St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-09-14
AfrO-American Mass Meeting
That Bodies Ill for Re-
publicanism.
Dragging Of McGhee Off the
Electoral Ticket Not to
Be Swallowed.
Halt Called on Club Organi-
Zation Until the Wrong
Is Righted.
Inauguration Of a Movement
That Means a Boom for
Democracy.


American citizens that ever assembled
in the Twin Cities did business last
evening at Cunningham's hall on East
Fifth street. At first it was not mass
meeting, but gathering of the Fourth
Ward Afro-American Republican club.
with President j. @. Adams presiding.
In short order the programme was
changed, and those present resolved
the gathering into popular meeting of
colored citizens, irrespective of ward or
city boundaries.
Z. P. Wade was chosen chairman and
Louis De Lyons secretary. Mr.. Wade
acquitted himself in dignified, COM
mendable manner, although the SenI-
ment of a majority of those assembled
was plainly AGAINST him. In several in
stances he was called down for debating
the beauties of Repnblicanism as APP
piled to the black man when he should
have been putting the question. and to
appease the DIRECTORS to a stump speech
had to desist and come to business.
Fred McGhee Explains
When the assembly began its session
as mass meeting, Lawyer Frederick
McGhee, the gentleman who was
dragged off the Republican electoral
ticket, presumably because of the acct
dent Of color, became the hero of the
hour. In response to calls, MIR. McGhee
made an exhaustive explanation of
his position and the events leading up
to his name being taken off the
electoral ticket. the trend of his argu-
ment being to show he had not received
the fair and equitable treatment which
should be accorded irrespective of all
considerations except that personal fit
ness. The cOlOred counsellor and orator
argued the matter calmly and logically.
He was listened to with absorbing
attention, and the class of men who
made up his multitude of listeners
showed the deep interest taken in the
shabby treatment accorded him by the
Republican managers.
George c. Allen, of the Eighth ward,
natural orator and logician, discussed
at length the present attitude of the
Republican party in the state and IN
the city as 1t affects the colored citi-
Zens. Chief of Police Garvin-whom
MIR. Allen dubbed mayor Wright's
Imported Big Sioux Chief.'-
was given proper dressing down on
account Of his cavalier treatment of
humble men of the colored race who
had sought small faYOrs at his hands,
numerous instances being cited of his
lordly way. Mayor Wright incidentally
received a showing up. His deep SYM
pathy and friendliness was outlined IN
clear-cut, sarcastic manner, and the
fact was brought out that he would not
even hire coIored mans rig to haul
dogs to the pound, to say nothing of his
fni tn izn hn nrsth Of Of
the strongest factors in his election by
appointing even one man of the colOred
race to the police force OF any other
position of responsibility
Sam Hardy and other speakers fol-
lowed in the same vein, the gist of their
sentiments being that organizations Of
AfrO-AmericanS to aid RepublicaniSm at
this time would be acowardIy dropping
of principle for the sake of the glory Of
vanished usefulness. The fact was
dwelt upon III earnest words, spoken by
sensible, practical men. that if the
dlctum of the bosses was accepted in
this instance it meant only additional
indignities in the future, with less
power to resist:
Conviction of the Truth e..s
of these propositions took possession of
the meeting, and assumed form in a
~
seconded by Harry c. Howard, to this
effect:
Resolved, That it is the sense of this meet
ing that The colored citizens of Minnesota
should refrain from the organization of cam
paign clubs until the McGhee electoral mat
ter is definitely settled.
The resolution was warmly received
by the audience, but before putting it
Chairman Wade claimed the privilege
of making statement, and launched
into an argument for Republicanism as
naturally as a duck takes to water.
Sam Hardy and several others were
alert to the chairman's game OH the in
slant, and appealed to him to leave the
chair and make his talk, giving the
other side chance to answer. A warm
exchange of good-natured badinage fol-
lowed, and Mr.. Wade finally put the
question to a vote. The ayes had it
unanimously, and the chair so stated in
declaring the motion carried, though he
reserved to himself the right to vote as
he pleased.
The friends of the resolution after
ward explained that the intention was
to compel the Republican self-elected
war lords" TO decide, and that at once,
just
What They Mean to DO
n the matter, the intimation being that,
while under any circumstances DAN w.
LAWYER and the Democratic ticket will
receive large vote from the colored
portion of our population, unless the
latter are recognized as having some
rights the Republicans are bound to re-
! spect: something viii drop with telling
effect Nov. s, and it will be the ballots
| of men who mean to be free not only in
the legal sense. but in acting entirely
! independent of a party which has here
| tofore assumed to own them.
There was little noisy demonstration
in the meeting, but the earnest bearing
of those present spoke louder than
words the feeling of being wronged that
| they cherish, ard a determination to
| assert themselves that BODIES no good to
| Nelson and his chiefest advisers in the
Republican party of Minnesota.