Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-01
COLOR AND TRADE.
A Plan Proposed for CELEBRATING
Race Prejudice.
THE MEETING LAST NIGHT.
Complaints of Discrimination-Agitatio and
Organization Proposed-Addresses ON Va
rious Branches of the Subject-A Commit
tee TO Be Appointed.

~ SSAtCAesc SoAok pA(yAuASs ~ "aoAAhb soA
u the object Of an organization 20 form which
meeting was held at the Metropolitan Baptist
Church on r street last night. Tho meeting
was well attended, the large auditorium of the
church being well filed The gathering in
ciudcd many well-kuown colored men and
women. On the platform were seated Rev.
VIM II. Brooks, Rev. Mr.. Cola, Fourth Auditor
Lynch, Bev. Geo. W. Ice, Rev. Robert John
Son, Mr.. A F. Hiilysr and others. The meeting
was not Q mass meeting, but the exercises were
conducted in acco-dancs with program ar
ranged BY the committee in charge.
After an earnest prayer by Rev. Walter H.
Brooks. Mr.. A. +. Hillyer read the cal, of the
meeting and stated its objects. A circular ne
said subscribing to the purposes OF the move
ment had been signed very generally through
out the city. 1t not the intention of the
promoters of the movement to throw the aues-
tion open TO an indiscriminate debate. as they
did not believe this the time for that
Those who called the meeting had a remedy to
propose, a remedy that had been carefully con-
sidered- The speakers had each chosen a sepa-
rate topic The cruel injustice they suffered
prevented them from equal opportunities IN
life The cause Of this prescription was color
prejudice. Whatever they might say or do
must be done TO obliterate color prejudice
They must labor to make n good i'm
preston on the community. They must be
the colsr line themselves. They must stick
closest to their friends white as we'll as coll
ored- They must respect their own class and
be ready ~ all times to help and encourage
them. They must be manly and womaniy and
make such an exhibition of seIf-respect as to
compel all men to applaud their efforts
Mr. Rilyer then introduced president for
the evening Mr.. John III. Smyth. ex-minister to
Liberia Ir. Snyth .at once introduced the
first speaker OF the evening Mr. John III.
ErOOks who smoke min att in h.
Administration Of Justice in the Police and
Health Departments Of the District Of Column
bia."
TIE coLogEp PEOPLE AND TIE POLICE.
Mr.. Brooks said that since the amendment Of
the Constitution of the United States giving
the coiored people their citizenship they had had
q severe struggle. The more enlightened they
became the harder the struggle seemed to be-
He was sorry, indeed, to believe that justice
was not blind, but saw with great clearness the
complexion Of the party brought before the
courts. They ought first to see that all their
people became law-abiding. In their schools
and Sunday schools they should teach all to
always abide by the law. Ii a colored person
is arrested by a policeman he is treated en-
tlrely different from a white person. They are
dubbed by policemen without any Justification
whatever. These are facts that have come to
his knowledge. The distinctions made by the
police department are so glazing as to consti-
tute disgrace to the community. He would
leave the community to say how they are
treated when they taken to the Police
Court They were lawfully assembled that
evening for the purpose of calling public atten-
ton to the outrageous administration of JUS
tice in the District. He thought any one who
would 60 into the Police Court and sit any
length of time would conclude that the treat
ment OF the colored man was outrageous. They
did not want to screen any offender against the
law In any way. He did not believe that when
. policeman had TO accost him or apprehend
him the policeman should make his business
known by clubbing him. Yet that was the
way the policeman treated the colored men.
THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
Speaking OF the health department, he asked
how many OF the inspectors went into the alleys
to see how the poor people who occupied the
dwellings there were housed-how the houses
were ventilated. He said the great difference
IN the vital statistics among the colored and
Vie whites was due to the fact that the colored
people were forced to live in these unhealthy
habitations, for which higher percentage OF
rent was charged than for the palaces Of the
rich
When the beautiful streets of which WASH
fngton Dragged 30 much were merely the out
side boundaries of squares which were filed
with corruption il was a shame. 1t was a
known fact that no respectable colored person
could rent q house on certain streets on ac-
count of the combinations against them of real
estate agents and owners II they were to be
forced to eolonize in the alleys the government.
through the police and the health department..
should see to il that their surroundings were
made healthy. He thought the enforced colo
nization of the colored people in the alleys
tended also to endanger the morals of the
youth. He believed they would fail in this
movement from the start if they did not start
with determination to have no offenses COM
mitted by the eolored people. He believed this
organization was necessary for the reason that
when they pretended to correct evils they must
60 upon facts He proposed that when they
did have an organization they should collect
the facts, and with them they could WELD a
moral influence that would make every one in
the community feel ashamed.
THE GENERAL PLAN Proposed.
Mr.. Kelly Miller, the next speaker, spoke on
''The Need Of Organization ard Plan" He
said that since the abolition Of slavery only
two methods had been proposed for the solu-
tion of the race problem-politics and educa-
tion-but neither was broad enough. In spite
OF political effort and the results Of education
tho prescription still existed. The plan now
proposed was to use their material and in
dustriai resources In order to secure their
rights. Whatever they ate or whatever they
drank, whatever they did. they should do with
an eye single TO break down tie barrier
Neither speech nor silence would have much
weight with the American people as the argu-
dictate the policy OF endurance. For a quarter
OF century they had been listening to the ad-
vice Of those who would persuade them that nil
would be made right in time. but instead of an
arselioration of their condition they had gone
from bad TO worse and from worse to the in
Giderable. II was rot through tears or COM
plant, through resolutions or protests or
~ltupcration, but on a broad platform of CO.
operation that they would find the
relief they sought Whatever antipathy
existed between races was some thing they could
not reach, for the Ethiopian could not change
his akin IL was condition and not theory
that confronted them. II required no argu-
ment TO convince one that their condition was
unsatisfactory. There we're two courses of ac-
ton tending TO the same end. They could at
tack the problem individually or as an orsani-
sAtion- The eolored people should see that
their lack of organization was their weakness
Tho negro race had produced more illustrious
individuals than any other race with similar
antecedents. But the man could not rise much
above the mass They should bring the gem
srsl average Of the race up to the level OF the
Angio-Saxon standard The situation called
for men consecrated to q course and devoted to
Q principle II was not by cutting loose from
she mass that they were to succeed for what
ever height they attained they must be sup
ported by those below. The greatest accom-
plishments their race had achieved had been
aloug the line of church work. aud this was
due largely TO the fact that they Lad been COM
pehed by prejudice to organize their own
chu-chea The fund.pant.f ,3a. tb;. .,o.-o