The colored American., 1902-02-08

tent to NIL the important pOSIS aS
ministers in the foreign service; as
postmasters in the large cities Of the
South; as collectors Of internal reVe-
nue.; as prominent officials in the
customs service; as consuls to Europe
an countries; as cadets in the military
and naval academies, and as high joint
commissioners to foreign nations.
General Grant accepted the Negro
at his true value, and he made no mis-
take. Under Grants administration
we had men of our race in both
houses of Congress. At a time of
salary grabbing and stock dickering,
when almost every man in both
branches of Congress, including the
Vice-President of the United States
who presided over the Senate, and
the Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives, was accused of accepting
stock in return for voting certain fran
chises to the Pacific Railway Com
pany, be it said to their credit, and
to the everlasting honor of our race,
and the glory of the Nation, that not
a cOlOred member ever accepted one
dollars worth of railroad stock or
had any part or lot in the scheme of
salary grabbing. That looks like we
were both competent and worthy to
vote, and that there was no mistake
made in granting suffrage at the time
and in the manner that it was grant
ed to colored men.
We became fullfiedged citizens of
the United States under Grant, and as
long as he was in the White House our
rights as citizens were protected.
Grant was to us what the colosseum
was to Rome:
Where stands the colosseum, Rome
stands,
When falls the colosseum, Rome
falls"
The political troubles of the Negro
began with the surrender of Hayes in
1S77-just twenty-five years ago. The
rights then surrendered have never
been regained, and it should be borne
in mind that rights once surrendered
are seldom ever regained, unless
through a bloody revolution, and we
don't want any of that.
From the passing of Grant to the
coming of Roosevelt the coIored citi-
zen has been a constant loser of poll
teal and civil rights in this country,
until today he stands, as it were, on
the ragged edge of nothing;
Between the devil, and the deep blue
sea-"
At the breaking out of the civil war
there were about eight millions of
free white people at the South; about
four millions of Negro slaves at the
South, and about four hundred thous-
and Shareholders at the South, and
twenty millions of white people at the
North, supposed to be free. The four
hundred thousand Shareholders domi-
mated and controlled the four millions
of salves; dictated to and ruled the
eight millions of white people at the
South, and the twenty millions OF
white people at the North; shaped the
whole policy of the Government, and
controlled every office in the gift Of
the Nation from Washington to Lin
coin. Driven from place and power
at the ballot box in 1860. they tried to
Overturn and destroy the Government
| by an appeal to arms. 1t was the rem
nant of that slave Oligarchy that
Grant had to face and deal with when
| he became President of the United
| States and he was the first man who
| ever sat in the White House who was
more than a match for them Grant
was, in truth and in deed. the Pres
ident of the whole people; for the
whole people elected him, and he was
| the only President of the United
| States ever voted for by all the peo-
Dle. | use my words advisedly There
never was any election of a President
| by all elements of the people until
the coming of Grant, and there never
| has been an election for national off