"In his [Lincoln's] interests, in his associations, in his habits of thought, and in his prejudices...He was preeminently the white man's President..."
"You [whites] are the children of Abraham Lincoln. We are at best only his stepchildren...To you it especially belongs to sound his praises, to preserve and perpetuate his memory, to multiply his statues...But...we entreat you to despise not the humble offering we this day unveil to view..."
If "highly interesting object" is taken as faint praise rather than a reference to the extraordinary circumstances of its production -- being paid for by former slaves -- Douglass may not have been fond of the monument as a statue ("I warmly congratulate you upon the highly interesting object which has caused you to assemble in such numbers and spirit as you have today"). He does "congratulate" them on it, though, and clearly doesn't want people to "despise" it. Eleanor Holmes Norton, the D.C. representative, is introducing legislation to have it be taken down, and claims that "... in his keynote address at the unveiling of this statue, Frederick Douglass also expressed his displeasure with the statue." That's blatantly untrue.
Not only would he not want it be taken down, but he cites it at the close of his speech as a credit to his race:
“Fellow-citizens, I end, as I began, with congratulations. We have done a good work for our race today. In doing honor to the memory of our friend and liberator, we have been doing highest honors to ourselves and those who come after us; we have been fastening ourselves to a name and fame imperishable and immortal...when the foul reproach of ingratitude is hurled at us...we may calmly point to the monument we have this day erected to the memory of Abraham Lincoln.”
Maybe not for much longer, Frederick. Some among your posterity are determined to take it down.
Maybe you should read the whole address?