Year: 1863

anu ucNeE DS nloleottu vi HucSttobCu


passing on as any decent white maj


would pass. But let me ask you, How


came there to be these prejudices


They did not exist before the War of In


dependence. How did it grow up? |


grew up as one of the accursed offshoot


of slavery. Where you make race


odious by oppression, all that belong tt


that race will participate in that odium


whether they be free or slave. And The


South have maintained that institution


which has made the African prejudic


ed man even in the North. Next, how
did the prejudice come to exist? 1t wa:
on account of the multitude of lrishmen


who came to the States Cheers and
interruption | declare my admiration
for many of tha! people, who have Illus.
trated the page of history in every de.
partment. 1t is part Of the fruit OF ig
norance, and, as they allege, the oppres.
sion that they have suffered, that it has
made them oppressors. bear witness
that there is no class OF people in Ameri


ca who are so bitter against the colored
people, and SO eager for slavery, as tie
ignorant, the poor, rninstructed Irish
men. =" Oh" and "hear," and three
cheers for old Ireland"l But although
there have been wrongs done to them in
the North, the condition OF the free col
ored people in the North is unspeakably
better than in the South. They own
their wives and children. Hear. hear.


They have the right to select their place
and their kind of labor; their rights of
property are protected just as much as
ours are. The right of education is ac-
corded to them. There is in the city Of
New York more than ten million dollars
of property owned by free colored peo-
pie. Hear. They have their own
schools; ; they have their own churches,
their own orators and there is no more
gifted man, and no man whose superb
eloquence more deserves to be listened
to. than Frederick Douglas oud cheers;


and if you think that he has too much
white blood, then there is Samuel Ward I.
who is as black as black can be and If
you can find any man in the South who
is superior to him in sense, in logic, and
IN eloquence, you will find man who
has never yet appeared in any Of their
councils lsay still further than that.
that since the breaking out of this war,
the good conduct of the slaves Mt the
South, and the good conduct of the free
colored people at the North. have gone
far TO increase the kind feelings Of the
whites toward them and since they have
begun TO fight for their rights of man
hood, there are beginning TO be the ele-
ments of popular enthusiasm for them.


Loud cheers will venture to say
that there is no place on tie earth where
so many colored men stand in position
so auspicious for the future as the free
colored men and the freed slaves of the
South and of the North. Cheers. l
meant TO have said good deal more TO
than have, or | shall have time to say


!" Go on | have endeavored TO place
before you these facts which 60 10 show
that slavery was the reat cause Of this
war, and that il il came to the citation OF
facts whether North or South were the
most guilty in this matter. there could
be no question, l think, before any hon
orable tribunal, any jury. any delibera


tive body. that the decision will be that
the South, from beginning to end, for
the sake of slavery, has been aggressive,
and the North patient. Since the war
broke OUT, the North has been more and
more coming upon the high ground of
moral principle, until COW the Govern


ment las taken ground for emancipation,
and has issued It's Proclamation OF Eman-
ciration. Groans. and counter cheers,
and a voice. " Go home" There was
AT this point an outrageous Interruption
from person in the gallery, who was
removed 1t has been said very often
in my hearing and oitener | have read
il since | have been in England. the last
reading | had OF il was from the pen of
Lord Brougham- misses and cries of
!" chair, chair" and disorder which con-
tinned for some time. Mr.. Beecher sat
down. When it had some what subsidized.
he continued. II is said that the North
is fighting for the Union. and bot for The
emancipation of the African. Why are
we fighting for the Union but because
We believe that the Union and its Gov


ernment. administered now By Northern
men, will work out the emancipation of
every living being? Loud cheering


II il be meant that the North went into
this war with the immediate object Of
the emancipation OF the slaves. it never
professed TO do il but il went into war
for the Union, with the distinct under


standing on both sides that II the Union
was maintained, slavery could not live
long Cheers. Do you suppose that
il is wise to separate the interest OF The
slave from the interest OF the other peo


pie on the continent. and 10 inaugurato a
policy which took in him alone He
has got to stand or fall with all of US


hear, hear and the only sound policy
Tor the North is that policy which shall
be for the benefit OF the North. OF the
South. of the blacks, and OF the whites -


cheers and we hold that the MAINTAIN


ance of the Union, the fundamental pfin-
ciples which are contained in the Declar


alton OF Independence and the Consttu


ton, that this Is thd WAY ia secure 10 the