The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-07
REDHOT SPEECHES MADE.
Hundreds Of Colored Men
Ready to Help Their Broth
ers at Springfield.
SECURING WEAPONS TO FIGHT.
Indifference Of Illinois Officers May
Cause the Prosecuted People
to Rise for Justice.

CHICAGO, Ill, Aug. Elm response to
q call to arms addressed to the colored peo-
pie of Chicago over 200 negroes assembled
at 500 State street at o'clock this morn
ing. The call reads as follows:
To the Colored People of Chicago: There will be
q meeting at 500 State street at A. NJ. and we
want all able-bodied men to come. The time
has come for US to arm in defense of our race.
They are killing our people all over the coun-
try. Every day we read of lynching, outrage
and murder of our people. We must remember
that this is our country and unless we fight for
our rights the foreigners will run us out, as
the Government has not protected and will not
protect us as we protected it in time OF need.
We ask all able-bodied colored men to respond
TO this cal, as they must have our aid at Spring
Valley before 5 P NJ. Tuesday. or they will
slaughter the helpless women and children
that are left. We have got to do this, and we
may as well die now as to die year from now.
F. S. MOORE
w. G. HAWKINS.
H. NJ. FISHER.
The Rev. George W. Dickey, pastor of
the colored chapel. addressed the meeting,
counseling moderation. He asked his
hearers not to be hasty, but to be patient
and act within the law.
Then William Johnson spoke, urging
violent redress upon the murderous
Italian miners. His demands for bloody
vengeance were cheered by his infuriated
hearers. They then prepared telegram,
which was sent to Governor Altgeld, say
ing that 500 negroes would leave for Spring
Valley at 80 to help their brethren if he
did not send them assurance that he
would protect the colored people now in
danger there. They asked for an imme-
diate answer.
Committees are drumming up men and
arms in the colored precinct to make the
trip to Valley Spring if necessary. The
impatience of the waiting volunteers was
uncomfortable and to pacify them Captain
Hawkins looked up Representative Buck
ner and prevailed upon him to go to
Springfield and urge the Governor to make
some reply.
More speeches were then INDUCED in
and the Rev. Mr.. Johnson. in fiery burst
of words, advised the assembled colored
people to arm themselves with revolvers
and prepare for action.
"If these Italians harm single
black man." Mr.. Johnson said, 1--WE ought
to go down there and wipe them off the
face of the earth. You can get bulldog
revolvers for 81, and l would not give
cent for man who could not raise that
much in a time like this. If we can't
reach Spring Valley in time to help our
people there are many Italians in Chicago
who can be made to pay the debt their
nationality may contract.
"Get' these revolvers 1 speak of at once,
and don't remain so passive. Don't you
know that within a couple of hours men,
women and children of our race may be
butchered?"
Other speeches, but not so fiery, were
INDUCED in. Two of the negroes then pro-
cured carriage and started out to raise
funds with which to charter special train
to carry the negroes to Spring Valley, and
it is confidently expected that 500 will go
if transportation facilities can be secured.
A crowd of excited negroes assembled in
the tumbledown building at 496 State
street at o'clock this evening. There
were many representative colored citizens
in the crowd, but the great majority were
of the disreputable element. There was
constant disorder, but no weapons were
displayed. Policemen in citizens clothes
circulated freely in the assembly. E. H.
Wright, an employe of one of the town as
SCISSORS, was the first speaker. He coun-
seled moderation, but was howled down.
Calls were frequent for a radical
speech" Charles Campbell spoke next.
He urged the crowd to go to Spring Valley
as law-abiding citizens to escort our
brethren back to work" He also told his
hearers to be peaceful until attacked and
then fight to the death.
Horace w. Spraddender was introduced
as 'late arrival from the seat of war"
He was excited, and called upon the crowd
''to do something" He shouted: 'The
time for talking is past. Not day passes
but we hear of some of our race being
murdered for nothing. I am tired of it.
Let us teach those foreigners lesson"
He was applauded. R. L. Patterson,
also of Spring Valley, advised the crowd
to go there and be prepared for work.