The broad ax., 1913-01-18

convention and exclaimed: 'Give m,
liberty or give me DEATH 1t was TO
liberty that the Continental forces suf
liberty at Valley Forge and triumpheC
at Yorktown. 1t was for liberty tina
Toussaint L'0uverture armed the black
Of Santo Domingo, and by intrepid dar
ing sent the British, the French and tn,
Spanish from the Queen Of the Antilles
in defeat and disgrace. But thes,
blacks Of Santo Domingo knew as vel
as any one should know that "Eterna
vigilance is the price of liberty" They
knew as well as any one should know
that if they sat down and folded theil
arms in supine indifference, that the
liberty they had purchased so dearly
would be taken away from them, and
so that France might be warned against
the danger of any further attempt to
enslave them, they issued a proelama.
tiOn and among other things said:
"Should we be obliged to shed rivers
Of blood, should we, to preserve our
freedom, be compelled to set FIRE to
seven-eighths of the globe, we shall be
pronounced innocent before the tribu-
nal Of Providence, who has not created
men to see them groan under a yoke so
oppressive and so ignominious." This
was in 1903. Haiti has never worn the
yoke of any nation nor has the liberty
of her people been assailed.
Fifty years ago 100000 slaves were
declared free by proclamation issued by
Abraham Lincoln. This is one of the
worlds greatest documents. At the
time of its issuance it was considered
so by Illinois, so did New England.
On the day that the proclamation was
to be signed a great meeting was held
at fremont Temple in Boston, Mass.
Wendell Phillips was there, Theodore
Parker was there. Frederick Douglass
was there, the Rev. Grimes was there,
and with them thousands Of men and
women eager and anxious to welcome
the dawn of universal liberty. All day
long the crowd waited patiently for
news from Washington. At last to-
ward the close of day word was flashed
from Washington that the immortal
Abraham Lincoln had signed the Pro
elamation. Strong men and gentle wo-
men wept. A shout of joy went up
from the assembled throng and sud
denly Rev. Grimes voice could be
heard above the tumult singing in clear
reverberating tones:
the loud timbril DER Egypts
dark sea,
Jehovah has triumphed, his people are
free"
The country was blessed at that time
with so many great men and noble wo-
men. Men and women who loved the
right and were willing to do justice.
Nor were they afraid to let the world
know where they stood on the question
Of human liberty. How different the sit
nation todayf The Christian Church
today is silent as to lynching and burn
ing and human injustice. What Wendell
Phillips said years ago about American
Christianity is strikingly applicable to:
lay. He said, elf you put a hound in
The presence of a deer it will spring at |
is throat, if it is q true blood hound. |
Put a Christian in the presence Of sin
md he will spring at its throat, if he
s a true Christian. And so into an
seid we throw white matter, if it as
rot chalk, it will not produce agita-
ion. So if in a world of sinners YOU
we're to put American Christianity it
would be as calm as OIL"
The proclamation conferred on the
maneipated people their natural lib
rty. The right to their time and to
70 whittier they wished. It can easily
'e seen that a dog may exercise nat
raj liberty and yet every cur may be
{ liberty to bite him and any vicious
nan may kick him. And so civil lib
rty is absolutely indispensable to a
ull and complete enjoyment of our
atural liberty. To this end the Four
zenith amendment to the Federal Con-
titution was passed and adopted. Thus {
be Negro became a citizen and was 1
uaranteed protection in the exercise Of !
is natural liberty. But it was soon +
iseovered that under a representative t
democracy such as we have that a {
itizen was but poorly secured in the
njoyment Of his civil liberty without $
he added guaranty Of political liberty, e
nd 80 the Fifteenth amendment to the a
ederal Constitution was adopted. Thus v
lie newly made citizen was given the il
ght to vote and in this way protect r
lmseh in the exercise Of his civil 4
ghts. 1t was at this early day when G
lie Negro had neither wealth nor edu- b
'tion considered absolutely necessary Ii