, 1898-10-27

CAN Ddl IN an
(Applause.) Now, don't you and feel
prouder of American citizenship than
we ever did before? This has been a
patriotic . l thank God that when
the great crisis csine in the senate OF
The United States, the one great crlsls
as TO whether or not we should gave
cur treasure and our blood to drive
tyranny and oppression and murder ana
license from the Western hemisphere.
ON that supreme issue, l am glad to les
rify to it, that in the congress OF the
United States all parties were united
and stood and voted together. There
were only two occasions in the course
of all that great history making period
when the democratic party failed 10
rise to the patriotic standard. But for
those two omissions l advised them on
the floor of the senate thai would
hold them responsible to the American
people. When your boys were called
to arms and started for the east and
west shores, the republican members
of congress introduced a bill and passed
IT permitting these soldiers OF ours to
vote for members Of congress, Int on
,o.;o,o, iss,,es in the field. Was not
that right? Was not that just? That
bill came to the senate day after day,
W., renuh,ican senator's stood I'D and
s.;d. .Nr President. I ask unanimous
oonsert IN consider and pass this bill
were not those bows entitled to Ameri-
loan citizenship while they were carry
inc muskets, as much as those who
wore left behind at home? Was it just,
was If American to rob them of the
right of elective franchise because
Ithey were following the flag? And yet
eyerv time a republican senator stood
IN and asked unanimous consent to
mass this bill. I say to their shame, a
democrat raised his voice and said, 81
obiect." and the bill failed. And in
private conversation they made nc
bones of stating the reason why they
obiected to giving our soldiers in the
field the right to vote. They said: Out
in the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Wy
oming and others, that we hope to
carry. we are going to have a better
chance to elect our ticket this year II
these bows in the field don't get a
chance TO vote" And they can't vote
TODAY. and YOUR brave troops in the
field are robbed of that highest privi-
lege of American citizenship because
democrats stood on the floor of the
American senate and said, Mr.. Presi-
ldent. 7 object" But this was not the
worst After war was declared, we
knew hat we would have to wage that
var on foreign shores. in a tropical
~rapion under a burning tropical sun.
we knew that the soldiers would have
lto face heat and fever more DANGEROUS
Than the bayonets of the enemy. At
this time the colored people of the
limited States commenced to besiese
us with netitions day after day: they
came in from all over the south, and
narts Of the north as we'll. They said
l,o us I'VE are the onlv true
FIR al, rom the generations of his
torv orr ancestors lived under a tropi-
"a, SIN By inheritance and by our
steady work. and by our lives in the
southern states In the heat of the sum-
mer We have become Injured to the
trouic climate and are free from dead
|lv dangers Of southern feyers." They
lsaid. Eve want a chance 10 raise color
ed regiments and 1eht for that soyern-
ment which gave ia liberty" (Ap-
nlause) We knew thew were brave.
and we know better oday that tbey
are brave. We remember how they
charped into the hell at Fort Pillow and
went to death without a falter or an
evidence Of cowardice. And in this
latter time. impartial history will re-
cord the fact that when our flag went
IN the hill at San Juap. when that line
went up the hill. that the foremost.
eyen ahead Of the rough riders in their
|desperate charge went I'M the unbroken
lines of he Ninth and Tenth regiments
Of colored soldiers. led by American
Officers. and thew PLANTED the flag on
1.-The hill and kent n there fAnp,ause,
Our boys in the north were not inn
munes. for. from the beginning of time.
they had been Of the north and nj the