Year: 1872

Question.


The meeting of our colored citizens at
Cooper Institute on Friday evening last,
called to take action in reference to the
''irrepressible conflict in the island of Cuba
was the beginning of movement on the
part of political element in the United States
which, on the main question involved in ref
erence to the action of our government can
WELD the balance of power. The black popu-
lation OF this country embraces seven hundred
thousand voters, and upon an issue which,
outside of Spain and Turkey, commands the
sympathies of the civilized world, these
seven hundred thousand colored voters have
only en- snasse to define their position in
order to determine the action of Congress
and the administration. Nor can it be ques-
toned that the voice of this Cooper Institute
meeting is the voice of all our citizens of
African descent including especially those four
millions lately released from the shackles of
slavery and invested with all the rights and
privileges of civil and political equality.


What then, is the position which these COL
ored citizens have assumed in behalf Of their
brethren in the island of Cuba? They declare
themselves on the side of s'the Cuban patriots,
who have already decreed and put in practice
the doctrine of the equality and freedom of all
men" They s'view with adherence the pol
icy Of the Spanish government for the last four
years" in the island of Cuba, ''both for the
unnecessary and inhuman butcheries that have
taken place under its rule and for the tenacity
with which they cling to the barbarous and
inhuman institution of slavery" Our colored
citizens further declare that 'it is our opinion
that the success Of the Spanish arms will tend
to rivet more firmly the chains of slavery on
our brethren, re-establishing slavery where it
does not now exist and restoring the horrors
of the African slave trade and the coolie
traffic." and that, on the other hand, 'sthe
success Of the Cuban patriots would immedi-
ately give to the whole inhabitants of the
island freedom and equality before the law"
And the line of action asked Of the President
and Congress, after four years Of patient wait
| ing is 'sto accord the Cuban patriots that
favorable recognition to which these four
years gallant struggle for freedom entities
them In other words, the freedmen of the
United States, in behalf of their enslaved
brethren in Cuba ask the concession of bellg-
erent rights to the Cuban insurgents.


1t appears, too, that agents and sup
porters here of the Spanish authorities were
quick to take the alarm from this movement of
our colored citizens, for at this meeting q
printed circular was scattered about the hall
addressed ''To the Colored Citizens of the
United States" and warning them Of the folly
of Supporting the Cuban rebels To this cir
cular was appended the name of the editor of
the Spanish paper El Cronista, Jose Ferrer de
Conto, and his appeal is that of loyal Span
lard deeply in earnest and really frightened


He warns our colored citizens of "some cow
ards from Cuba, who have come here to live
upon their wits and to induce white and
black Americans to 60 to Cuba in their places;
he says that these Cubans are now agtating
the abolition of slavery in the island, 'when
the Spanish government has just decreed abo-
lition on plan q great deal better organized
and much more advantageous than the one
which made so many victims in the Southern
States of this Republic !" that ''those hypo-
critics who talk to you about fraternity and of
rights and all that shave all their lives
lived off nothing but the labor of negroes"
and that our colored people ought not to be
deceived by these Cuban '1oafers,'' nor allow
''the rogues now appearing before you to put
you down as fools.' Mr.. Pindell, however
answered this circular apparently to the salts
faction of the meeting, in quoting from Ell
Gonista numerous advertisements for the sale
of slaves; and an excited young Cuban
clinched the nail by proclaiming the pub
Usher of this Spanish document as the author
of the ''Negro in Slavery" the ''most pro-
slavery book ever written"


We discover here that there were some
Cubans at this meeting, from which we may
infer that they are at the bottom of this move
ment; but even conceding the accusations
against these men as cowardly and unscrupu-
lous adventurers, their participation in this
colored meeting does not shake the argument
on the main question of African slavery in the
island of Cuba. Nor will the plea avail that
''the abolition of slavery in the Spanish
Antilles is q fact already decreed and intro
duced by the government at Madrid, and
that for the colored citizens of New York 'sto
take action now upon the subject is the most
ridiculous and useless step to which they
could induce you who want to prey upon your
savings by similar nonsense" The idea here
is that these penniless Cubans are aiming to
collect money from our colored citizens
on false pretences but it does not
appear that these colored men enter
tain any flibustering designs Their plan of
action is to appeal for official intervention in
behalf of liberty in Cuba They do not pro-
pose, and we presume they will not be led
into, the folly of subscribing money for Cuban
filibustering expeditions. They ask the con-
cession of belligerent rights in behalf of the