We must forget that are anything but
| American citizens. i claim that the law
i is with u.s. Mr.. Langston then read an
| opinion of the supreme court of North
| Carolina in support of his contention. This
opinion was, he said. rendered about the
same time as the famous Dred Scott de-
| cisicn Of Chief Justice Taney, and assert
| cd that for fifty years following the pro-
motion of the Union colored freemen voted
| in North Carolina with the same privileges
| as white men.
A Suggestion of War.
Il am not sure he further continued
that we will get our rights without the
shedding of blood, 1 am not opposed to
war, l would like to have a war;" and
tuning TO Prof. Greener, he said: 81
would like to you, sir, a general. We
are entitled to the ballot every one of US
There was no color in the Declaration OF
lnde ependence. none in the Constitution
ano yet we are tonight celebrating the
ado ption of the fifteenth amendment tc
the Constitution, despite the fact that We
had the right to vote fifty years before"
After referring to the death of Lincoln
Grant. Sumner and Others " no were he
said, great friends of the colored race hi
assured his hearers that they would gel
nothing from the white race except wha
they demanded.
| He further urged them to aspire to bis
| positions as we'll as small ones and to keeI
ON asking the giving power and may b.
they would get some of them
In conclusion he urged every one to dt
J all In his power to make this the great
est land under the sun, and to determin,
20 be useful member of the population O.
this great country.
| Short addresses were made by ex-Lieut
Gov. Pinchback. Judge Gibbs and Prof
GreeEer. On motion of Mr.. R. 8. Smitl
a vote OF thanks was rendered to Mr.
Langston and all others who had takel
| part in the meeting.
Boards. 12-in., 1c. per foot. Libbey & CO
-AdyertfSemenf