Omaha daily bee., 1895-09-30
HONOR FOR A NEGRO.

ATLANTA, Ga, Sept. 29.-To the Editor
OF The Bee: A splendid audience rewarded the
oratorical efforts which preceded the formal
opening of the great cotton exposition and
strangely enough the best speech was made
by a negro. Mrs. Clara Thompson of the
board of lady managers was complimentary
to all who had contributed to the success of
the undertaking. Hon. Mr.. Speer was elab-
crate and ornamental, but the negro was full
Of feeling and power, and the good hard sense
and elouuence Of his utterances aroused the
thousands of his white listeners to enthus-
iasm.
The surprise to me was great, for I had
noticed that the color line was very distinctly
drawn. Colored people have their own place
In railroad carriages. they do not ride on the
street cars. They have their own schools
and teachers. In riding out to the grounds
in the long and gay procession was in COM
pany with three directors Of the exposition,
who were also members OF the civic govern
ment. Conversation turned upon the differ
ences of sentiment and custom between the
north and south, and in the course of 1t | OBJ
served:
you have the negro problem to solve, and
we have to solve the problem of the -"
Before | could finish the sentence one of
them exclaimed: mo, indeed! We have
solved that problem. The negro knows his
place in this state. He understands that he
Is free to secure all the educational advan-
tages he can, to compete for wealth, to sur
round himself with whatever he thinks may
conduce to the happiness of his home, but
when it comes to social life and office he
must stop"
With these assertions in mind, as sat
in front Of the platform, l was puzzled to
reconcile them with the sight of a negro
sharing the platform and the audience with
Mrs. Thompson and the Hon. Mr.. Speer and
TO near the thuDQerS of aDDl9uSa which
greeted him as he made point after point
in favor OF his race. Any white orator might
have felt proud to appear side by side with
the beautiful lady manager and the cap
tiVating ex-congressman. Yet that pleasure
and distinction were given a negro. This was
excluding the negro with a vengeance!
What cared he at that hour that he could
not ride In company with the ordinary
crowd in the railway or street car, IL he
could stand with beauty, grace and oratory
on that almost national platform, ~eclipsing
all other speakers, swaying the immense
audience by his mental power?
NO, the problem is not solved! Permission
to grasp the levers Of power, education and
wealth will keep the problem unsolved.
There is no middle ground between slavery
and the limitless possibilities of freedom.
Given education and you furnish the wings
upon which. in spite of race, men will rise to
become, poets, historians, orators, philosopher
and leaders. Given the liberty to acquire
wealth and the world will be at the feet
of success. OF this this incident of the ex-
position furnishes incontrovertible proof.
The exhibit made by the colored people of
this state is highly creditable to them, and
shows that they we're not intended to be mere
beasts of burden. They here prove them
selves to be inventors, and in many of the
departments Of art able to use a delicacy of
expression not to be surpassed. In passing
through their display one is reminded that in
the past those whose skill in painting and
statuary furnish us with models. whose wit
and wisdom supply modern speech with much
of its pungencyf'and whose philosophers were
the parents q present systems, wore the
garb of degradation and sat in the lowest
places in the homes of the rich and powerful.
JAMES MORRIS.