8

  Hoping that the proceedings of your Conven-        of course use their influence to extend to the
tion may be earnest manly and wise.                  colored portion of our people equal rights and
           I remain,                                 privileges.       Very truly,
                    Your friend,                                          J. R. GIDDINGS.
                          GERRIT SMITH.                D. Jenkins, L D. Taylor, J. Watson J. Mal-
                 HALL OF REPS, U.S.                  vin, W. A. Scott, W. H. Day.
                            Dec 26, 1855                  STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE.
  GENTLEMEN:--I have received your kind in-                  D. JENKINS,
vitation to attend the Convention of Colored                 C. H. LANGSTON,
men on the 16th January.                                     JOHN MALVIN,
  It would give me pleasure to comply with                   JONATHAN  UNDERWOOD,
your request; but you are aware of the impor-                ISHAM MARTIN,
tance of the questions now pressed upon the                  J. T. WARD,
consideration of Congress.  Of course it would               P. H. CLARK,
be improper for me to leave my seat in this body             L. D. TAYLOR,
until the election of Speaker and disposal of                J. C. CHANCILLOR.
some of the important questions before us.             In accordance with the resolutions adopted
  I however feel a deep interest in the action       by the Convention, relative to State Organiza-
of your Convention.  There can be no doubt           tion, the State Central Committee met on the
among intelligent men, that knowledge is pow-        25th inst., and permanently organized by ap-
er.  The more our colored friends increase their     pointing D. JENKINS President, C. H. LANGSTON
intelligence, elevate, their moral being, the great- Secretary, and JOHN T. WARD Treasurer, all of
er influence they will exert, and the sooner will    the City of Columbus.
they he admitted to all the privileges which           We do sincerely hope that every county will
the whites possess.                                  at once organize their county committees, and
   I know of no absurdity in morals or in poli-       proceed to raise the money as recommended in
tics more palpable than that of making the           the resolutions above referred to, and forward
complexion of a man the criterion of their mo-       it to the State Central Committee.
ral or political worth.  While our colored             Brethren, this is an important crisis.  Let us
friends should be constant in their demand for       go to work in earnest.  If our rights are worth
a respectful consideration of their claims to        having, they are worth working for.  We can
the rights and privileges to which their intelli-    only succeed by having MONEY.
gence and moral worth entitle them: while                             D. JENKINS, Pres't.
they continue to do this, the philanthropists will     C. H. LANGSTON, Sec'y.



			

OHS Archives/Library Pamphlet Collection

Proceedings, Held in the City of Columbus, January 16-18, 1856