The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-09-25
Judge creavsland and the cororsd Race.

PROBATE court Dy JuuSe AiSdNtldIIO has
created a tempest in tea kettle in the
state of Connecticut. The appointment
has been interpreted by some as a po-
litical move.
The Judge has been termed an 'astute
politician and all sorts of motives
have been attributed to him, to all of
which the judge has said nothing-at
least nothing for publication; nor has
anyone taken the trouble to dispassion-
ately discuss the matter from a disin-
terested point of view.
To get at the inwardness of the thing
one must go away back and begin at
the maternal grandfather on the one
side and the father on the other. Ma
thaniel Jocelyn, the portrait painter,
painter and friend of the famous Gin
quez, the Amistad captive, was not only
the friend of the colored man but was
a champion of equal rights, which is
something more. Jocelyn was Cleave-
lands grandfather, and his house on
York street was a. station of the under
ground railway.
Jocelyn had a brother named Simeon
Smith Jocelyn, the noted engraver, who
was brave enough TO also serve as white
pastor of the old Temple street colored
churcll-at a. time when to do SO cost
great deal more than the appointment
to-day of colored man to clerkship.
He was the intimate friend of and CO.
laborer with William Lloyd Garrison
and Arthur Tappan.
L. was the Rev. S. S. Jocelyn who in
Philadelphia, in 1881, at great conven-
ton of colored people, propounded a
scheme for college for colored students
at New Haven. The college was to in
clude instruction in the mechanic arts,
agriculture and horticulture. In the
minutes of that convention the follow
ing are ,the reasons for locating the
proposed college in New Haven:
/. The site is healthy and beautiful.
2. Its inhabitants are friendly, pious,
generous and humane.
8. It's laws are salutary and protecting
to all. without regard to complexion,
ETC., etc.
Arthur Tappan purchased site here
and offered one thousand dollars. But,
alas. on September 10, 1881, at meet
ing called by the mayor and aldermen,
notice was given that the manual labor
college would not be tolerated; the pre-
text being that sit was auxiliary to the
agitation against the municipal institu-
ton of slavery and Incompatible with
the prosperity, II not the existence Of
Yale college"
The sact Of the matter is that the
friends of the movement killed 1t by
calling i. college" At the town
meeting only five men voted for It;
Jocelyn. his brother and three others.
So much for one side.
Judge CleaveIand's father, the Rev.
James Bradford Cleaveland, direct de-
scendant of Governor William Bradford,
was the pastor of the South Egremont
(Mass) Congregational church during
the stormy days of the civil war. Here
we find him laundering against the dew
ilish institution of slavery, to congre-
cation some Of whom sat and read pro-
slavery papers in their pews while he
was doing 1t. Some OF them, unable to
stand the fire. got up and went out,
slarnn1ing the pew doors behind them!
Pastor Cleaveland was young and
fearless and his wife ably backed him
Fun. It was under the inspiration Of
| those days that Mrs. Cleaveland first
touched her Tyre in the cause of human
| freedom. Here in this Berkshire vii
| lage, conten1poraneous with the re-birth
of nation and of human freedom was
born Livingston w. cleveland. There
are some things that a man cannot be
responsible for. He cannot choose his
49,. s,l. -
his birth.
/ This man might have chosen a better
political philosophy than the pabulum
of Republicanisrn, but to draw distinc-
tons because Of complexion he would
have to change his blood and be recreant
to the trust OF a noble heritage. His
father, with the insight Of o prophet,
wrote to Abraham Lincoln the follow
ing letter:
''Sir-Eoual to the exigency Of the
times, your name will hereafter be as
conspicuous in the history Of this ma
ton. as is that OF Moses In the sacred
history Of Israel. Moses is honored as
Liberator; that such may be the renown-
ed title on the future page of the repub-
lie now so ably presided over by you is
the prayer Of millions"
The date of Pastor Cleaveland's letter
| is November %, 1851. The date of the
Emancipation proclamation, which gave
Lincoln this very title. and fixed his
place in history is September %, 1852.
The spirit which animated the father
anirnates the son. Equality of men be-
fore the law. There is vacancy-who
shall fill it? The man best able, all
things else considered. 1t made no diff
ference to him whether he was q
Hebrew. an American, an Irishman, O.
colored man, or to what nationality he
belonged.
The incident under discussion is an
application of a larger thought-an in
heri.ed belief that all men are created
equal. If this particular application Of
cleveland anything, he may console
himself with the knowledge that he
pays infinitely less than the Jocelyns
and CleaveIands paid for the same prin-
ciple generation ago.
If he offends his party he may be sure
that the Republicans of the future Gf
there be any will point to his appoint
ment with pride and say--"As we did in
1863, so we did In 19O3!" But the incon-
trovertible facts of the appointment are
ss follows: A clerks gets a promotion
and resigns. An ordinary man would
receive in the ordinary way and look
around FOR another. An extraordinary
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