Year: 1873

BY JOHN RANKIN.


Formerly. of RIPLEY, OhjO.)


To the L-Onton Register:


L learn with regret that a conven
ton has been held by the colored
people, in which they complain that
they do notyet possess all theirrights,
in that they do not have due pro-
portion of the public offices; and they
give us indications that unless they
can have this, they will leave the Re-
publican party.-I wish to give them
the advice of one who is over eighty
years of age, and who has been an
Abolitionist from his boyhood, and
who has labored more for the aboli-
ton of slavery and the rights of the
colored people than any other one
man living. Thousands of books,
tracts and articles for newspapers,
in defense of the rights of the colored
people, have gone from his pen into
extensive circulation without pay
He has delivered thousands of dis
courses advocating their rights; he
has sheltered hundreds of fugitive
slaves under his roof, on their way
to Canada; has endured many mobs
and passed through many dangers.
Men have lain around his house at
night to murder him. The advice he
gives is, adhere to the Republican
party, if you never get a single pub
lie Office For this 1 will now offer
some reasons:


1st. The people cannot all have
Offices. But few are needed for Off
GERS, and no one has right to hold
an office unless majority of the vo-
ters give it to him; consequently, if
the majority of voters do not choose
to elect colored men, no wrong is
done them and no right is infringed.
There are vastly more white than
colored men who cannot get Office.
The colored man, as we'll as the white,
can hold Office if elected by the
voters; consequently, the colored
man is equal with the white in poses
sion of all rights; and, therefore,
there is no just ground of complaint
against the Republican party, in that
respect,-There are vastly more
white Republicans who cannot be
elected to Office then there are color
ed ones who cannot be so elected.


I'd. All the AboEtionists, the real
friends of the colored people, are in
the Republican party; hence no other
party can be formed that will do so
much for the colored people as that
party will do. And that class of
colored men who are anxious for office,
may rest assured that, by either
deserting or breaking up the Repub-
ican party, they never will get an
Office.


Sd. The colored people are in
debted to the Republican party for
the possession of their rights, and
never did people have their rights
better secured, for in no other ma
ton are the rights of all so fully Sc
cured as are the rights of the colored
people-secured by the party that
some of them seem ready to desert.
No other party under heaven ever
made, in SO short a time, so great
reformation in legislation as has
been done by that party. They abol-
ished all the abominable laws of
slavery, set four millions of slaves free
and enfranchised them. To say
that they did it reluctantly is a SIAN
der. They were not obliged to do it.


4th. There is now an effort being
made to break up the Republican
party, and the colored people by de-
serting it may help to do it, and place
the Democrats in power, and thus
put themselves under the govern
ment of those who were rebels, and
who did all they could do in legislat-
ing against the colored people. When
we tried to enfranchise them in Ohio,
the Democrats gained the majority
in the Legislature, and passed law
prohibiting all from voting who had
any colored blood in their veins; and
they have ever opposed the constitu-
tional amendments that enfranchised
the colored people, and if that par
ty come into power these amendments
will not be enforced. The colored
people may rest assured, that party,
if in power, will put them as near
slavery as they can. This, at least,
will be in cordance with their form
er actions. 1 say, therefore, hold
fast to friends.


JOHN RANKIN.