Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1891-02-24
Meeting of Colored People

nacnle assembled al tnS Cfera douse laet
NIGHT to celebrate Wasbington's birthday
and listen to speeches from j. NJ Langston
and other promiueni colored men.
Shortly before eight O'Clock the curtain
rose and fe1 minutes later LaOestaD,
Commissionar Towpsht NJ, of The Lan6 Ohce,
and other lesser lights, local and nationsl,
together With two women appeared On the
stage. Tue ball wac opened by solo by
colored woman, whose voice gave evidence
of car, fall training. While her vocal pow
era were appreciated by the bu k OF the Gu
dienoe. who we're qnist and well-behaved,
hsr notes were waited On the desert cir
when they reached the gallery, where
horde had assem- bltd, whose musical cui-
ture is calculated TO erjoy Magnify" OF
fannie Roouey" far more than choice ope:-
attic selections, and whose Thespiau taste
will never bear anything more serlona than
"Toodlesn or Paddy Mles's Boy" Hence
nunbers who wanted to hear were pre-
vented.
She was followed by woman who read q
carefully prepared essay on her sex. She,
too. soon found that her contribution bsd
sbont ss r1uch efIeo, uron many OF her au-
deuce as slipping rseIms to dead asses would
nave produced. She accordingly grew In
dieneDt, aud plainly informed the illmen-
nerly that unless order was preserved she
| would cease reading. A momentsry ull
followed, after which she sgein proceeded
She had not gone over much ground. how
eyer, before the same element grew restiV-
and began more disorder. A drum and
6ie st the read of fire company parade In
the street caused tbis gang to rush to the
windows, and simultaneously the fire balls
struck which seemed to send greater thrill
through the occupants of the gallery thar
the essay. The womsn persisted and
finally finished reading her paper
The essay showed no especial originality,
though 1t gave evidence OF some culture anG
mental power on be part of The art1oress
In it she attempted 10 SHIFT the responsible
| ity of the fall of the world upon tae mar,
who she claimed should have kDowl the
wies OF The ,emp!er sufficiently TO have
| warned the woman and put veto upon her
tas ting of the forbidden fruit, thus assuming
superiority In judgment on the part Of
E yes companion, while in other parts oil zoe
. trea.se she repudiated the notion OF femi-
nine inferiority. Toward the end OF the pa
| per she rather revers. the iDjunctions OF
scripture By ptoc!aiming that men should
CD y their wives.
J. II. LapgstoD YVES afterwards intrcduc-
| ed, and though he said he was in no condi-
| tion 10 make speech, and appealed to his
| audience to witness the truth of his asser-
| tior, be managed 10 keep going for two
hour. He began by ling the 22ad OF
| February was sn anniversary meet TO oa
ce 'ebrated by blacks "a well as By whites,
as the occasion called to mind the birth o.
the founder OF the glorious country in which
| al ,Iocooo NOM hreo a6 the air of liharfV
After further prelimin aries he passed on To
what be said wcu'd be the cut iscts Of his
speech-chief among which wou'd be ths
wrongs under which tAe black man now suf.
fered, and appealed to scripture to show
tn; we should al do ea we wish to be done
by. There were several alleged issues which
| would not enter into his remarks and In
which his race has no ooncern nor did he
urge them, az his wanted the black man to
simply do his duty conscientiobs!y and fu'-
his mission. The first question was the
superiority of the white over the black rece;
| the fsar the whites ente' lined of negro gu
premscy; co!opz.io1, deportation. ~. ALI
these Issues had DO significance. As to e6,
cduses this was .hs Only country the black
man kDsw snytbisg about, and be nat
| urally didh's want TO leave it, nor
| did be believe 1t was the universal
wish Of the whites to urge bis departure.
| AZ to social equality, the blacks demanded
| no such thing. Let oil essc ciate ss they
please social environments would inevs-
tably settle that issue. He didn'G want his
race to ignore their color, ignorance OF other
defects. but he wanted them to be Eliminated
by the spirit of ame.iorationa of their condi-
ton aad no s7owsl of the rights accorded
them under this free government. He
didn'l desire his race 20 ne forever regarded
a. political nondescrip's. and referred to
the fact that he was once slave az was bis
progenitors. But citizenship Vas not Dow
dependent upon what man hsd been. He
had been bo,n in the ssme Stale as Wash
iDgtoD. and was ss much An American az
any body in the country. at this time the
disorder had become SO great That it was i'm
possible for The speaker to proceed. The gal
ierv was to!erably we'll filed with young COL
ore d people, ost of whom were disappointed
in not witnessing some sort Of perform
auce, and there was continual coming in
and going out. Langston stopped and in.
formed the restless spirits that unless order
was preserved be would cease speskiog.
The disorder once more simmered down,
and the speaker again adjusted his epecta-
Giles and resumed. He sad he vas not urg-
ing new laws for neer9es, but merely want.
I'd existing ones enforced, and euggeated
that bis race had recourse to law in every
grievance they might meet with either iu
hIes ches of city, State or federal laws; but
he wanted the black man to have his rights
In practice IS yell as theory. The ballot,
h urged. was their proper defence. and II
denied the exercise OF 1t they could appeal
to the courts. in which case it would
matter but little whether the cleo
ZION bill Was passed or not. He
thon alluded to certain alleged infringe
ments CT he rights of colo;ed people 10 the
South, read statistics to prove their numeri-
cal streng' at the ballot bc1, expaiated on
i.-treai ment charged against the whites 10
certain portions OF the country and wss
waxing earnest In biz description OF things
be asserted he had witnessed, saying every
white man in the State endeavored to keep
him out OF Congress, when numbers OF bic
audience again grew unappreciative and he
positively refusfd to proceed until police |
man ves jntroduned In the hail To keen or. |