The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1906-12-29

l am little AFRAID 10 speak dIIel
the extravagant words coming from
Mr. Morris. Still, l suppose you al
know him so well that you would
not pay much attention to what he
says.
While I was listening to what the
chairman was saying of me and wish
ing it might be true. | thought per.
haps that instead of being % years
ahead of my day, on the Negro ques.
ton at least 1 was % years behind /;
and that is the most discouraging
thing in the Negro question. When |
was a boy, % or 80 years ago there
was some feeling for justice and free
dom toward the Negro. There is none
to-day. l still have the convictions as
to the Negro question that had %
or 80 years ago. But the friends of
the Negro have all passed away. They
are either dead or they have grown
tired l can remember when the name
OF John Brown was a hallowed name
throughout the North. To-day if he
was advertised to speak down town
the hall would be empty and every
body would go and hear Ben Tillman
abuse the Negro. If Wendell Phillips
were to come to Chicago and speak
upon the rights of the black man he
would not have a corporal's guard to
listen to him and what he would get
would be Colored people and a few
cranks like myself; but a man who
would advocate that a black man
should be lynched because he is &C
cused of doing something that might
not even indict a white man would get
all the crowd.
It's all right to give over a day to
the memory Of the abolitionists who
fought the great fight from 1S45 and
sc up to 1865; the Colored people
ought not TO forget them; but the
whites have forgotten them and they
have forgotten what those men stood
for. And all the eloquence of Phillips
and all the power and earnestness of
Garrison and all the logic of Sumner
would not stir even the people of
Chicago to-day in behalf of the Negro.
l am rather a Dessimist on this
as 1 am on some others. |
never think of the race problem these
days without growing doubtful and
more than sad over this problem, be-
cause l was born in a section of the
United States where l honestly be-
lIeVe that if ever there was any diff
ference between the white and Col
ored people it was in favor of the
Colored people; they were engaged in
the underground railroad and every
body would give them money and help
when they would not give it to a
white man because he did not need II |
as much. They would risk their lives
Tor them and We knew no difference
intellectually and very few knew much
difference socially in those abolition
days in Northern Ohio; and when I
look at the conditions to-day not only |
in the South but in the North and
compare the feeling that exists in this
county now with what is was 30
years ago, it makes me doubtful and I
sad as to the whole race problem; for
never some how could think that a
mans nationality made any differ
ence with him; that the color of his
skin made any difference with him:
hat anybody should have any rights
" privileges, either financial or So
'ial, on account of the place he was
'orn or the color or tinge of his skin:
whether white or black looks best is
'urely a matter Of taste; the world
las never agreed and 1t probably
lever will 1 never could think that
ny OF those questions could make any
Inference; and came from an envir-
nment where people did not think 1t
I believe it, so if there's any credit
r discredit about it is isn't mine
Or l caught it, as most people do.
And to-day see everything chang
d. I know something Of the fury
nd the frenzy here was at the time
{ Lncoln's nomination in Chicago in
be COS; because while Lincoln had
OF declared and never did declare
ntiI late in the war in favor of aboli-
onism, still everybody that knew
i'm knew that he was an aboli-
onist at heart. knew he did not be-
eve in slavery; they knew he wan
d to hep the black man because