Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1901-12-20

lmany prominent Offices and repre-
/ scented the commonwealth almost ex-
: clusively at Washington.
Il Robert C. Delarge was an or.
I farmer reared as slave, and well
known locally for his high character
| as man. AT the close OF his term
he became trial justice in Charles
i ton. where he died in 1874
The most distinguished Negro in
this congress was Robert Brown FL
. hot. He was a native of BOSTON,
Mass, where he received pribarv
education in private schools. He
went to England in 1853 and was
graduated from Eton College six
years later Then he studied law
in London and returned to this coun-
try at the close of the Civil War. He
found in South Carolina promising
field and from 1868 was a prominent
legislator and state official. He was
reelected to the Forty-third Con-
gress but resigned soon after the
death of Sumner in 1874 to become a
county sheriff. His speech in favor
of the Civil Rights bill was so excel
lent that many thought that it was
prepared by Sumner. But Mr.. Sum-
ner denied any connection with the
speech and the eulogy of Elliot over
the death of Charles Sumner was an
| even greater speech.
In the Forty-third Congress, which
opened in 1878. seven Negroes were
members. Four represented South
Carolina and one each came from
Alabama. Florida and Mississippi.
Those not previous mentioned were
John r. Lynch of Mississippi, Jo-
seph T. Walls of Florida, JAS. IT. Ra-
pier of Alabama, Richard III. Cain
and Alonzo j. Rensier of South Caro-
lima. OF these Lynch was the only
one to make his mark. He is native
of Louisiana, was self-educated, and
next to the late Senator Blanche K.
Bruce, has had the most prominent
political career of any colored man
in the country He served six years
in congress, and is the only colored
man to receive the honor of temper
airy chairman of the Republican Ma
tional convention. This he held in
the convention of 1884 in Chicago.
and he received the honor largely
as the result of a speech by the pres
! ent president of the United Staes.
/ MIR. Roosevelt said:
"It is now. Mr.. Chairman. less than
a quarter of century since in this
city the great republican party for
the first time organized for victory
and nominated Abraham Lincoln OF
Illinois, who broke the letters of the
slave and rent them asunder forever.
1t is a fitting thing for us to choose
to preside over this convention one
| Of that race whose right to sit with
in these walls is due to the blood and
treasure so 1avishly spent by the
founders of the republican party
And it is but a further indication Of
the principles for which the republi-
can party so long struggled. I trust
that the Hon. Mr.. Lynch will be elect
ed temporary chairman"
| Mr.. Lynch is now a paymaster in
the regular army with the rank OF
major.
The Forty-fourth Congress, March
4, 1875: to March 3, 1877, may be
termed the Black Congress, as it
contained the highest number of col
ored men of any session. There was
a total Of eight in both branches.
Blanche X. Bruce of Mississippi en-
tered the senate at this time and
served his full six years. Bruce was
a Virginian, but found his way West
during the war, adapting himself to
such opportunities as arose. 1t was
during this period that he asked a
stranger to write pass for him to
cross the Mississippi. Struck by the
youths excellent bearing the man
compiled. The stranger on returning
to the town many years afterward
inquired for the boy and related the
incident. He was informed that the
signature of the same person he in
I f~v Ii
to cross the same river, as Bruce was
then register of the United States
treasury and his sigma ture appeared
on all paper currency. Senator Bruce
married into family representing
t:e best culture of his race. AMI lis
only son IS now a. student of Harvard
University. Inaddition to the offices
| D.mCti ne hela others of pr 'n"nce
and owned /: large plantati IN in Ms.
si.<sirpi. He died three years ago and
his widow has chosen to work for the
. elevation of the race with which she
is identified. She is the woma n prin.
cipal of the Tuskegee Institute in
Alabama. During President Arthur's
ADMINISTRATION she had the honor to
serve as one of the receiving ladies
at the White House.
The house of representatives of the
Forty-fourth Congress had seven col.
ored men. Rainey. Walls and Lynch
already mentioned, and John A. Hy.
man of North Carolina, Charles F.
Nash of Louisiana, Jere HARRISON OF
Alabama and Robert Smalls of South
tCarolina. OF these, Smalls is unique
He was born a slave at Beaufort, c.
c., and grew up in life atsea. In
1862 he was helper on the 'Confed-
/ crate franSnOr% p1onfar on1 M q
night when all the officers had gone
ashore Smalls slipped his wife and
children aboard and with the aid OF
eight other colored men conducted
the Planter out of the harbor al
Charleston and delivered it to- the
blockading squadron. For this he
/ WAS 1dad laxr tho