Evening star., 1939-09-24

their vicinity. The principal mer-
chants felt the same unwillingness.
They were more cordially re-
ceived by the members of the
Friendly Society," instituted among
the colonists at the suggestion of
Paul Cuffee in 1911. Its president,
John Kizell, who had been slave
in the West Indies and the United
States, entered heartily into their
plans, accompanied them on some
of their explorations and intro
duced them to native chiefs over
whom he possessed much influence.
They examined the coast as far
as Sherbo, obtained promises that,
on the arrival of colonists, suitable
land should be furnished for their
settlement, and being unable, for
want of time and funds to visit the
Bassa Country, Cape Palmas, Acara
and the Blight of Benin, as they de-
sired, returned to Sierra Leone, and,
May %, embarked for England on
their homeward voyage"
Quarters Established.
Back in the early days the society
met in a building on the north side
of Pennsylvania avenue between
Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets.
Later it's offices were on the same
side of that thoroughfare, but be-
tween Third and Four-and-a-Hal
streets.
From here it moved, in 1860, to
its new building at the southwest
corner of Pennsylvania avenue and
John Marshall place, begun in 1859,
and still standing in good condition
until about seven years ago, when it
gave way to Federal improvements
in this vicinity.
In 1860 the Board of Directors in
cluded the following prominent per-
sons of that period: President, John
H. B. Latrobe; corresponding secre-
tary, Rev. R. R. Gurley; financial
secretary, Rev. w. McLain; travelling
secretary, Rev. John Orcutt; Execu-
tive Committee. Harvey Lindsly,
M. D.; Joseph H. Bradley, William
Gunton, w. w. Seaton. Rev. George
w. Samson, William Merrick and
Isaac Blackford
In 1862 the names of DR.. Peter
Parker and Samuel H. Huntington
were added, and in 1866 w. Coppin-
ger succeeded Dr. Gurley, John B.
Kerr took the place of Blackford
and in 1878 the name of DR.. James
c. yelling was included in the list.
In 1879 Judge Charles c. Mott, Regi-
nald Fendall and Rev. Thomas G.
Addison became members Of the
board.
Contributing Factors.
Undoubtedly the American Colon
ization Society played large part
in bringing about the freeing of the
slaves, but there were many other
contributing factors that helped to
bring about the emancipation of the
more than 5000 slaves in the Dis
trict of Columbia, on April is, 1862,
in the further famous proclamation
of President Lincoln issued Septem-
ber %, following. in which he said:
THAT on the first day of January,
in the year of our Lord one thou
sand eight hundred and sixty three,
all persons held as slaves within
any State, or any designated part
of State, the people whereof shall
then be in rebellion against the
United States, shall then, thence
forward and forever, free, and the
executive Government of the United
States, including the military and
naval authority thereof, will recog-
nize and maintain the freedom of
such persons, and will do no &C:
or acts to repress such persons, or
any of them, in any efforts they may
make for their actual freedom.
That the Executive will, on the
first day of January aforesaid, by
proclamation, designate the State
and. parts of States, if any, In
which the people thereof, respec-
lively, shall then be in rebellion
against the United States, and the
fact that any State, or the people
thereof, shall on that day be in good
faith represented in the Congress of
the United States by members
chosen thereof at elections wherein
majority of the qualified voters of
such State shall have participated,
shall, in the absence of strong coun-
tervailing testimony. be deemed con-
elusive evidence that such State and
the people thereof have not been in
rebellion against the United States"
Important Date.
The date upon which this docu-
ment was published is one of the
most important in American history,
and yet, last Friday seems to have
gone by unnoticed. But in 1862 1t
was matter over which the Presi-
dent had given the gravest amount
Of consideration. Indeed, 1t was one
of the things uppermost in his mind
during the summer months then
drawing to close. He had even
gone so far as to prepare the orig
inal draft and only awaited the op-
portunity afforded by the repulse of
the Confederate forces in their In
vasion of Maryland, which took
place earlier in the month, and
which gave him the ray of light he
mad prayed Tor.
Carpenter quotes President Lin
coin on this subject as saying:
Il put the draft of the proclama-
ton aside, waiting for a victory
Well, the next news we had was of
Pope's disaster at Bull Run. Things
looked darker than ever. Finally
came the week of the Battle of An
tietam. I determined to wait no
longer. The news came, think, on
Wednesday, that the advantage
was on our side. was then staying
at Soldiers Home. Here I finished
writing the second draft of the
proclamation; came up on Saturday,
called the cabinet together to hear
it, and it was published the follow
ing Monday. I made q solemn VOW