The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1883-08-07
FREEDMEN'S FUN.
Sedalia's COlOred Folks Cele-
brating the Emancipa-
ton of the Slaves.
A Speech by the Hon. j. M.
Turner. and Base Ball
Game in Sichers'
Park.
Lots of Jolly Good Fun Enjoyed
By Hundreds Of People in
Holiday Attire.

A more perfect day for an open air cele-
bration could not have been wished for by
the most exacting. The air was clear and
bracing, and the sun rose in clcudless
sky, while the temperature was what a
young lady Justly characterized as lovely.
The colored population of the city was up
betimes, and long before 10 o'clock, the
hour when the procession started for the
park,
THE STREETS WERE THRONGED
with dusky sons and daughters of Ethiop,
whose smiling faces bore abundant testi-
mony to the fact that the day was to be one
of unalloyed enjoyment. The railroad
company generously reduced the rates of
fare for round trip tickets from the neigh.
boring towns to price and third, and
each train which came into the city
brought large numbers of colored people
who didn't mean 10 be left out in the cold
while there Wax any fun going on. The
platforms at the depot were crowded with
pectant. Everybody WIS arrayed i'm bis
Sundays best, and the toilets of the females
were in many cases very striking. Many
of the men developed extraordinary thirst,
Notwithstanding the fsct that the weather
was reasonably cool, and imbibed freely of
corn juice and the beer of Gambrinus, but
EVERYBODY WAS GOOD NATURED
There was no unpleasant friction between
the brethren who were bent on celebrating
with proper enthusiasm the greatest event
i'm the history of their race. The process
sion formed on the east end of Main street,
at the corner Of Lamine, In the following
order: The Army vi George Washington"
company Of small boys, led by Henry
Ross; the Gin on brass band. of ten pieces;
a chariot driven by the venerable and dig
nifed Uncle Hayden, who handled the rib
bons of has fOur-mule team with cOnsum-
mate grace the chariot containing a num-
Der of handsomely atiired young ladies'
one for ach state in the union; carriages
containing
EMINENT CoLoRED CITIZENS
brought up the rear. The procession
moved up Main to Ohio street, and thence
to Sichers' where halt was called, and
the band discoursed inspiring strains. Al
ter this, the party moved on 10 the park,
where, after each one had duly paid his adj
mission fee of two bits. the erry-makers
scattered in groups. and fiinging care to The
winds, prepared to enjoy themselves to the
full. Everything that was good to eat and
drink had been prepared by The ladies'
and when dinner time came, there was an
abundant supply of food for all who were
willing to pay for it at reasonable prices
No beer or liquors were sold, but there was
plenty Sf milk, lemonade and coffee, ard
impecuniosity was
THE ONLY EXCUSE
one could offer for going thirsty. The
tribe of sweethearts was we'll represented,
and the shady recesses Of the park were the
scenes of much billing and cooling. All the
old people seemed to have young hearts,
and to take as much pleasure i'm what WIS
going on as their younger representatives
Everything was quiet aud orderly, and
more we'll behaved gathering has srldom
assembled in this city. There seemed to be
some jealously and feeling over the fact
that some cOlored folks chose to celebrate
in other places than the park, but every
body was having such a good time that
this feeling was soon lost sight of. About
3 o'clock the assemblage seated themselves
in the amphithester to listen to
THE EVENT OF THE DAY,
The speech of the Hon J. Milton Tur-
ner, of St. Louis. Mr.. Turner YVES for
some time minister of the United States
government at Liberia. He has travelled
extensively abroad, and is a man Of con.
siderable education. He is q member Of
the state republican committee, and en-
Joys the confidence of President Arthur.
His colored brethren are justly proud of
him. His voice is clear and pleasing, and
his articulation is entirely tree from the
pronounced negro accent He spoke for
somewhat more than an hour, and his au-
dience continued attentive listeners to the
end. He said that the emancipation of
the colonel race began in 1882, when the
English parliament was besieged with
petition to free the slaves This petition
was signed by more than one million
women. Az that time there existed in the
United States
THE MOST ABJECr SLAVERY
the world has ever seen. We are COM
memorating deco which happened Au-
gust l, 1883. Just remember this, and
when you celebrate next year, celebrate on
the right day. The negro sympathizes with
persecution, and his heart is melted by the
suferings of the Irish. Yet the Irish are
the Negroes worst prosecutors. When a
negro is dubbed by policemen, you may
be sure the policeman is Irish. The man
who calls you negro" and is ready to pick
quarrel with you is always an Irishmap,
yet the negroes are only waiting for the
Irish to properly organize in order to 60
ont and help them fight their battles.
When was in Dublin met some very
decent Irishmen, but, as / went south, l
found q miserable, priest-ridden people.
They live in Irish shanties, raise Irish po-
tatoes, marry Irish women, and have Irish
children. And their pig, he's an Irish.
man, too. At this there was great laugh.
ter, but one mulatto said, quite audibly,
"HE'D BETTER 60 LITTLE SLOW;
my father was an Irishman." The orator,