The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-04-13
,aoers, and he never denied it at the

GluS.
AS to the White House reception.
I had precisely the same GROUNDS ior
belief that the public had in the case
Of Booker Washington. II was 50
charred: ana no denial was made.
L, has not only beea charged IN
newspa pers, but appeared ~ doom
form. .:,,
The book to which l refer is The
Life and Times SofFrederick Douglass. "
The author was Douglass himself. In
this book Douglass glorides Mr..
| Cleveland for the reason that Cleve-
land treated him and Mrs. Douglass"
as social equals.
This book was published in 1895
near where Mr. Cleveland lives, and
nobody has challenged its statements
SO far as | know.
Douglass was an ardent admirer Of
Mr.. Cleveland. The Democratic presi-
dent had, for a considerable time, al
lowed the Republican negro to con-
tinue to hold one of the fatteSt offices
in Washington City. But it was not
| for this that Douglass loved Cleve-
land.
What won the heart OF the negro
was the fact that at a critical time
when both whites and blacks were
condemning Douglass for his marriage
with a white woman, Mr.. Cleveland
was brave enough to defy pubic
opinion and to extend social recognl-
ton to the negro and his white wife.
Some extracts from the Douglass
book were published last Saturday in
the Atlanta News, but as Mr.. CleVe-
lands letter was written a month ago,
! it becomes necessary for me to go over
he same ground second time.
Douglass says that his false friends"
both colors were loading him with
~sproaches because he had recently
married a white woman.
Popular prejudice" among the
blacks as well as the whites had been
aroused by this act Of miscegenatlon.
But Fred says that Mr.. Cleveland,
in spite of all the clamor about the
white wife, singled him, out for
special attentions.
What these attentions we're he, pro-
ceeds to state.
He says that Mr. Cleveland never
failed to invite him and his wife to all
Of the grand receptions; and Douglass
says that myself and my wife never
po ;>aS to q ot+opS thono },
At these receptions Douglass states
that Mr.. Cleveland showed to himself
and Mrs. Douglass bearing not
less cordial and courteous than that
extended to the other ladies and
gentlemen present. "
Douglass call this conduct Of MI.
Cleveland a manly defiance by a
Democratic president of the malignant
and e-honored prejudice"
What was the malignant prejudice
which Mr.. Cleveland was defying ln
50 manly manner?
Obviously, undeniably, Douglass
meant to give Mr.. Cleveland praise
for defying popular prejudice or the
subject of social equality. What else
was Cleveland'S manly defiance
aimed at?
Again. to show more clearly how
Douglass understood the true meaning
of Mr.. Cleveland's conduct, the negro
goes on to say that the cordia! and
courteous treatment accorded him and
Mrs. Douglass" by Mr.. and Mrs.
Cleveland was extended while be was
surrounded by distinguished men
and women from all parts of the coun-
try, and by diplomatic representatives
from all parts of the world, and under
the gaze of the late shareholders. :"
Now, if there ever was anything
clear in a book it is clear that in this
book Fred Douglass meant to give
Mr.. Cleveland credit and praise for
defying malignant prejudice on the
social equality question, and for
treating himself and Mrs. Doug
lass" as social equals in the presence
Of the representatives CT the white
race throughout the world.
What made this manly defiance Of
malignant prejudice" the more exqui-
sitely gratifying to the negro was
that it was done under the gaze OF
the late slave-owners. " In other
words, Fred says, in effect, that
Southern ladies and gentlemen were
present and were compelled to witness
in silence the social triumph of him
self anG Mrs. Douglass"
Oh, how full the cup Of Fred'S Joy
must have been And what sly
CLEAN of victorious inSolence there
must have been in the negro's eyes as
he looked at the late ''slave-owners" to
whom Mr.. Cleveland was giving his
manly defiance
That spirit is shown in bis book,
and l have 40 doubt it was shown or
his countenance in those bliSSful
hours when be and Mrs. Douglass
were being treated just as the other
gentlemen and ladies" were treated IN
the white house.
Heaping up his gratitude and bis
praise, the negro goes on to say (page
64S) that the Democrats Ct the South
fercely and bitterly reproached Mr..
| Cleveland for his social recognition Of
Douglass aud wife, but that be (Clere-
lanc) never faltered or tlinched," and
Continued to invite Mrs. Douglass
and mys:lf" and often wrote the i'll
vitationS with his own hand"
Then, to show conclusively what
Douglass understood BY Clevelands
conduct, he adds:
Among my frieudsin Europe fact
like this will excite no comment.
There color does not decide the civil
and social position Of a man. ;;
Now IIask all impartial, intelligent
men if these extracts from Douglass
book DO not prove that be undartood
Grover Cleveland to have defed she
malignant prejudice Of Southern
Democrats by treating him and his
white wife as social equals: