New-York tribune., 1871-08-25
COLORED CITIZENS.
THEIR CONDITION IN THIS CITY

THEIR CONDITION IN THIS CITY.
MILITARY, POLITICAL, AND BENEVOLENT OK
GANIZATIONs-CHURCHE AND SCHOOLS
OBSTACLES TO THEIR GREATER PROGRESS
COLoRED MEN IN PROMINENT POSITIONS.
Fully one-half the colored population OF the
state OF New York 1.-Two IN the metropolis and s nfe
diate suburbs In NewYork, Suffolk, Queens ana hlcn
mond Counties tho number was recently es'ina'o' ~
27co and there are few thousand in Brooklyn ana the
rest OF Kings County Tho remainder OF 6ooo are scat
tered throughout tho State or the one-hal VINO hhu
the metropolis the most attractive part OF the state'
1908 reside in the city itself.
One fifth Of tho total in the State, together Win the
$500 colored seamen engaged in the mercantile mariuo
OF this port, will give 1880 colored voters.
TRADES AND PROFEssIoSs
or the number in NewYork City. 80 arc engineers 400
waers 80 tobacco twsters' 90 barDers'
~ cabnetnakers and carpenters IA masons and prck-
LAYERS ly smelers and reners rollers and moders,
800 loncshoremen and "a printers. As 'Ongshoremch
the coored are preferred to all other workmen there IL
little invdious discrimination against them as sean'en'
and the avenues TO promotion in these pursuits arc opsn
to them One colOred seaman, George Brooks receNeu
his certificate shipmaster IN 1851 ana sahed Hoih
this port in command Of the James f. Waterbury ior ,ho
coast OF Africa. This vessel was manned enuiey Dy
coored men He sailed the brig Curlew to the same port
the year after Samuel Johnson lcOlored), with BAIL
Black Co.. was third owner of the Curow Capt Brad
ley part owner OF his vessel has been sailing from new
Haven to tho West Indies Benjamin Drummond. secohu
mate OF the Waterbury and Curew, Is grandson oi
Paul Cufe colOred who was Ncw-England sea-capth'
Colored usually saving than their whe
fellow-workmen r. b. Elliott now Member OF Congress
from South Carolina was born in the British West Indies
and educated in England, and seaman for whle'
He was In tho United States naval service during inc
war.
There are about IS 900 colored in the merchant
and naval service Of the United States or those 9O
in tho naval service 000 sailing from TINS ana o.ho
ports and 1900 the Mississippi. the Western akes'
and elsewhere the Western and waters
There are on the average about 20 OF these sailors in hs
port at once.
The colored people Of NewYork are mainly found IN
the Eighth and Ninth Wards and between Ninth and
Tenthaves, from FOurteenth-st, to FiIuethst. Em''
grafton to the south and to towns adjacent TO ths Guy
has diminished the numbers of this GLASS OF citizens Inc
war; emancipation suffrage, &C. do not seem to have n
proved their condition in this city much as they have
elsewhere This especially owing to the fact tha the
old rules maintained against coorcd apprentices ana
workmen by the tradesuniOns As will be seen, different
leading men among this take different views OF TINS
fact One effect Of 1t is that most of those who remain
here found in menal occupations As BARRIERS, walt
ers coOks servants coachmen store porers and obbers
they from $40 TO s14 week in busy seasons Their
average earnings s. to 3d. Their wives contribute
bousecleanng. nursing &c. Walters, except catcrers.
earn but little BARRIERS generally single young men
who take little care for the morrow POrers in stores
are Oleraby well paid There few cO!ored printers
in this city and Brooklyn. one runs job office. There
arc but few carpenters and masons and only these
an employer. There few tailors and many clothes
cleaners, and several shOemaker5 few are engaged
in daguerreotyping, jewelry making, matchmaking
cgar-making picture framing, engraving, and black
pducatel cOlOred DlysiCian5 now
practcng here though there many literate prac-
titoners and "botanlc &C., druggsts. There Is one
wholesale druggist who does heavy trade and employs
large number OF colored young at rstcass wages
Intelligence offices to supply coored labor have been
instituted and well patronized Their restaurants
md boarding g-hOuses are hberaly supported large
number are employed ianitors and messengers in
insurance and banking houses, and some as shipping
clerks
MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS.
g. W. Myers President of the vth Assembly Colored
Organization visited for the purpose OF obtaining
facts concerning tho military and political organizations
OF his race in this city He said that tho first military
company started here by his people was originated In
March, 1870, when Hayes Kennedy and others organ
lied the Griffin Excelsior Guards. They succeeded
ndiferently, until Taylor and Griffin went to Albany
and saw william NJ Tweed. After their return, and the
sending out OF circulars storm Of indignation fell upon
them for selling out to the Democrats. This stopped
enlistments and the affair languished Griffin resigned
They number about $50 men; but the general 0pn
ion Of their people is that they will not succeed
The sdmore Guard started last Fall independent
company, and did we'll leslie, Washington and Brown
were the projectors. James Fisk, jr gave them equip
ments and funds for tuition. and they made fair show
in the procession which celebrated the passage OF the
XVIII Amendment.
The Veteran Guard was started soon after the war,
and was composed members OF the 5lh Massachusetts
26th Connecticut and all other Northern cO,ored reg
ments They have not met with much success
POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS.
There have been political organizations among the
colored Of this city May, 1870 when occurred
the first election at which they were allowed TO vote So
cetes were formed at first in all the election districts
None OF them amounted TO much except the District
Assembly Associations in the IXth, Yth, XIth, and
XVIII Districts Only OF thesetha in the Vth Dis
trlct-is now in good working order. This was formed
by e,ecting T. W Titus, Of the leading men, as
Chairman. This district lies above Canal-st, embrac-
ing the populous quarters OF Thompson, Sullivan, &c,
streets
The first thing they did was to canvass their district
They found 1907 voters AS there is little hope for
Republican ascendancy, little enthusiasm be raised
In the Other districts The next IN Importance to the
yth District where there ia always lively contest for
tho leadership OF the now 1900 voters, Is the Xlth
where there are from 800 to 700 voters. There was
storm raised among this people by the fact that dele
CATION OF their race-Eighth Ward Union Regulators
called upon Mike Norton previous 10 his visit to Europe
and presented him with handsomely engrossed set Of
resolutions thanking him for his contributions for the
wants OF the needy his protection Of them In the time OF
the riot in 1868, and congratulang him upon his un
selnshness and other virtues.
COlored voters have complained bitterly that they have
been unfairly treaedfOr instance on the occasion OF
the election Of officers OF the yth ASSEMBLY District AS
socation under the reorganization" of the Republican
party OF this CITY, by order Of Messrs Schultz and orton
nd