Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-01

people Of this city were united a. one body he
prejudice Of which they complained
would be wiped out altogether. This
union was practicable and easy Of con-
summation. and if they would rally around
this organization he firmly believed
the objects they sough. would soon BE- accom-
plished- They had, for instance colored pro-
fessional men-doctors. lawyers, dentists. He
did no. ask them 70 employ these men because
| tn y are colored or refuse to employ smother
because he is white. When one Of his family
was sick he endeavored to get the doctor he
i considered the best Yet be did not hesitate to
say. that all things else being equal, If there 10 Q
| colored doctor as good as a white doctor he
felt that the colored doctor ought to have the
he was colored. He had no prejudice. He did
not dislike white people. It was not on &C.
| count OF any race prejudice. II mattered not
how skilled the colored doctor might be, they
knew that on account of prejudice he could not
enter the bed chambers Of the white people as
he could the bed chambers of the colored- a.
| the white doctor could the bed chambers Of
the colored. If the colored people refused to
| give the cOlored doctor the preference and
| he was excluded from the homes Of the white
people what was the colored doctor going to
do? They should give him the preference for
| the sake OF the race. He was anxious to SEQ
the day come when there would be no necessity
Tor race organizations Of any kind-for colored
CuurCQcs, lOr cOlOrSu SCHOOLS. '.but 90 YOU
know" he asked, when that day will Gomez"
"Afte- Judgment" said some one in the
audience.
''Soms one," continued Mr.. Lynch. says after
Judgment day. l will not attempt 10 give q
measure of time. That day will come when
church congregations will be composed Of
white and colored alike and q colored minister
can preside over such a congregation. Separate
schools will cease to exist when the colored and
white shall attend the same schools and where
there shall be no distinction in the employ
ment of teachers" Mr.. Lynch, continuing,
| said the present condition was something for
which they were not responsible. They must
educate the public up to the point Of recog
MIXING merit in n colored man when he pos
sesses it. He thought they could make progress
in this direction without instituting law suits,
establishing boycotts or dong anything that
would offend any one. He happened to meet q
few days ago a colored man who said he was
regularly employed salesman in a clothing
store in this city conducted by white man.
He told him that he would go there and buy
his clothes there. He went and bought
q suit of clothes, and he had on the suit then.
1t did him good to go there and call for this
colored salesman. Suppose he said if
every colored man in this city who wanted
suit of clothes went to this store and called for
this man. The storekeeper would have to get
two or three dozen such statesmen, and not only
that. every other clothing store in the city
would be on the lookout to get colorod sales
hicAs 1uAt was WHAT uc meant py uulOu. ne
did not care personally, for as it was
now the sentiment among white business
men was that no white man could afford with
safety to his business to employ a colored man.
He felt like encouraging this firm for
what il had done toward breaking down
American prejudice. He believed there were
white business men in this city who had not
the slightest objection personally to employ
ing colored men. It was because Of an appre-
hension that instead Of gaining trade and Gus
tom they would lose it that they did not en-
ploy them. When they asked such business
man to do something which, in his opinion.
would destroy his business he will not do it.
II that man can be made to understand that by
refusing to discriminate he would not only lose,
but gain by it, he will do it. They could
accomplish this by union, organization and
concentration. II they could guarantee to such
man that he could gain the colored trade or
half of it, he could take the chances. That
was not boycotting any one, but was rails
ing tine boycott that existed against the
colored people. That was not destroying
up some ones business. That was an APP
plication of what was called reciprocity.
They were simply following in the footsteps
Of the government. He was a strong advo-
cate Of reciprocity. He wanted to say a few
words to colored women. He looked with
solcitude upon their young women. Did the
question present itself to mothers who were
raising daughters what are these daughters to
do? In what business are they to be engaged?
Ali could not be school teachers or govern
ment clerks or wives of rich husbands. All
could not be domestics in the families of rich
people, and ought not to be. They knew if
they took one OF these daughters to a store and
asked employment, if her identity with the col
ored race was suspected. the answer would be
mo-" 1t was the duty of these mothers to en-
courage the proposed organization. He be-
lieved If one of these merchants could
be made to understand that by put
ting one Of these girls to work
a majority of colored mothers would trade with
such reciprocation, they would make the long
est step toward the object they had in view.
He knew that it was said that colored women,
or some Of them, were imitators. He remem-
bered when he was q boy OH a farm when it be-
came fashion among white women to wear
the hair in puff over each ear. That was
very difficult fashion for some of these colored
women to follow. They had one woman who
was determined to be in fashion, though her hair
was short. He noticed on Sunday when she
went to church she had those puffs. He was
SO much concerned about it that he asked how
she had done it, and found she had bunch Of
black moss right over each ear So she was de-
termined to be in the fashion. Colored ladies
in Washington would be in the fashion so far
as dress went. They were bound to 60 to these
stores. He advised them to 60 to stores
that would treat them nicely and that
would give employment to deserving colored
people. He did not ask that they give their trade
exclusively to places run by colored people.
In addition to encouraging white business men
to do the fair thing by colored boys and girls
one Of the best things they could do was to en-
courage colored people who undertook bust
ness enterprises of their own when they found
such men responsible and reliable. They
would not only contribute to the success of the
colored business men, but they would open
channels Of employment for those who were
not fortunate enough to be able to embark in
business for themselves.
REV. GEO. W. LEE.
Rev. George W. Lee, who next addressed the
meeting, did not give the most hearty kind of
approval to the plan suggested. 1t is time, he
said, that they as people demanded their
rights, not in a compromising way, but boldly
He wanted his rights, not gift from the
white people, but as something vouchssfed to
him by the blood of Sc, 900 negroes who slept in
the grave. As to the trade proposition, he
wondered IN they were prepared to make q de-
mand They must be prepared to have their
demands rejected. He thought IL they had
few more stores of their own, they demon
strated a disposition to do something them
selves, they would be in better position. Still,
if the effort would stop the great current OF
prejudice against his race he would like to see
It carried out. 1t was time for them to do
something.
Mr.. Lee related some interesting anecdotes
apd mazda Soma Wit a, 20 xho l;.r,