J. SELLA MARTIN TO FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Washington, D.C. 29 March 1869.

418 FOURTEENTH STREET

MY DEAR MR DOUGLASS:

I was appointed, at a meeting of the share-holders of our Newspaper
Enterprise, to make known to you the nature of their action.

It was unanimously resolved to invite you to take the Editorial Chair
and I was chosen as Associate Editor, of the Newspaper about to be
started.¹In February and March 1869, Douglass joined his son Lewis, George T. Downing, and several other black leaders in sending out a circular calling for contributions to a proposed new weekly newspaper for African Americans to be published in Washington, D.C. Blacks in Washington supported this plan with pledges totaling $2,500. They proposed Douglass serve as editor in chief, the Presbyterian minister and experienced journalist J. Sella Martin as associate editor, and Lewis Douglass as chief compositor and print shop manager. Douglass declined the offered position and warned that the enterprise would require much more capital. Investors pushed ahead anyway and offered the editorship to Martin. Martin accepted on the condition that Douglass serve as the newspaper’s contributing editor. The New Era issued its first copy on 13 January 1870, and Douglass’s first article appeared two weeks later. Philip S. Foner, Frederick Douglass: A Biography (New York, 1969), 277–79; James H. Whyte, The Uncivil War: Washington during the Reconstruction, 1865–1878 (New York, 1958), 252–53; Washburn, African American Newspaper, 35; Roland Edgar Wolseley, The Black Press, U.S.A. (Ames, Iowa, 1971), 34–35.

This action was based upon the twofold consideration that, as you had
yourself justly said, the sentiment which is to rule this Nation for the next
four years is to be manufactured in the North, and that as you was one of

the chief manufacturers we could not ask you to give up that field to reside
permanently in this.

These considerations called for a resident Editor and your Correspondent was chosen, I doubt not, more because of his than his
ability to do what the position requires.

The salary of the Editors was not fixed because the chief business
required about a week or ten days to ascertain how much help, from white
friends and colored shareholders could be procured. I have no doubt, however, that this matter can be arranged to your satisfaction.

Your son, Mr Lewis Douglass, was chosen as Chief Compositor and
manager of the proposed printing-room with a view not only of securing
the advantage of his experience and talent but also because, if practicable,
it is desired to have all the work done by colored people.

Our confidence in you and our esteem for you will serve as an excuse
for the unbusiness practice of inviting you to assume the arduous duties
and <the> heavy responsibilities of the Editorial Chair without having
fixed the amount of remuneration we are prepared to give. And then too
we think that the announcement that you will take the Editorial responsibilities may aid us in securing a sufficient foundation—fund to make
the salary somewhat worthy of the genius and reputation of the Editor in
Chief.

As to the business features I may say it is thought that five thousand
dollars ($5000) will run the machinery smoothly for six months; and the
confidence is, I think, as well founded as it is strong that by that time we
will be able to open other channels of assistance and support. Twenty
five hundred dollars ($2,500) is pledged and will be immediately forthcoming from colored people here; and I am credibly informed that this
last appeal will bring us much more from the same class and from white
friends.

If this be true, and Mr Geo. T Downing is now testing the truthfulness
of this estimate, it seems likely we may start at an early date.

The chief feature of the Paper is to manifest our interest in Reconstruction and our grasp of its problems and it is hoped that a judicious
system of agencies in the southern States and an [illegible] collection of
facts vitally affecting the interest of the colored people in those States will
bring us larger subscription lists, for a well conducted weekly paper.

If it were not at once presumptious and useless to urge one of your
interest in our race and of your great ability and willingness to serve your
people I would try to speak of this matter as it appears to me; but happily

both your patriotism and experience in Newspaper enterprises lead me to
listen rather than to attempt to persuade.

Hoping to hear from you at once and with the mostly kindly remembrances to your family together with the most loving admiration for
yourself

I am my dear Sir

Yours very truly

SELLA MARTIN

ALS: General Correspondence File, reel 2, frames 445R–47L, FD Papers, DLC.