Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-12-10
esier.s wov.,usm..,. Mee,ln.


winch they msy secure fair shsrs OF ~ pioy-
ment on the pubhc WORKS. from which they
are now generally excluded Some half dozen
" ME persons we're IN the hall
Al sis n O'Clock, Edward Ambush. (oolorsa. J
SITTER erpls inipg the object of the Teeti 4 ~
proposed Msjor Bramhali lwhlte) as chair.
in assuming the duties or the once sx
Pressed his embarrassment and sarpFlss at
being called 70 the position, and his gratis ca
n had, he ,ais. long noticed ne esrnesl an
cen mined efforts on the part OF the white me.
cham, TO override and PIT down the colored
wol k,ngmen. The necessity had now arisen
for his colored friends 10 act for their o ia
welfare
On motion Of ] SayIes Brown, fwhi,e. !
John Ambush lcoIcred) was appoin,ed Secre-
tary.
J. Snyles Brown item addressed the Or estiug
The imposition upon the colored mso MAJ
caused him, ameng other persons, to take an
interest IN their welfare, and 20 do what he
could TO alleviate their sufferIngs. He haG
been asked why o. was that he took such an
Interest ia stirring mp strife among The colorsd
men, why was A. hat ne would no: let them
alone and permit them to work out their own
ossnhy His reply was thst there was gross
iplushce done daily 70 the eoiored population,
a ara combined effort TO shove them aside
ha right 10 labor was equal W n every man
De ne White Cr black; ana il was inhucnan TO
psrsecute The latter n the manner they q id
been. There was q conspiracy against them
1om thrse causes--one was ON account of heir
color, against winch there was a strong preu.
olSe; another was to exclude The colored man
Iom mechhnicsl labor, tns bricklayers, car.
penttre, &c. would not work With them but
ified 10 force them 20 the performance OF the
meGl al service of CLEANING out spIo1xes car
iylng coal, &c. thereby maKtug labor scarce
and high. La Dor was higher here than in
maEE OF Jour Northern cities, and tue reason
was mat negro labor was conspiTed against
Another cause was for the accomplishment of
pohneai ENDS; the colored man. II was co.,
tnoeo mad ne righ- 10 vote, and whys IA.
cause the rebel influence Knew tuat if the
Ne gro was permitted 70 exercise the elective
franchise, We would retain q rspG 5ncan cIty
goYernmsnt. Labor wss the heart ana core OF
the prosperity of every city, and YOU had bet
ter drive capital OF than labor rhs Whole
tenoency, be thought, of this cons iraey agalnst
Inc negro, would be 10 control labor and keep
Gown skIlful mechanism. The remark was
often heard, 'sOn, these negroes are o AEGEAN M.
we can do without them The speaker thougn n
the contrary; for our grocers, dry goods, and
clothing roe rcbants. ana every other branch of
business were dependent upon the black 10 aa
Tor their mercantile prosperity The white
man generally was dope ndent upon the black,
and each was dependent npon the other Mr.
Brown thought everybody felt the beneficial
influence of the thrifty character of the negro.
IL was their iirst instinct 20 build thsmsei YES
houses, and thereby they would be comnslisd
u paiTouze the hard ware merchant, the ium
Der dealer and the carpenter, and after their
houses are ready for occupancy they had 20
paiToDlZe the furniture dealer. After getting
into their house IL was necessary 70 nat
robZe the grocer, and so they benefited all
branches OF business. Some men boas ted o
their peculiar claims TO all work done i'm the
city because OF their long residence here Nov
he thought the colOred nan more entitled To
the work TO be performed In Washington thar
Inc white man. But what had been the case
Why, most contracts were given to strangers
from abroad, and white ms cha nics from abroad
were sent for TO 90 the work. The consequence
was that when the Job was finished both tina
contractor and la borer carried of all the money
they had received, and Washington was not at
an btnehtted thereirom. The inquiry was,
what should be done for the relief of the gre
vance complained OF Why, all that the col.
oreo man could do was to appeal 20 Congress-
ana sense OF justice for redress. The coiored
men could not compel CONTRACTORS or other
private employers TO give hem work Their
preJudices would be INDUCED in toy wards the
negroes, and there was no means bv which
they could be compelled To give the colored
man work. Congress should appoint 81 ch
Government superintendsnis as wonld no.
dIscI inmate againsr the negro, but give them
an equal right with the white man The report
OF Generai Howard, sugge sting the employ
ment OF colcred iaborers upon certain work,
was eomplimented, and in conclusion the
speaker read long petition % Congress, which
he proposed should be circulated among the
coiored population for sign atures, and after.
wards placed in the hands of some Senator for
presentation TO Congress
Upon motion for the adoption Of tbs petit
tion, Edward Ambush, the secretary, Directed:
Tor he thought that, as there were presidents
OF ward associations present, they should he
heard from before the subject was disposed OF.
Quincy Adams. yet. with that disting nished
parrot and statesman, he was In "fav or of the
right of petition"
Alexander Henderson, colored, President nj
the First Ward Labortng Association, thought
the petition was not altogether what was mead
cd. he had had this subject uRdsr considera.
had TevOlved remedies for adoption IL vas
serious theme for reflection when we pass
throughout the city, and lind squads Of white
men at work on every building and public i'm
pTovement, and but occasionally two or three
colOred persons would pop mp their heads
FROM obscure and inferior branches of the nm.
siness. The c0iofed man, ne said, was quail.
Ned 10 90 al any ya,. ,S which the white man
Mayor, when appealed to, had shir<ed the re-
Fponsibility OF assisting the coiered men in
their appeal for labor, and in the coming cleo
lion no man should receive their votes who
would not fully commit himself 10 do equal
Justice to the colored man with the white. The
speaker pointed TO the recent elections at the
North as a melancholy augury for the Repub-
lican party, and ergo as an evidence Of the
waning sympathy hitherto felt for the eolored
race. The South was the setar of hone" for
the black man; there, at the approaching
Republican President. At the close Of his
remarks, q collection was taken up, aud there
upon the vote upon the petition was taken,
ana 1t was unanimously adopted.
The Char suggested the proprietv of an.
pointing committee to circulate the petition
and at a subsequent meeting another com init.
tee should be Appended, whose duty il would
be to present the same to Congress.
Mr. Brown {white) thought the siguers
should be obtained from the persons then pres
ent; end ut the next meeting, to be held at an
early night, another committee, consisting of
one from each ward, should be appointed to
circulate the petition throughout the city
Henry Himber (white) moved that eight per-
SONS be appoin ted on said committee-one from
each ward and one from Georgetown; carried,
and the following were apponted:-Wiiliam
II. Bell, from the First Ward: Sinclair Burley,
Second Ward; Richard Hosey, Third Ward:
William II Smith, Fourth Ward: Edward At
kinson, Fifth Ward; Henry Better. Sixth
Ward; Anthony Bowen, Seventh Ward: Joseph
Smaliwood, Georgetown
q. +. Needham (white) was introduced and
addressed the meeting in fevor of the Lincoln
cooperative Building Association.
Mr.. John X. Arrison, Councilman from the
Fifth Ward, had attended the meeting at the
request Of q friend and did not know what IL
was about. He favored the purposes which
had called his auditors together. and Of what
ever avail his feeble efforts would prove for
their accomplishment, they should be freely
given Great discrimination had been exer.
cissd against the colored workingmen, and il
was time that justice should be awarded them.
The petition should be numerou sly signed and
when presented TO Congress, he had no doubt
that that body would redress the grievances
complained Of
Alter further speaking, the meeting adjourned
till Friday evening next.