UNITED STA 



from .u of Refugees, Freedmen, and 



l.an.l-s mid will proceed to Nashville, 

 .'.111111:111,1 ot" hi- 



l'.\ .l! (il'allt. 



!:. H. Tn\VNx!-:.\p, A. .\ 

 : further tar! s relative to tin- l!ccon>triir- 

 tion of iln- Southern Stati'-. -( tl, 

 under their appropriate titles, in this \oliinif.i 

 At tlu- anniversary ot' tin- Anirriraii Anti- 

 ; v >nriety in N'e\\ York on M;iy 7th the 



following resolutions with other-, Urr- 



l>y tin- piv-idcnt ot' tin- society, Wendell 

 IMiillip-:. and adopted I>y the meeting: 



1. Tliut we devoutly thank God that we meet at 



lust ill the iiiiil.-t of u nuti.>ii thoroughly in carnot in 



its purpose t<> t'oun.i its institutions on the coni.-r- 



*tone ..i absolute justice, and already far advance,) in 



mplishmeiit of its purpose. 



_'. Tina W9 '-.u'iird the oaths of Southern white 

 in. u and the provisions of Southern State constitu- 

 tions as altogether too slight uiul uncertain u guaran- 

 r the civil and political rights of tli.' n.-^ro ; and, 

 in vir\v of tin- paM history oi' State legislation, we 

 consider the ncLrro as iii iiinninent danger, if dei< 

 by nothing i !.->, of cruel oppression, and the prac- 

 tical denial of his most vital rights. 



8. That, in onr judgment, the course of theThirtv- 

 ninth and Fortieth Congresses betrays too clearly 

 that our danger lies i" the resumption by the members 

 nf the ol.t eorru])t practices, the bargain and trading 

 of ordinary politics, to which the enthusiasm of tin- 

 war put fora time a stop ; and in all the recent inac- 

 tion 01 "ii important questions wo see evi- 

 iliat the members were bartering duty and 

 national security for party supremacy and personal 

 aggrandizement 



4. That, in our judgment, the legal guarantees of 

 the negro's freedom and equality should be provi- 

 sions in the Federal Constitution forbidding any 

 State to debar him from civil and political rights; 

 and his substantial security is bis actual possession 

 and use. of all these rights, under the protection of 

 the police power of the Union, as well as the recogni- 

 tion by the North of the same rule of impartial free- 

 dom. 



5. That in view of the fact that the rebellion was 

 possible because of the ignorance of the poorer classes 

 at the South ignorant men used in their blindness 

 by selfish leaders and in view of the further fact 

 that, once readmitted to the Union, the vote of these 

 ignorant masses is to decide great national questions 

 and interests, it is the ri^ht and duty of Government 

 to secure general education throughout the Union ; 

 and hence, wherever a State refuses or neglects to 

 establish and maintain common schools, the Federal 

 Constitution should authorize and order Congress to 

 establish them within such State at its expense. 



6. That the nation owes it to self-respect, to jus- 

 tice, to future security, and to the present safety of 

 the colored race, redeemed by so much blood and 

 treasure, to impeach and remove the traitor of the 

 White House at once; and every hour Congress de- 

 lays that action insults the nation, disgraces its law, 

 jeopards its future, delays justice, and makes more 

 and more innocent blood cry to God against us. 



7. That we urge on all friends of freedom to keep 

 vigilant and ceaseless watch on the Supreme Court 

 mid the present etl'orts of rebels to make use of it in 

 order to block the wheels of Government. 



8. That \ve warn our lately-freed fellow-citizens of 

 the South that all the offered friendship and political 

 coQperation of Southern white men is a snare, in- 

 tended only to make them the tools of their own ruin, 

 and we exhort them to trust to that same instinctive 

 sagacity which guided them so wisely through the 

 war trusting no one blindly, but jealously guarding 

 their own rights by the independent exercise of their 

 power. 



9. That the next Presidential election will bo the 



Miolnelltourf one c\> r Ilimlu (.11 thlH fill,' 



and it |, .',...,.,. us all to Ree that we do < 

 ineonipet'-nt or imfri.-mlly hand- through hcedlCM 

 h.-ro wor.-liip and blind party spirit, cince we nmat 

 'i loyalty, rip'- statesmanship, and de- 

 eidrd purp- liu, or we lose half the fruits 



of tins terrible coIiHi.-t.' 



l". That, in our Judgment, the people are true and 



. thoroughly in earnest, an. I determil 

 Q0 root orlibre of this intolcn. 



i our internal life for a centurv, und if 

 tin- epoch .-loses without the full accomplishment of 

 their purpose, it will he the fault of selfish leaders, 

 willing t Kacritieo principle and justice for their own 

 advalic. -iiii-iit. 



11. That if Governor Eyre goes unwhipped of jus- 



iier proof that the same pro-slavery 



spirit rules in Knglainl to-day which^a few yean ago, 



. ith Knirlish pro- 



. and only from lack of coiirat e forbore to put 

 its flog side by side with that of the n-bellio: 

 we shall expect nothing better of that nation until 

 its malignant aristocracy is crushed, as ours bos been, 

 in the strong grasp of a sovereign people. 



In order to secure suffrage, without regard 

 to race or color, through all the States of tin- 

 Union, a bill for that purpose was presented in 

 the Senate, during the last session of the Tliirty- 

 ninth Congress, by Senator Sumner, of Massa- 

 chusetts. No progress was made in the passage 

 of the bill during that session. On September 

 12th, a " Border " State Convention was held at 

 Haiti more, the object of which wa% in the lan- 

 guage of the call, " to advance the cause of 

 manhood suffrage, and to demand of Congress 

 the passage of the Sumner- Wilson bill." The 

 States of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky. 

 Tennessee, and Missouri were very fully repre- 

 sented. Horace Maynard, of Tennessee, was 

 chosen president. 



Numerous letters from members of Coi> 

 to the convention were read. Senator Sum- 

 ner, under date of September 8th, said : " Con- 

 gress will leave undone what it ought to do if it 

 tails to provide promptly for the establishment 

 of equal rights, whether political or civil. 

 everywhere throughout the Union. This is a 

 solemn duty, which cannot be shirked or post- 

 poned. The idea is intolerable, that any -State-, 

 iiinler any pretension of State rights, can set 

 up a political oligarchy within its borders, and 

 then call itself a republican government. I 

 insist with all my soul that such a govern- 

 ment must be rejected as inconsistent with 

 the requirements of the Declaration of Inde- 

 pendence." 



Senator "Wilson, of Massachusetts, said : '' I 

 suggest that your convention declare for suf- 

 frage either by law or constitutional amend- 

 ment. We can carry the amendment it' we 

 cannot the law. At the last session I offered 

 an amendment on the 17th, of July, allowing 

 all, without distinction of color, to vote and 

 hold olliee, making no distinction in rights or 

 privileges. Some of our strongest men doubt 

 our power to pass a law. If we cannot do it, 

 let us set about amending tho Constitution. 

 Our State Convention will go for suffrage 

 either by law or by amendment.' 1 



