Colored Convention at Nashville
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Title
Colored Convention at Nashville
Source
Chronicling America
Publisher
Weekly Louisianian
Date
1874-05-09
Scripto
Transcription
[PAGE 01]
COLORED CONVENTION AT NASHVILLE.
HEALTHY RESOLUTIONS.
Subjoined we publish an extract showing the proceedings of the late convention held at the Nashville by the colored citizens of Tennessee.
We publish these resolutions not only because they are healthy in tone upon a question of vital importance, but because they are suggestive of a lesson that the colored Republicans of Louisiana have hitherto been slow to learn, to-wit: wit: that the people must hold their public servants to strict account for their official action.
Our brethren of Tennessee do not propose that present dereliction and unfaithfulness to duty on the part of their officials shall be condoned or offset by their or offset by their past services, and they will not trust a man who betrays them once, no matter how faithfully he may have heretofore served them. They are wise in so doing.
[PAGE 02]
On the other hand our people take the promise for the deed, and seem,--in -- in many cases without a previous demand for reparation for past wrongs, and without any guarantee for fidelity in the future, to be perfectly willing to trust the demagogues, who cajole and flatter them, again and again, no matter how often they may have misrepresented, outraged and neglected their constituents. Let us learn wisdom from our past mistakes in this matter, and give our votes and confidence only to good and true men:
"NASHVILLE, TENN., April 29.--The -The colored State convention reassembled this morning. The proceedings were harmonious. The resolutions, which are very voluminous, take decided grounds in favor of equal rights and of the supplementary civil rights bill. Among the resolutions are the following.
Resolved. That we will consider the mission of the Republican party to enact the civil rights bill a base surrender of the rights of humanity to our insidious foe that has contested upon the arena of civil life every right we enjoy, as they did every right of freedom on the field of battle and we will use our utmost effort to stamp upon every demagogue who seeks to betray the privileges of our children to their full and impartial enjoyment in the public schools the brand of the traitor Judas, as deserving politically a traitor's doom with whom we will never join hands or support but will regard as our public and private enemy; more terrible to meet than thy savage beasts; more injurious than any catastrophe that could be befall us, or any calamity that could be deserved by any wicked criminal; but equal and impartial rights will secure to posterity
[PAGE 03]
their [unclear]just[/unclear] t and true relation. Order will [unclear]come will[unclear][/unclear] of [unclear]chaos[/unclear]. no .[/unclear] Love will spring up where hate exists. Ethiopia [unclear]will in[/unclear] in this fair county /unclear] stretch forth her [/unclear] hands [/unclear] to God. Peace will prevail. God will bless us, and we will walk hand in hand.
Whereas Hon. Wm. G. Brownlow, United States Senator from this State, has declared himself oppose to that portion of the civil rights bill which gives colored children rights to be educated in schools with the whites; therefore.
Resolved, That we deprecate a departure from the principles of humanity and justice of one in whom [/unclear] we [/unclear] have [/unclear] so often reposed so much confidence [unclear]is[/unclear] a true friend of the colored race.
COLORED CONVENTION AT NASHVILLE.
HEALTHY RESOLUTIONS.
Subjoined we publish an extract showing the proceedings of the late convention held at the Nashville by the colored citizens of Tennessee.
We publish these resolutions not only because they are healthy in tone upon a question of vital importance, but because they are suggestive of a lesson that the colored Republicans of Louisiana have hitherto been slow to learn, to-wit: wit: that the people must hold their public servants to strict account for their official action.
Our brethren of Tennessee do not propose that present dereliction and unfaithfulness to duty on the part of their officials shall be condoned or offset by their or offset by their past services, and they will not trust a man who betrays them once, no matter how faithfully he may have heretofore served them. They are wise in so doing.
[PAGE 02]
On the other hand our people take the promise for the deed, and seem,--in -- in many cases without a previous demand for reparation for past wrongs, and without any guarantee for fidelity in the future, to be perfectly willing to trust the demagogues, who cajole and flatter them, again and again, no matter how often they may have misrepresented, outraged and neglected their constituents. Let us learn wisdom from our past mistakes in this matter, and give our votes and confidence only to good and true men:
"NASHVILLE, TENN., April 29.--The -The colored State convention reassembled this morning. The proceedings were harmonious. The resolutions, which are very voluminous, take decided grounds in favor of equal rights and of the supplementary civil rights bill. Among the resolutions are the following.
Resolved. That we will consider the mission of the Republican party to enact the civil rights bill a base surrender of the rights of humanity to our insidious foe that has contested upon the arena of civil life every right we enjoy, as they did every right of freedom on the field of battle and we will use our utmost effort to stamp upon every demagogue who seeks to betray the privileges of our children to their full and impartial enjoyment in the public schools the brand of the traitor Judas, as deserving politically a traitor's doom with whom we will never join hands or support but will regard as our public and private enemy; more terrible to meet than thy savage beasts; more injurious than any catastrophe that could be befall us, or any calamity that could be deserved by any wicked criminal; but equal and impartial rights will secure to posterity
[PAGE 03]
their [unclear]just[/unclear] t and true relation. Order will [unclear]come will[unclear][/unclear] of [unclear]chaos[/unclear]. no .[/unclear] Love will spring up where hate exists. Ethiopia [unclear]will in[/unclear] in this fair county /unclear] stretch forth her [/unclear] hands [/unclear] to God. Peace will prevail. God will bless us, and we will walk hand in hand.
Whereas Hon. Wm. G. Brownlow, United States Senator from this State, has declared himself oppose to that portion of the civil rights bill which gives colored children rights to be educated in schools with the whites; therefore.
Resolved, That we deprecate a departure from the principles of humanity and justice of one in whom [/unclear] we [/unclear] have [/unclear] so often reposed so much confidence [unclear]is[/unclear] a true friend of the colored race.
Convention Minutes Item Type Metadata
Convention Type
State Convention
City
Nashville
State
TN
Country
USA
Start Date
1874-04-28
End Date
1874-04-29
Provenance
Library of Congress
Event ID
1874.TN-04.28.NASH
Citation
“Colored Convention at Nashville,” Colored Conventions Project Digital Records, accessed October 22, 2026, https://www.omeka.coloredconventions.org/items/show/2769.