The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-31
THE NEGROES DISADVANTAGE
The Obstacles Interposed by Society to
His Advancement Among Men.
A Colored Man Points Out the Difficulties
Under Which His People Labor-Hos-
tility of Trades Unions.

"You Of the white race think you have done
much for the negro in America. You take great
pride in the contemplation of your philanthrophy
and think yourselves much better than your
fathers Well so you are; but did it ever occur
to you, as a white man, that the people of your
color have hardly taken more than the few first
steps in the direction Of justice to people of my
color?7
The speaker was Allison Sweeney barber,
an observing, intelligent man, Of good education
snow here l am, barber. l have several
times felt that would prefer some other pur-
suit-something in which there might be IN
tellectua advancement There's no place for
me. Why Simply on account of my color. You,
perhaps. have never thought much of the preiu-
dice which still exists toward us who wear the
Swallowed livery of the burning sun. 1t is worth
thinking about. People of my complexion,
men and women, should think about it a great
deal more than they do. That wall of prejudice
must come down. Not until it does am l to
enjoy the full rights Of American citizenship.
We have made great improvement in the past
twenty years. No race ever had the thirst for
knowledge that we have. We are, taking our
opportunities into account, wonderfully orderly
we'll Of He is an initiative animal. He copies
the white man closely and for the most part he
copies the good that is in the white man.
'Did you ever attend one of our Sunday schools?
No 1t will pay you to do so. Our children go
to Sunday school, think in greater proportion
in this city than do the white children. You
will be surprised to see how welldressed they
are, how cleanly, how orderly and attentive.
They are the. children of your hewers
of wood and drawers of water The children of
the woman who earns her living at the wash
tub are there bright and clean, carefully dressed,
and the mothers heart is glad and sweled with
pride. They are on the road to good citizenship,
and they travel that road cheerfully.
''You will find our children in the public
schools, and they are not among the laggards
and the billiards. You will find them gradual
ing at the high school. And after they graduate
what employment opens to them2 What are the
young men to do? What the young ladies? Our
young ladies, be they never so intelligent, honest
and capable, cannot enter single store in this
city as clerks. There is not single dry goods
house would employ one of them. A dry
goods dealer much of whose trade is from per-
sons of my race, told me the other day that he
would not dare to do such thing. as all his
other employees would quit | think he ought
to make the experiment; but. of course, he will
not. There is nothing for these young ladies to
do if they remain in this city, but washing and
ironing or to work as house servants. They
may teach colored schools, but not in Indianapo-
lis. Here the places are filled. They will have
to go away from two hundred to five hundred
miles distant The young men can be BARRIERS
or hotel waiters-there is no better opening for
young ambition if it is colored. Why even in
the church it is little better. The prejudice is
still strong there against the colored brother Some
time ago i'll conference in which negro churches
form part the names of two colored preachers
were presented with the recommendation from
the colored churches that one be made bishop
over them. But to be % bishop was too rich for
the colored brothers blood. So they set a white
bishop over them. The Catholic Church sees her
opportunity with our race and will not be slow
to take ad Vantage of the prejudice that prevails
in other churches against u.s."
On this point the reporter narrated the story
told him a short time ago by Father Alerding. of
st. Joseph's Catholic Church. this city: I'm my
congregation at Cambridge City," said the
father, II had a colored woman She was very
devout, very anxious to attend all the services.
But when she came into the church and took her
seat, every one moved away from her as from a
pestilence, leaving her quite alone. l noticed
this but said nothing. 1t continued for some
time One day the poor woman came to me and
told me SHE could stand it no longer; she would
be compelled TO cease attending the church. l
told her TO continue, perhaps the prejudice
would pass away. 1t did not, but grew worse.
So took chair and gave her place before all
the congregation, next to the sanctuary rail.
Still l said nothing Soon after one of the
wealthiest in the congregation came and
begged that she sit in his pew. She die So and
the prejudice against her vanished"
$50 say" continued Mr.. Sweeney "that our
Catholic friends have tact. Another wall of
prejudice is raised by the trades unions These
unions, which pirate so glibly about the rights of
labor and the crushing exactions of capital are
themselves the cruelest of tyrants. No colored
boy is allowed TO become apprentice to learn
trade in this city. "A few of them are bricklayers,
but that is because that union is practically
broken Can colored boy learn the printers
tradel OF course not. Some of the best CT
gar-makers in the world are negroes.
Philadelphia-men who have learned the trade
would be given employment here. The cigar
makers union would not allow such thing
Gwen the United States has Disseminated
against the black man, reflex of the national
prejudice showing in the pay given TO the colored
troops put into the field after the Emancipation
Proclamation They rsked their lives not for
for their freedom, that they then had. but for
their country and were not paid much by
several dollars month as white soldiers There
are none to gainsay the assertion that the col
ored troops made good soldiers, and their white
fellow-soldiers acknowledged this early after
their employment, and
Never. in field tent.
Scorned the Black Regiment"