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1 atumal M i tamYarb. VOL. XX?. NO. 33. NEW FORK, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1869. WHOLE NO. 1,539. PU B L ISH E D E V E R Y SA T U R D A Y , AMERICAN A X T I-SL A V E R l SOCIETY, At Ita Offlce, No. 39 S m n u Street, New York. THREE DOLLARS PER ANNUM. AARON M. POWELL, Editor. WENDELL PHILLIPS, S o c i a l E d itorial Contributor. 5 t Advcrtlring and C S H A L L 117? H A V E A N E W F L A G ? P o r t l a n d , Oregon, N o v em b e r 25tb, 1869. 7b the E d ito r o j the Sta n d a r d : S isce Capt. Reid alm o st r e c e ived tbe thanks of C ongress for designing onr present national stan dard, tho glorious “ stars and stripes,” ours from ono of the w eakest has g r o w n to be the m lghtiost nation on the earth. W e have changed our Con stitution anil o n r law s sinco then and have higher, purer and moro enlightened aim s ; we are wiser. M ay w e not now change our standard for ono that w ill b e tter sym b o lize the new era tliat is now dawn in g on this nation ? A m en to the sentim ent so poetically expressed by Mrs. H o w e in her beauti ful ode : \80 we'll hiTe a new flag, my brother*, our atrlpes we have folt them aU : Onr itars In thc dusk of battle did mournfully pale and fall Let us yield onr claims and our quarrels Ior a compact of price less worth : For ths peace that Christ found in pardon. Tho peace that he left on earth.\ For twenty-fonr years enrolled as one o f the special guardians of the stars and stripes, a fol low er of its fortunes by field and llood, through the everglades o f Florida, over the plains o f Texas, across the Continent, on the R o cky M ountains and by the Pacific, I have seen it in its beuuty greet the m orning sunlight by the camp fires o f our scattered frontier posts, floating gracefully over our wild hom e s through the day und as the shad- dows lengthened, the music o f the even ing retreat echoed softly ond sw e e tly through the w ilderness as w e folded our banner carefully away for the n ig h t In those days its followers num bered but a few thousand ; still have w e follow ed its fortunes when nnder its folds w e r e a million o f men fight ing for the Union it r epresented, that not one star shonld be blotted o u t W e have seen it trailed in the dust at Sum pter by the foul hand o f treason and slavery, and r a ised again alter the conflict in triumph and liberty. W e lovo our banner for all its hallow ed associations. In foreign lands whose heart has not leaped with j o y and pride to s e e it w a v ing by the ensigns o f other nations, more beautiful than any as it spoke to us of hom e and native land. “ And at the mast head White, bine and red, A flag unroll* the stripes and star*. Ah I when the wanderer lonely, friendless. In foreign harbors shaU behold Twin be a* a friendly hand Stretched out from his native land. Filling hi* heart with moaurii* Sweet and endlee*.\ Y e t still let ns have a new flag. One that shall m o re fitly represent a great republic, w h e r e all m en are free and equal before the law, and where it is Intended tlm t the people shall rule. W e would have a flag that never floated over slaves, and w h o se stripes never m eant stripes for the slave ; a flag that never called upon its follow ers to be 6lave hounds to catch and deliver up the poor fugitive from the o v e r seer and the auction-block o f the slave holder w h o , nnder the authority and protec tion o f the stars and stripes w rang out from the flesh and bones o f his black brother a portion of that dreary tw o hundred years o f unrequited toll. Tlie abolition o f slavery, the downfall o f t h e South ern confederacy, tlie probable ratification of the F ifteenth A m endm ent, and other beacon lights along tlie pathway o f progress, m ake the time seem opportune for the new standard. Cannot one be devised that all m ay love ? w h o se sym bol shall hnve so full and c lear a m eaning tliat w e eould afford to carefully fold the stars and stripes, and lay them away forever and fling to thc breeze a new banner on which shall be printed thc fairest w atch words o f a free republic, w h e re no man is master and no man a slave ? A s 1 stand this bright Sunday afternoon on tbe banks o f tbe W illam m elte l e a n s e e before m e,sixty mileB distant, a snow-clad mountain, w h o se fair proportions rise up seem ingly from a vast plain in the m ountains to tlie height o f m ore than sixteeu thousand feet. A new fall o f snow has made it of dazzling w h iteness alm o st to its base, and as it is gilded and glistens in the light of the late autumn so n just a s he sinks behind the w estern horizon, tbe scen e is grand, im p r essive, beautiful beyond the pow e r o f description, or the conception of one wbo has never w itnessed it. I thought as I gazed upon this wondrous scen e o f beauty, and purity, that i f I had tbe power to bnild up from thc sum m it o f this m ighty mountain, a flag-staff unto the heavens, so high that all humanity could see it, would place thereon a p u r e and pe r fec t emblem of our A merican nationality, a silent, eloquent sym bol o f a nnlon founded upon the Declaration of In dependence end the r ights o f znau. The harhiuf < o f a national aud social regeneration o f hnman brotherhood, whose solem n footsteps w e can hear m arching on to its consummation. Should I place npon my ideal standard b earer the stars and stripes with all its hallowed and unhallowed associations,or som e other banner with a truer, clearer, more de finite m eaning ? My flag should be square, em b la zoned with alternate rays ol tho three primitive colors, red, yellow, aud bine, these iu a circle vergin g towards the center, the extrem e tints of the out-side gradually fading and becom ing lighter as they approach and are finally blended and be com e one in an inner circle of pure w h ite,—the prim itive color, the union and harmonizing o f all diversities. It is also the ultimate color which all others a s they fade out tend to take on. It seem s a perfect sym b o l o f union. The number of States m ight be indicated by different colored stars in the corners of the flag. The original thirteen and the added ones. B e sid e s its radical m eaning tho flag would have several illustrative symbolisms. Ethenologists are uniting in tbe opinion that th e re are but three prim itive races o f men, all ■varieties being bnt accidental modifications ol a rftfiWl trio. The flag would present these primary races converging towards unity, losing aud har m onizing tueir clanships, conflicts, rivalries, Jeal ousies, hatred s nUQ f e a rs, and the prim ary ele m e n ts of a manly nobleness, blending in the pure w h ite, pacific glory 0f a common humanity, patriotism em b racing mi mankind. A g ain the r a y s m a y re p r e s e n t the th r e e primary lornis of governm e n t, the rule of the one, tho lew und the many. Our flag would symbolize the diverse po- litical conditions under which m en have suffered, harm onizing their discordant, and com b ining their eongcuial e lem e n ts in a true and consum m a te re public, a perfect dem ocracy, a genuine a ristocracy, a legitim a te m onarchy by d ivine right, w h e re e v ery man is a ruler and e q u a l sovereign, m a ster o f him self, and nnder a lovlnglProvidcncc and loving nnd helpfhl fellow-m en ami brothers, lord o f his own destiny. A social symbolism may bo suggested. The r a y s represent the three classos in wliich all com m unities are arranged, cither directly by law, or practically by tho inequalities of condition, resulting from law, and traditional customs. The upper ten, the middlo hundred, and tho lower million. The flag announces that tho conflict of tho ages betweon labor and capital, man aud his accidents, is reconciled, and that all stand upon tho broad and equal platform o f comm on right and equal opportunity; that all honorable am bitions and aspirations havo free space and full scope, and thnt man is m easured by .the developm ent in him se lf o f noble character and manly service to man. Many of the wise and good o f this nation aro even now nr[ug nnder this new banner. The C o n g ress that h a s dono so g r e a t a deed for humanity to pass the F ifteenth Am endm ent, alone has the power to g iv e us the new flag. R. S a x ton. T H E O U T R A G E S I N G E O R G I A . REPORT OF 1IAJOK-GEN. ALFRED TERRT. W a s h in g t o n , D ecem b e r 7th. T h e annual report o f tlie Secretary o f W a r is accom p a n ied by num erous sub-reports, som e of which are o f the first im portance. That o f Major- Gen. A lfred H. Terry, com m a n d ing the D istrict o f Georgia, is, in view o f the recom m endation in the President's m essage, and in further view o f the bill to be taken up in the Senate to-morrow, of the bigljest interest. It is dated A u g . 14th, 1869, and is as f o llow s : SENATOR WILSON ON THE OUTRAGES. Soon after I assum ed com m a n d o f this D epart m ent a letter from the Hon. H e n r y W ilson to the P r e sident o f the U n ited States was referred to me, with instructions to investigate and report upon m a tters therein m entioned. The follow ing Is a copy o f that letter, aud of the indorsem e n t placed upon it by tbe G eneral C omm anding the army : N a t i c k , M a ss., M ay 14th, 1869. D e a r Sir : Can nothing be done t o stop the out rages in G e o rgia ? T h e se political m u rders shonld cease. N o thing anim a ted the people m o re in the canvass than the idea that the R ebel outrages should be slopped. T h e y w ere checked much by your e lectio n ; still they go on, and m any of our best friends say that w e do nothing to stop them, and that w e rather say nothing about them . I fear that unless som ething is done m a n y o f our most devoted friends w ill grow dissatisfied. Cannot proclamation lu regard to G e o rgia be issued ? Cannot these crim inals be c a u g h t by the army and punished? I am snre som e thing shonld be at tem p ted. M artial law is this day needed in that tlie w o rst o f all the States for the security o f the friends o f the country. Y o u r s truly, H en r y W ilson . R espectfully referred to C omm anding General, Departm ent o f the Sonth, for thorough investiga tion and report. W . T. S h e r m a n , General. I have delayed m a k ing report thus called for until the present tim e, in order that I m ight becom e acquainted with the condition o f affairs in Georgia before expressing any opinion. N o w I have re luctantly com e to thc conclusion that the situation here dem a n d s the interposition o f the National G overnm ent, in order that life and property may be protected, the freedom o f sp e e c h and political action secured, and the rights and lib e r ties of freedm en m aintained. This opinion is based upon com p laints made to m e, reports o f officers detached to investigate the alleged outrages, aud upon the statem ents o f many persons o f respectability and high position from different parts o f the States. In those representations I m ust r epose confidence, som e o f whom have given me inform ation only under pledge o f secrecy, the s t a te of affairs in their section being such tbat they feared extrem e per sonal violence should it becom e known that they had been in comm unication with me. th e ku - klu x - klan . In m any parts of the State there is practically no g o v e r n m e n t ; the worst o f c rim es are comm itted, and no attem p t is m ade to pnniBh those who com m it them . Murders have been and nre frequent, and the abuse in various w a y s o f blacks is too comm on t o excite notice. There can be no doubt o f the existen c e o f num erous insurrectionary ganizations known as the “ Ku-K'tux-Klans,” who, shielded by their disguise, by the secrecy of their m o v em ents, and by the terror w h ich they inspire, perpetrate crim es with impunity. There is great reason to believe tliat in som e coses local m agis trates are in sym p a thy with m em b ers of these or ganizations. In many places they are overawed by them , and dare not attem p t to punish them. T o punish such offenders by civil proceedings would be a difficult task, even w ere m a g istrates in all cases disposed, and had they courage to do their duty, for the sam e influences which govern them equally affect juries and witnesses. how t h e crim isals esca p e . A conversation which I have had with a w ealthy ilauter, a gentlem a n o f intelligence and education, and a political opponent of Uie N a tional Adm inis tration, will illustrate this difficulty. W hile de ploring the lam entable condition of affairs in the county in which he lives, he frankly adm itted to me that were thc most w orthless vagabonds in the county t o be charged witli crim es against the per son o f a Republican or a negro, neither lie nor any other person o f property within thc county wonld dare to refuse to give bail for tlie offender, nor wonld they dare to testify against him, what ever m ight be their know ledge of his guilt. Thut very m any o f the crim es which have been com mitted have no political bearing, I believe ; that som e o f them were prom pted by political animos ity, and that most of the numerous outrages upon freedmen result from hostility to tho race, induced by their enfranchisem ent, I Uiink cannot bo con troverted. The sam e difficulties which beset tbe prosecu tion o f criminals are encountered by negroes, who seek redress for civil injuries in local Courts. M a g istrates dare not do their duty toward them, and instances are not w anting where it lias even been beyond the power o f a M agistrate to protect a negro plaintiff from violence in his own presence, while engaged In tlie trial ot his case. I desire It to be understood that in speaking of M agistrates, 1 in no degree refer to Judges o f tlie Superior C o u r t They are gentlem e n of high character, and I have every confidence that thoy will do their duly fearlessly and impartially. But it Is to bo observed that oven they cannot control g rand and potty juries ; they cannot c om p el thc former to In dict, nor the latter to render unprejudiced ver dicts. Tho executive o f the Stale would gladly interpose to givo to all citizens the protection wliich is tlieir right, but under tlio Constitution and laws, lio lias powor neither to act directly in bring in g tlio offenders to justice, nor to compel subor dinate officers to do thoir duty. PUBLIC SENTIMENT IN THE ffTATE. I do not suppose that tlio great minority o f tho peoplo of tho State o f oithor r ace approve o f tlio com m ission of theso crim es. 1 believe t liat not only w o u ld they gladly sco good order restored, peace ond quiet m aintained, nnd law vindicated, but would lend their aid to socure tlicso ends wero thoy Dot controlled by their fears. Governed, how e v er, by their apprehensions, and having no confidence that tho civil a u thorities will afford them protection, in m any cdnnlles they suffer theso ovils to exist without nil effort to abate them, ond m eekly subm it to tlie rulo o f a disorderly anil crim inal mi nority. W h ile I have boen in comm and o f tho D epart m ent, I have endeavored to take no action which could not bo justified by letter o f law , even if G eorgia should bo held to be restored t o its origi nal relations t o the G e n e ral Governm ent. I havo confined m y self to givin g support to the civil authorities, and m o ving detachm e n ts o f troops into som e o f the disturbed counties, w h e re their pres ence wonld ex e r t a good influence, nnd where they would be ready to act if properly called upon. I think that som e good has in this way been accom plished, but the great evil has by no m eans been reached. A s D epartm ent Commander, I can dono more, for, w h a tever may be the status o f Georgia, and w h a tever m ay be tho pow e rs w h ich au officer assigned to the comm and o f the Third District, created by the R econstruction acts, would possess, it is o n ly an officer s o assigned who could exercise them. T h e y are not v e sted in m e by my assignm ent to the c omm and o l the D epartm ent. W h e r e, there fore, the c ivil authorities are in sym p a thy with or are overaw e d by those who com m it crim e, it is m anifest that I am pow e rless. In this c o n n e c tion I respectfully c all the special a ttention o f the General C omm anding the A rm y to the reports in regard to the attem p t m ade in W a rren County to secure the arrest and punishm ent o f persons charged with crim e, whicli are this day forwarded. WHY THE GOVENRMENT SHOULD INTERFERE. It appears to me that the national honor is pledged to the protection o f loyalists and freed m en of the South. I am w ell aw a re that protection o f persons and property is not ordinarily one of tho functions o f the N a tional G o vernm e n t,but when it is rem em b e red tlm t hostility to the supporters of the G overnm ent is but a m anifestation o f hos tility to the G o verm ent itself, and that the prevail ing prejudice a g a in st blacks resalts from the Em a ncipation act o f the Governm ent, it would seem that such protection cannot be denied them, if it be w ithin the pow e r o f tlie G o v e rnm e n t to give. I know o f no way in which such protection can bo given in G eorgia except by au exercise o f the pow e rs c o n ferred on m ilitary com m anders by the reconstruction acts. [The G eneral then enters into lon g discussion w h e ther these pow e rs can still be ex e r c is e d iu G e o rgia, and treats o f all law s bearing-upon the question with m uch vigor o f judgm e n t and clear ness o f expression, com ing t o the conclusion that they m ay still be decreased, and closing his report as f o llo w s :] how to resto r e good order . In conclusion, I desire to express my conviction that the o n ly way to restore good order in the State is to resum e m ilitary control over it for the time being, and ultim a tely to provide by law that the L e g islature shall reassem b le as a Provisional L e g islature, from which all ineligible persons shall be excluded, and to which all eligible persons e lected to it, w h e ther white or black, shall be admitted. Such legislature would, I believe, enact such laws, and in v e st their E x e c u tive with such pow e rs as would enable him t o keep the peace, protect life and property, and punish crim e. The process of resum ing m ilitary control would, it appears to me, be a very sim ple one. A ll thnt would be required order from the P resident counterm anding G eneral Orders N o . 55, Adjutant-General’s Office, July 28th, 1868, and orders No. 103, headquarters Third M ilitary District, July 22d, 1868, aud assign ing an officer to the comm and of the district, ex cepting the S tates of Florida and Alabama. This action I respectfully recommend. GEN. IIALLECK’S INDORSEMENT. Gen. Halleck, com m anding M ilitary Divison of the South, indorses this report o f Gen. Terry’s as follow s : I cannot concur entirely in the view s of Gen. Terry. A fter the recognition for s o long a tim e o f the State Governm ent o f G e o rgia by the President and highest m ilitary authorities, for these officers to retrace their steps and declare their own acts illegal and void, would not only seem inconsistent, but m ight produce much harm. Should Oougress, however, decide to return the State to the condition of a m ilitary district, under the R econstruction laws, on the ground that it had not been fully reconstructed, tho case would be very different. I therefore respectfully recomm end that the m a tter bo left for action o f Cougress. TH E D ISTR IC T OF M ISSISSIPPI. REPORT OF MAJOR-OEN. AMES. T h e report o f Major-Gen. A d e lbert A m e s, com m anding the D istrict o f M ississippi, contains tho following, relative to the condition o f affairs iu that State on the 28th o f October last : OUTRAGES AGAINST THE FREEDMEN. The em p loym ent o f troops beyond tho ordinary routine of post duty has been confined alm ost e x clusively to expeditious into tlie country, for tlie purpose o f arresting law less characters who had been guilty o f m urder or other serious offences. By num erous reports a t these headquarters,it a p pears that tho disturbances und lawlessness have their origin in political animosities, and tho inca pacity or unw illingness o f m any to recognize tlio change resulting from tlie late war in the condition of freed people. A prevailing sentim ent in many sections o f the Stato has beon tliat whites who en tertain political sentim ents different from tlio ma jority o f tho comm uuity, should be driven there from, and that blacks should be, if not deprived of rights undeniably theirs by law, at least seriously curtailed in tho exorcise o f them. Supported by public opinion, a few mon, in defiance of law com m it murders aud outrages, and the civil officers are unequal to thc task of bringing such violators of law to jaBtice. The assistance o f the troops is demanded. Guarded and protected by their neigh bors, their arrest becom e s very difficult. The parties injured or their friends rarely undertake to aid tho civil or military authorities; i f they do It Is hesitatingly, and if possible secretly. U n d er such circum stances protection o f persons in tlieir lives and proporty Is impossible. Tho ensos are not num erous whero violence has beon offered tho regularly constituted authorities, and in those instances the acts wero comm itted generally by Individuals, who, nevertheless, wero secreted and shielded by tho people. One o f tlio m ost deliberate and cold-blooded cases o f this kind was tlio murdor in the streets of Vicksburg o f B r e v e t Major J. G. Crane, Chief Commissary o f this District. By General Order dated last A p r il r authorized nil persons, w ithout r e spect to raco, color, or pre vious condition o f servitude, w h o possess the qualifications prescribed by tho law s hetolorc in force in this Stato, to act as jurors. B y tho e x e r cise o f tlio prerogative, freed pooplo will bo able to protect them selves from much oppression aud injustice, which will finally result In forbearance on the purt o f whites, und security to them selves and their proporty, w h ich could not otherw ise be obUiupd- T H E N A T I O N A L CO L O R E D L A B O R C O N V E N T I O N . T he N ational Colored Labor Convention assem bled at noon, the 6th inst., in Union L e a g u e Hall, W ashington. A b o u t 200 colored d e legates w ere present, representing Louisiana, Florida, North and South Carolina, A labam a, V irginia, T e n nessee, M aryland, Kentucky, District o f Columbia, Delaware, N e w Jersey, Pennsylvania, N e w York, M assachusetts, R h ode Island, M ichigan, Ohio, California, N evada, Missouri, and Illinois. A m o n g the eight or ten w h ite delegates present w ere S. P. Cummings and Charles M cLean o f the Central Committee o f the Labor party, G iles B. Stebbins o f M ichigan, C a p t M a ckey and Hon. Sim on Cor ley, M em bers o f C o n g ress from Sonth Carolina, Mr. McGrew, R epresentative e lec t from V irginia, and A . M. Pow ell. Richard Trevellick, P r e sid e n t of the N a tional Labor U n ion and Cougress, was early recognized, and invited to a sea t on the platform. There w ere also ten w om en delegates, one being colored ; they were all adm itted. The call for the C o n v ention w h ich proceeded from the c o lored d e legates who w e r e adm itted last A u g u st to the Philadelphia Congress, and who there signalized them selves by a strong support o f our financial integrity, was read by Mr. M yers of Baltim ore, a colored shipw r ight, who is at the head of a successful Cooperative Shipyard there. G e o r g e T. D o w n ing o f R h o d e Island was e lected tem porary Chairman, and Mr. H arm on o f Florida, Secretary. Mr. D ow n ing m ade a n a ppropriate ad dress on takin g the chair, urging the Convention to work in earnest, recognizing the fact that labor was the great interest of a ll c ivilization, and affirm ing that c apital could never be safe where labor was unjustly dealt with, a s betw e en them there w a s no issue. W h e n equity ruled in a large part of the land, such was not the case. Tlio c o lored man, just e m e r g in g from bondage, m n st necessarily be in the closest sym pathy with the great m ovem ent now m a king for the uplifting o f the toilers here and elsew h ere, but tbe slavery from which he em e r g e s leaves traces that m ust necessarily direct his pre sent nation. That m u st be to organize for protec tion ou tlie one side,and for m utual self-helpful uud aud cooperative efforts on the other. Protection and am elioration were to be the objects. Political action m u st be governed by local circum stances. A com m ittee o f one from each State and Terri tory represented was appointed on credentials. During the absence of the Committee, J. M. L a n g sto n , E sq., delivered a brief, e loquent address ; he was followed by the H on. Ja m e s H . H a r r i s , colored Senator o f N o r th Carolina. Mr. RicnARD T r e v i l l i c k was then called for. H o declared tliat the rights o f labor w ere f irst; tliat c a p ital was the result o f its efforts, and that therefore the creature could not be m ade superior to its creator. H e said that for him self he had loug since buried botli political parties, believing that, a s they had been constituted in thc past, there w ere but two divisions—that o f the skinner and the skinned. On that question, how e v er, he would not e laborate. Chattel slavery w a s bnt a part o f the great slavery of labor to m onopoly, of the w a g e s system , and the uuequal distribution of its r esults which had still to be fough t The de struction ol chattel slavery had cleared the decks for the greater figh t Mr. Trevellick spoke at length on the evils o f labor com p lained of, declar ing, am ong other things, that 33 per c e n t of all the children em p loyed in onr factories died within the first e ight years o f their employm ent. H e as serted that the transportation m o n opolies o f the country, centering as they did into so few hands, m n st becom e dangerous not only to our economical well-being, but to civil liberty. The land-grant sys tem r e c eived a fierce denunciation from the speaker. H e declared that i t was because tlie fathers o f the Republic had failed to declare free the mother earth, which the father God had given to man, that Slavery had obtained such a foothold and brought the nation through its baptismal struggle. Mr. Trevellick closed by declaring that only by bringing together and recognition o f all without regard to race, color, and s e x , and uniting them In a common effort, could the security o f freedom bc maintained, and the progress of tho laboring mil lions be assured. A a r o n M. P o w e l l , o f N ew Y ork, was then Li lted to address tlio Convention. H e referred to the significance of the Convention, m arking as it did a great transition. Slavery im p overished tho whites as well as degraded tho slave, but free labor will e levate and enrich both. Education, sobriety, skill, aud better com p ensation, are the present needs o f the w a g es c lass, aud organization is tho especial need o f colored labor. Especially was it necessary for tlio agricultural lubor o f the South to organize and obtain lands. T h e rural freed people have peculiar disabilities which can only bo m ot by cooperative effort, and the Freedm en’s Bureau be ing about to ceaso all operation, w e nood som e other m achinery. Mr. Pow ell concluded by of fering the follow ing resolution : Resolved, Tlmt we ask Congress to authorize at onco tho appointment by the Presidont of a Land Commission, bo composed of six or moro well-known and disinter ested frionds of tho freed pooplo, to serve without ponsatlon, to havo authority to appoint, with the ap proval of the Secretary of tho Treasury, a limited num ber of agents whoso duty It Bhall bo to cooperatowlth In dividuals nnd associations among tbo hitherto ousloved, for the selection and purchase of eligible lands for home steads, to hold titles tboreof for a given porlod, until, by Installments, thoy shall have been paid for at actual cost the Govorumont, when tho mouoy so employed, not to exceed $2,000,000, shall he refunded to tho National Treasury. A perm a n ent organization was effected by tlio election o f tho Hon. Jam e s H. H a r r i s o f North Carolina as permanent President, aud of a number of V ice-Presidents and Secretaries. Mr, Harris ou taking the chair, m ade a stirring speech, which was marked by a strong denuncia tion of the spirit still displayed by the old rebel e le m ent in the South. A Her som e prelim inary business, tlio Conven tion adjourned to m eet in the Fifteenth street Pres byterian Church, (Rev. J. Sella Martin's) at 7 p . m . EVENING SESSION. The attendance a t tho evening session was large. Several additional Comm ittees w ere appointed. Tho ch ief features o f iho even ing wero addresses by Mayor B o w e n , nud tho H on. A . M. C lapp, thc governm e n t printer. Tlio first welcom ed tho Con vention to the city; the latter e x p r essed his sympa thy with tlie objects o f tlie Convention, and gave an account o f his cflorts to maintain the rights Of colored c o m p ositors and apprentices in the Gov ernm ent printing office. On Tuesday tho sessions wero fully attended. Many resolutions w ere offered and referred to ap propriate com m ittees. The follow ing wore among tlio m o re im p o r tant: Whereas labor has Its privileges no loss than Its duties, one of wblqh Is to organize, und, if need he, to furnish reasons for ite organization ; therefore, Resolved, That labor was instituted by AlmlgJty God i a means of revealing the rich endowments of inani mate creation to he understood and used by man, and that labor is a duty common to, and the natural heritage of, the human family, each person having a natural right to labor in any field of Industry for which he or she ls capacitated, the right to ho governed and restricted only by the laws of political economy. Resolved, That capital Is an agent or means used by labor for its development and support, and labor is au agent or means used by capital for lu development and general enhancement, nnd that, for the well being nnd productiveness of capital and labor the best harmony and fellowship of action should at all times prevail, that \strikes” may be avoided and the workingman con vinced that justice is done him, and that ho is receiving equivalent for the labor performed. Resolved, That thero should be a frequent interchange of opinions upon all questions affecting aliko the em ployer and employed, and that cooperation for tho pur pose of protection nnd the better remuneration of labor ls a sure and safe method, invading no specific rights, but is alike beneficial to tho whole community, and tends to lift the working classes to higher achlevemenU and positions In socioty, prevents the necessity of, and increases the desire to givo their children a more liberal education, induces the practice of economy in tho dis tribution of their earnings, and accelerates the accumu lation of wealth, with all the happiness that must neces sarily ensue therefrom. Resolved, That intemperance is the natural foe and irae of the American family, especially the working classes, Ls terrible eflects being to disease, corrupt, and otherwise disllguro and destroy the constitution, produc ing vice, crime, and poverty, where peaie and plenty would otherwise e x ist Resolved, That education is ono ot the strongest safe guards of the Republican party, the bulwark of American citizens, and a defense against the invasion of tbe rights of man; Its liberal distributions to all, without regard to race, creed, or sex, ia necessary for the well being and advancement of society, and that all should enjoy its blessing alike in each of the Stales and Territories of the United States; that educated labor is more productive, ls worth and commands higher rates of wages, ls less dependent upon capital; therefore it ia essentially neces sary to the rapid and permanent development of the agri cultural, manufacturing, and mechanical growth and In terests of tho nation that there shall he a liberal free- school system enacted by the Legislatures of tho soveral States, for tlio benefit of all the inhabitants thereof. Resolved, That we feel It to be a duty that we owe to ourselves, to society, and to our country to encourage, by all the means within our reach, industrial habits among our people, the learning of trades and professions by our children without regard to sex; to edacate and Impress them with the fact that all is honorable and a sure road to wealth; that habits of economy and temper- auce combined with industry, education is the great safeguard of free republican Institutions, tho “ elevator of the condition of man, the motive-power to lncrense trade and commerce, and to make the whole people of this land the wealthiest and happiest on the face of the Resolved, That regarding the labor of the country the common property of the people that no portion should be excluded therefrom because of a geographical division of tho globe in which they or their forefathers were born, or on account of statutes or color, but that every man or woman should receive employment according to his ability to perform the labor required, without any other test; that the exclusion of colored men and apprentices from the right to labor in any department of industry or workshops in any of the States sad Territories of the United States, by what is known as “ Trades Unions,’ is an Insult to God and Injury to us and disgrace to humanity; whilo we extend a free and welcome hand to the freo Immigration of labor of all nationalities, w emphatically deem Imported contract Coolie labor to he positive injury to tlio working people of the United States, is hut the system of slavery in a new form, and we appeal to the Congress of the Uuited States to rigidly enforce the act of 1862, prohibiting Coolie Importation, and to enact such other laws as will best protect and freo American labor against tliis or any similar form of slavery. Resolved, Tbat wo recommend the establishment of cooperative workshops, land, building, and loan associa tions among our peoplo 03 a remedy agaiust their exclu sion from other workshops on account of color as a means of furnishing employment, as well as a protection against tho aggression of capital, and as the easiest and shortest method of enabling overy man to procure homestead for Ills family; and to accomplish this end v would particularly impress tlio greatest importance of tho observance of diligence in husinesi, and the practice of rigid economy in our social and domestic arrange ments. Resolved, That we regard the use of intoxicating liquors as the most deluging aud damuahle habits ' practiced by the human family; tliat we deuouuce the infamous practice planters have In drenching their em ployes with this poison drug, (with or without cost), intended to stupify their brain and Incapacitate thom to kuow tho condition of their accounts or the valuo of their labor, and to rob them of their sense and feelings of humanity; that wo appeal to our people to dlscounte- nnuco tho uso of Intoxicating liquors because of its effects to shorten life, and becauso It is tlie great cause of so much misery and poverty among the working classes of tho country, and wo advlso tho organization of temperance associations ns a nccossary instrument for tlio speedy and permanent elevation of our people. During tho evening session o f Tuesday Mr. W i l liam C r a f t , recontly returned from England, was introduced to tlie Couvontlon and was warmly w el comed. H o spoko briefly, returning thanks, and alluding to the need and value o f cooperation for tho promotion l o f the Interests of the 'working classes. Senator W ilso n addressed tlio Convention, and when introduced was r e c e ived with loud cheering. H e gave expression to his lioarly sym pathy with tbis and all other m o vem ents for tlio amelioration o f the laborer’s condition. In connection with the progress which lie declared had been made, tho Senator gave a graphic sketch o f his own career, us a laboring sboemakor, when ho begun * orki\®;’ receiving as a journeym an only 86 “ week. ‘ W ilson declared tliat tile ir«n»I>ortuti“it and othor m onopolies wore obtaining • l> ™ « “ onr institutions. H o d .c l.r e d tl» or assorting tho freedom of tho aclenlUlc highway - t h o railroad, lio spoko against tho land-grant ...u r n , though still willing, nndar rotlrtclion to aid the construction o f railroads, in order to do- velop tbe country. H e spoko at length on the Hom estead system , and declared his conviction that the Republican party wonld be found in the fu ture, as in the past, the champion o f the rights o f labor. Mr. J. C. W are o f Philadelphia, and Mr. Rapier of Alabama, followed Mr. W ilson. On W ednesday tbe comm ittee appointed for the purpose reported an Address which, a s it best in terprets the real spirit o f thc Convention and its objects, wo abridge other portions o f tbo procecd- ings, and print In full. It was written by tbe chair man of tho com m ittee, Jo h n M. L a n g s to n , Esq., and speaks eloquently for itself as follows : THE COLORED PEOPLE IN THEIR RBLATION9 TO AMERICAN INDCOTKY. ADDRESS. T he laboring class o f any community, educated and united, constitute its strength. And, In so far as the leading men thereof realize and appreci ate this consideration, they will b e able to raise the m asses of those Identified with them In condition, to rank and influence, socially and legally. Am o n g the colored m en of this country, there is no small amount of industrial capacity, native and acquired. All over the 8outb, and am ong the col ored people o f the North, workmen in gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, brick, m ortar and the arts are found doing skilfully, and ut usual w a g es tbe m o st difficult tasks, iu their several departments o f labor. N o r are these workmen generally engaged by white m en who, superintending tbeir work, can claim, upon any just ground, that the genius and art displayed belong to the employers. Aa Illus trating tbis statem ent, it m ay be appropriately m entioned, that perhaps the m ost accom plished gunsm ith am ong Americans, is a black man, an e x slave o f North Carolina, who not long since re ceived special notice from the P rince o f W a les, to whom he presented a pistol o f his ow n m ake, and received, iu return as a token of consideration, from tbo heir apparent o f the English throne, a m agnificent medal of rare value. It ls perhaps true, too, that the most finished cabinet maker, and blacksmith o f our country are of the same class. A n d it is said to be the fact, tbat the most valuable invention given ua by tbe Stjptb, the cot ton plough, the patentee o f which, form erly resided in M ississippi, was tbe creature o f a slave’s genius. H e r e , too, it m ay be m entioned with no incon siderable pride tbat one o f the finest landscape painters o f our country, and one of the finest sculp tors is of African d e s c e n t ; the form er distin guished especially as giving life and utterance from canvas to several o f Milton’s m atchless poetic creations in the Paradise L o s t ; and the other as m aking the spirit o f the noble Andrew o f Massa chusetts to breathe and speak through the life-like lips and features o f plaster. Individual instances o f colored persons e n g a g e d In com m erce as whole sale and retail dealers in many o f the larger cities o f the North and South m ight be m entioned. N ew Orleans, Mobile, Charleston, Savannah, R aleigh, Richmond, N ashville, A u stin, H e lena, Louisville, St. Louis, Leavenworth, Chicugo, D etroit, Indian apolis, Cincinnati, N ew Y o r k , Philadelphia, several of the larger c ities of N ew England, and the capi tal o f the U u ited States, furnish illustrations and proof o f this statem e n t But it m ay be claim ed that tbese are isolated and exceptional cases. L e t n s , therefore, consider this m a tter from a broader stand -p o in t Let us take the c o se o f the Freedm en in o n e o f tbe States, as presenting a fair average of their condition iu this regard ; and w e nam e North Carolina. W e offer the words o f the General Inspector o f the schools for Freedm en under the Bureau o f R efu gees, Freedm en aud Abandoned Lands, as specially significant in their bearing on this point. In one o f his reports for 1868, in speaking o f the F reed people o f North Carolina, he says : “ M ore than one-third o f the entire colored pop ulation o l North Carolina, are mechanics. They are nearly s ix to one as com p ared with white m e chanics. The census gives less than 20,000 o f the latter while there are m ore than 60,000 o f the former. A ll the mechanical occupations are rep resented by them ; blacksmiths, gunsm iths, w h e el wrights, millwrights, machinists, carpenters, cab- iuet-makers, plasterers, painters, shipbuilders, stone m asons, and bricklayers are fonnd among them in largo numbers. There are also among them many pilots and engineers, ^ j o r are they behind any class of workmen in the m i l , taste and ability which are usually exhibited in their several trades. Of the pilots and eugiueers running steamboats on the different rivers o f this State, many o f the very best are colored men. It is said that the two m ost trustworthy pilots in North Car olina, are freedmen ; one o f whom is running a steam boat o n Cape F e a r river, and the other across A lbem arle sound, and on the Chowan and Black- w ater rivers. The former is paid fifteen dollars per month more than any other pilot on the river, because o f his superior ability. The e n gineer on the boat run by this pilot is also a freedman, and Is said to be one of the best in tbe State. These colored mechanics, w hoa em p loyed, com mand tho usual w ages paid others o f like calling aDd are now constantly taking work npon their own responsibility, and doing it to tlie satisfaction of tbeir employers. One o f tbo m o st interesting sights which it was my good fortune to witness, while iu tho State was the building o f a steam boat on Capo F ear river, by a colored shipbuilder with bis g a n g of colored workmen.” W hat is thus said o f the freed people o f North Carolina, is In greater or less degree true o f the same c lass in tho various States o f the South ; for in tho general degradation o f labor, produced and festered by slavery, a s it formerly existed, the slave made to do every kiud o f work, mechanical as well as agricu ltural; and s o bccarno the artisan as w ell as field hand o f that region. The consideration that the freedman is the field hand, the agricultural laborer o f the South, is one o f no sm all significance ; sluco the two great staples which distinguish Southern industry canuot lie grown successfully without his labor. This Is abundantly proved by tho fact, tbat attem p t, which have boo,, made since Tho war, by N orthern copt- tallsts to grow cottot, and .agar on Southern plan- tat,o,is upon plans suggested by their Northern e-tporionco, and contrary to tho method of cottars adopted by tho colored laborers o f tho South, have proved abortive aud disastrous lit well nigh evory Instance, ns ton many mon, shipwrecked lu moans by tlioir efforts at fortune making In growing these itaplos aro reudy to testify. It Is not to bo inferred from this statem ent, that tbe general ignorance of tho e x -slave is forgotten, nor is any ono to presum e therefrom thnt slavery is to bo regarded us having beon a school with special claims to consideration by roasou o f its peculiar adaptability to Impart extraordinary and valuablo Instruction in the art o f cotton aud sugar culture. AH thot Is Intended Is, thut an exp e r i ence o f two hundred and forty-live years, as the laborer In cotton and sugar fields has given the nogro, though denied school, chnrch and c lvlliziug and elevating influences, »uch knowledge of thq
