St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-03-23
SLAVES NOLONGER.
The Ramsey County Coiored
League Cheers Speeches for
Tariff Reform

Tariff Reform.
A very enthusiastic meeting of the
Ramsey County Colored league was held
at Garfield post hall last evening. This
organization was formed few weeks
ago and now has membership of about
800.
President Thomas jefferson was in
the chair. After song by the glee
club. composed of MeSsrS. Chur, Finley,
Holmes and Hank, the speaker Of the
evening, II. Price Williams, was intro
dueed and proceeded to deliver very
stirring address on the tariff question.
His remarks, which were frequently
interrupted by applause, were sub
Stantially as follows:
- desire to express my views Oh
subject that is at present confronting the
two great parties. L refer to the tariff
question. and | claim | have right to
place myself on the free trade side of it.
of the 1000 articles that are protected by
our government in not one of them are
our people concerned in their manu-
facture. We are taxed by the very men
who pretend to be our friends. After
looking at the matter fairly and sQuarely
/ contend that no c0lored man can be
uncertain as to the position he should
take Oh the tariff question. We have
voted, year in and year out, the Repub-
lican ticket, and have sent men
representing big industries to
congress, and with what result?
TO have our people and our children
debalred from employment in these in
duStries, and obliged to take mental pO-
SitionS.
They ask us to vote the Republican
ticket, which is to vote for protection.
To support tariff that places a heavy
duty on the neceSsaries of life. Your
wages average about AZ cents day,
and you must pay out OF that
the shoes Oh your feet and the buttons
on your coat. The protective tariff is
wrong. and both the parties admit it,.
We, the negroes OF the country, are 60
ing to decide who will walk into the
White house. and say we will defeat
any man who is against add
uniting our boys and girls into
honest occupation in the industries
of the country. Seven millions of our
people are debarred from the honest
Industries of life. There is not a
colored man working in our stores, in
our counting houses or in onr shops,
except in a mental position, and yet we
allow ourselves to be corralled like
sheep every year and driven to the polls
by party which says it freed lis. We
have paid the debt Of gratitude we
owed the Republican party, that was
with our blood.
1--WE will send men to congress who
believe in admitting free OF duty
the goods of other countries. Protection
to cOlored man means starvation. The
Republicans have taxed all the neces-
SarieS of life since 1868. and yet we vote
for them. We must sustain the party
which is i'll favor of ab0liShing the
tariff. How is it with the
Democratic party right here in
this city? 1t has inaugurated
a fire organization of coiered men; it.
has placed our people on the police
force and it has retained colored en-
ployes in the posteifice Let us use men
and parties to our purpose. Let
some of You bright young
colored men go down to Mr..
Banker Merriam in quest of a
position. He will" shake hands with
you and tell you he is glad to see you,
but when you tell him you are good
accountant and desire position in his
bank, will he put you to work? Oh!
no. He has no room for you. Has
Mayor Smith ever refused us favor?
No
Il ask you, then, in the name of 7,000,-
600 of our people, to do something to
show we are not a lot of syeophants that
VIII vote for a man who will OPP
press us.''
j. L. Curtis followed and said: "Mr.
Williams has said all that [ would say,
and has left no stone unturned. | am
not minion OF serf of any party. AS a
Republican / say we have supported
that party long enough to know there is
no gain to us by SO doing. We are for
gotten as soon as the campaign is over.
AS long as we are the tools OF any party
just so long will we be slaves
Speeches of the same tenor as those
of Messrs. Williams and Curtis were
made by Fanil baltimore and j. F.
Loomis, and the enthusiasm eyinced
during their delivery shows that the
colored people have made up their
minds that one source of elevation of
their race lies in tariff reform.