The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-02-01
1T is PASSING AWAY
SPEECH BY HON. w. III. SKAGGS ON
THE LATE SOLID SOUTH.
The Wane of SectiOnaIfsm Viewed
from an Independent Standpoint
Tribute to a Colored Man.

CHICAGO, Jan. 3L-The annual report of
the Hamilton Club in commemoration of
the birth of Alexander Hamilton was held
at the Auditorium tonight. The great din
ing room was decorated in a lavish man.
ner for the occasion, and fully three hum
dred of the most prominent nren in the city
were present. Many notable men from
other places were at the board President
Samuel w. Allerton, OF the club, acted as
POSTMASTER. 1t had been expected that
Governor Levi p. Morton, OF New York,
ex-Secretary of the Interior Noble, of Mis-
souri,, and Senator ]. B. Foraker, of Ohio.
would be present, but all three Of them
were unavoidably absent Governor Asa
Bushnell. of Ohio. responded to the toast
of Republican Ohio" and Bishop Charles
Z. Cheny. of Chicago, to s'The Patriot"
Prof. Booker T. Washington, of Alabama,
spoke on "Our New Citizen" In the course
OF his address he said:
You of this generation owe to the
South not less than to yourselves, an un-
fulfilled duty. Surely, if the negro, with all
that is behind him, forget the past,
you ought to rise above him in this regard.
When the South is poor, you are poor;
when the South is ignorant, you are ig-
norant; when the South commits crime you
commit crime: when the South prospers,
you prosper. Inere Is no power 1ndt can
separate our destiny. Let us ascend in this
matter above color, or race, or party, or
secti0nalism into the duty of man to man,
tan. Let the negro the North and the
South do their duty with new spirit and a
new>determination during this, the Gawning
of a new century, and at the end of fifty
years picture will be painted. What is it?
A race dragged from its native land in
chains; three hundred years Of slavery;
years of fratrfcidal war; thousands Of
lives laid down for the freedom of the slave,
reconstruction, bsunders, bitterness between
the North and South The South staggers
past and comes to the rescue; the negro in
the midst teaching North and South pa
tience, forberance, long suffering, obedd-
ence to law, developing In intellect, char
acter and prosperity, skill and habits of in
dustry; the North and South Joining hands
with the negro; take him whom they both
wronged, help him, encourage him, stimu-
late him in seif-help. give him the rights of
man and in lifting up the negro lift them
selves up in that atmospnere where there Is
new Republic
PASSING OF THE SOLID SOUTH.
Hon. william II. Skaggs, president of the
Southern and Northwestern Industrial AS
sociation. was warmly received as he rose
to speak on 1.-The Passing of the Solid
South" He said in part:
IT would not, and 1 dare not, make
Republican speech. lest 1 give offense to a
treme partisans, In the South VINO appear
10 have forgotten that the brave men VINO
fought the battles of the Confederacy long
ago accepted the decision OF the highest
tribunal and returned TO their desolate
homes to engage in the noble pursuits of
peace with a spirit of determination and
a valor no less marked than they displayed
before an enemy whose valor and patriot
ism challenged the admiration of the
world. Far be il from my purpose to ques-
tion the motives or honest impulses of the
few extreme partisans that are found in
the South who honestly believe that TIE
process of reconstruction has not yet end
ed. and, like the Saxons of old, or a few
f'renchmen OF to-day. honestly believa
tnat the truest patriot is he who hates the
largest and the hardest. Let these good
folks rest in peace. For moN than a
quarter of a century they have ~implored
the Nation 10 take their elixir. They have
been forced to take their own medicine
for the past three years. and. like every
other nostrum professor, the more they
take the sicker they get.
In the onward march OF the new South
TO broader and higher civilization, we
cannot stop 10 quarrel with those who in
dorse everything done I'm the name OF De-
mocracy. whether IL be of British dictation
or mugwump origin. and deplore everything
er IL be the protection OF the American
workingmen at home, or Old Glory
abroad. Nor would l give the least warrant
that l am here as willing tool for any
faction of the Republican party 10 further
any purpose. While l feel that | am privi-
| legged 10 make a Democratic speech, IL would
perhaps. be in bad form 20 exercise this
privilege IL there were no other reason for
not making a Democratic speech have too
much respect for the wise and good people
OF that great commonwealth where De-
mocracy was born and secession Graded.
j must net place myself I'm antagonsm to
the matured judgment OF the distinguished
Senator from South Carolina. who. within
the past forty-eght hours. has declared